I got this plant as a tiny starter and it has been flourishing nicely. I was so proud – the first plant I was actually able to keep alive!!
But lately, all its leaves are drying up and falling off. I don’t understand – I water it as recommended and it’s in the light, but not in direct light.
Any ideas??
by honeyshark30
10 Comments
It’s just showing some signs of stress, not necessarily dying
I would recommend a repot with some fresh soil, add some fertilizer if you haven’t
Mine looks like this too – it does amazingly well outside in the summer, so I wonder if being indoors/low light is an issue? With those longer stems that just have leaves at the end, I would cut and propagate them, and you can start new plants! Also cut off brown leaves. I JUST did that to mine today, looked VERY SAD
These plants love to die i swear.
It appears to be in a very tiny pot, so is probably root bound which means new leaves aren’t able to get proper nutrition and hydration.
Repot with fresh soil. Use a new pot that is about 1” wider and 1” taller. No larger.
Be gentle with the roots. Tease them apart gently with your fingers. Snip off dead leaves with sharp scissors. Use a plant food spike every 3 months. Jobe’s and Miracle Gro are both good brands.
The plant looks great otherwise! They just need a little maintenance now and then. Fast growers like this may need to be repotted every 2-5 years.
I think it looks fine. If you give it more light, make sure to not get the leaves wet when you water, and cut and propegate the ends, it will really brighten up.
Thanks everyone! You’ve encouraged me greatly! I was so sad I had killed my one and only successful plant! 🌱
I would *either* chop and prop the leggy bits *or* repot the whole thing into a bigger pot (like an inch bigger, don’t go crazy, lol). If you keep the plant as-is, then it looks like it needs more room. They size up pretty quickly for the first few pot sizes. If you cut it back, the existing root system should be happy supporting a smaller plant, but may not appreciate a haircut on top of a new pot. Plus, experimenting with propagation can be lots of fun.
The fact they’re going tips first and the leaves look ok otherwise also makes me wonder if they’re close to an especially cold window. Could be cold damage. If it *is* cold damage, a repot might be the better choice. Propagating likely won’t work if cold is stressing out the cuttings.
These plants are super hardy, so don’t stress! These are crawling plants meaning they like to touch dirt instead of only growing out of it. They also do better when pruned. They’ll start to lose leaves going only vertical.
Cut off the dead leaves, then tuck and wrap the lower stems around in the pot so that was many nodes as possible are touching the dirt. These will start to root. For the taller ones you can chop them off and just stick them in the dirt and they’ll likely root too, giving you a fuller plant. You can also chop and stick on water until roots start to grow.
Your plant looks a little washed out too, so you may want a grow light. Losing it’s vibrancy can be a sign of not enough light. They don’t like to be sun burned but their natural habitat is tropical islands so think about that when trying to recreate it’s home indoors!
Chop and prop! Mine started dying, I propagated it in fluval stratum and then, after, a mix of tree fern fiber and my soil mix and voila it’s so happy now
It’s not dying. That’s just what they do. I try to not get the leaves wet and I trim them when they’re long,water propagate the cuttings and replant them. I have multiple of these plants and they all look like this lol