They were both so happy and full. All of a sudden they both started looking bad and dropping leaves. how can I help them? They both are by their own sunny windows and get watered when the tops of their soils are completely dry…should I just let all the leaves drop and see what happens or give them both a chop down to 8-12ish inches? Help me save these guys 😭
by injeolmi55
4 Comments
They need WAY more light. Look up how they grow in the wild in their native habitat. They get massive and tall so they can hog as much light as possible. A window doesn’t cut it, especially in winter.
I had a similar issue, with mine being right next to a perfect sunny window and on a watchful watering schedule. I chopped down to 10-12” (from like 4’) and since August, I have about 10 new leaves! I didn’t give up on it and it’s been really fun to watch come back.
I agree, you should really give them more light. Put them smack in the middle of your very brightest window and open your blinds. These are NOT shade loving plants and they need as much light as you can give them.
It would probably be fine to prune now, but I usually wait until they are growing again. But if you can move them into a higher light spot, pruning now would most likely be fine. I’d prune the taller one back to just above that lowest leaf… or perhaps about 6 inches above your window sill.
The other one, I’d not prune it down to a stump if that branch is still alive. If you bend it a little bit does it seem flexible? Does it seem like there’s still green under the bark? If so I’d prune the main branch back so that it’s about the same length as the branch.
Letting the surface dry before watering is great, but are you giving it enough water when you do water it? You want to give it plenty of water when you do water it and make sure water comes out the bottom. Then make sure it’s not sitting in water for more than a few hours.
Dying from lack of light 🙁