I've had a string of bad luck with my philos in 2025 – lost my birkin to root rot and my white wizard has just been struggling. Treated myself to a new Brasil the other day (been dying for one, and always hear they're easy to keep alive) and lo…the bad luck continues. I repotted the morning after I brought him home (2 days ago) and he looks absolutely miserable now. I've never had one of these before so I'm not sure if they are always this dramatic after repotting, or if I've actually killed it. The leaves are totally collapsed but also feel paper thin, and some of the stems are withered. Can I salvage this?? [Last photo is the day I repotted, pre-collapse.]
by crindy-
9 Comments
Repotting immediately after bringing a plant home can sometimes cause it to go into shock. It’s a lot of movement to be happening all at once so it’s usually better to wait around a week if you can (there aren’t any obvious signs of rot or pests) after purchasing a plant to avoid this. It doesn’t always happen but in my experience, the risk is higher for smaller/younger plants. All you can really do is give it time to recover and monitor it closely.
You repot too soon. You should allow the plant to establish in its new environment before reporting. You shocked it by adopting it from its family who lives differently than you. Then you shocked it again by taking its clothes off and trying to force it to wear pull-ups when it still hasn’t figured out diapers.
You repotted and didn’t water it?
Yeah, I’ve had mine for months in the original pots and will only repot when they are rebound. Everyone does things a little differently but I’ve had the same bad luck if I want to repot too soon. I’ve had to just keep my hands off my plants and let them do their thing. I ignore my brazils, they have humidity, and I water when the leaves tell me
If you really don’t want to wait wait, I’d give at least a couple weeks for it to accumulate to the new environment. Be patient and you’ll get over this “bad luck” 🍀
The soil looks bone dry.
I repot everything as soon as I get it, soak it, quarantine it, and give it my best. After a couple weeks it can meet the rest of the house. I’ve definitely had some struggle from the shock but never lost.
I’ve found that brasil are quite temperamental..
I killed 2 or 3 before having some success.
It looks way way too dry. Is is hard to the touch too?
You should w always wait at least a week before you transplant & no drastic changes in soil type & always water in well after planting.