One day everything is beautiful and green in your inner garden, but the next you wake up and see all your fallen plants, as if they had started reading the news and the weight of reality crushed them. There are plants that are naturally drama queens (yes, I'm seeing them dear Fitonia and Lily of Peace), but there are others that don't have this habit of fainting on a daily basis and it's normal to panic the first time you see them like this.
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Don't worry, the decay of your plants has a permanent solution as long as you act fast. Think that when you're not feeling very well, you're able to verbalize it and ask for help.
Your plants don't have a voice, but they are living things capable of communicating with you through their leaves and posture, so all this dramatic display can give you important information about their well-being. Take a deep breath and keep reading, because in this article you will learn the reasons why your plants are down, as well as everything you need to do to get them back to their vigor and freshness.
The
first step is always to look carefully at your plants. Having a decayed plant is not the same as having a withered one, as a wilted plant requires more attention and can be more difficult to recover from than decayed ones; In addition, both conditions can be produced by different causes. We could say that a fallen plant is throwing a tantrum to indicate that it is not feeling very well for some reason, while a wilted plant is already starting to have serious consequences.
The main difference between the two states is in the leaves. Decaying plants have more flexible green stems, unable to stand upright, the leaves look droopy, and they look tired and sad. The leaves are still green and while they may look a little wrinkled, they are in perfect condition. If you touch the plants, it feels like it always does, just a little more flabby.
A plant that is wilting immediately suffers a color change in the leaves. They may start to turn yellow or brown, look dry and tanned, start to fold in on themselves and fall off. If you touch it, it feels toasty and crispy. It can occur in a solitary leaf and this is part of the life cycle of the plant and is normal, that leaf will die, fall and be replaced by another; But it can also occur only in one section of the plant.
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Decayed plants may begin to wilt if the cause is not fixed soon and wilted plants are closer to dying. A big difference between the two states is that plants can wilt very quickly due to fungal and bacterial infections, so it is advisable to take a good look at the possible reasons why a plant begins to wilt suddenly, as both situations are progressive and more or less slow.
Why do plants look saggy?
Plants are living beings in which processes are taking place that regulate their vital functions. Mammals rely on their skeleton and muscles to keep them upright, but green-stemmed plants (and some animals like spiders) rely on other types of structures and a process known as turgor.
Turgor can basically be defined as water pressure. It is actually a phenomenon in which cells dilate due to the pressure exerted by fluids and exert outward pressure on the cell wall, making it firmer. Imagine you have a balloon and you fill it with water. If you put little water, the balloon will have little volume and may look droopy and wrinkled, while if you fill it to the maximum it will feel firmer. This occurs in almost all cells, including those of human skin. That's why when you're dehydrated, your skin looks saggier and saggier.
Plants are like hydraulic machines, which rely entirely on turgor pressure to stay upright, but also to regulate the process of transpiration and metabolism. Seedlings are composed almost entirely of turgid cells, so they are completely dependent on proper flow and water pressure in order to stay steady. This pressure of liquids occurs in the roots, which are responsible for absorbing moisture from the soil to pump it throughout the plant.
In plants such as the Flower of Prayer and others of the Maranthas family, a process known as nyctinastia occurs. The leaves of these species have a particular system called Pulvinis that allows the leaves to respond to light and temperature. Pulvini regulate the turgor pressure of plants, thanks to a chemical photoreceptor that causes water to withdraw from certain sections of the leaves at night and refill them during the day, so these plants collect the leaves upwards during the night and reopen with the arrival of the sun.
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Unlike balloons, which fill with water and stay that way because the plastic is quite resistant, cells have permeable membranes that allow the exchange of liquids and therefore the loss of liquids is possible, which can turn into dehydration. In the case of plants, there are openings in the leaves called stomata by which a process known as transpiration occurs; which is vital for photosynthesis.
Through transpiration, water is forced to flow upwards and into the plant, transporting nutrients to the leaves, but the water is also transformed into water vapour, which is released by the stomata. This process is particularly efficient on plants such as dracenas and maranthas, so they help regulate humidity levels in spaces.
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If there is no
balance between the water that is lost through transpiration and that which is absorbed through the roots, then there is a loss of fluids that will take pressure off the system, the cells will no longer be firm. causing the dehydrated stems to lose volume and turgor. As a result, the plant will look decayed and sad. This is a defense mechanism, because in this way water loss is minimized and it is used for more important processes, such as food synthesis; In addition, drooping and shrunken leaves expose less surface area to the sun's rays, which can accelerate the evaporation of what little moisture exists.
Causes of Plant Decay
As I mentioned at the beginning, plants have their own language to announce that they are under some kind of stress. They may change color, develop spots, or look droopy. The loss of the rigidity of the plants is a cry for help that must be attended to immediately so that it does not become worse. Some of the causes of this phenomenon can be:
- Lack of watering
This is usually the most common cause. Water is in constant motion in the plant, a tiny part is invested in photosynthesis, the rest goes in the process of transpiration. If there is not enough moisture in the substrate, then the balance is disturbed and turgor is lost in the plant, so it collapses before your very eyes.
Identifying this cause is very simple: just touch the substrate very well and pierce it with your finger or with a rod (I use one of the disposable chopsticks that they give you in Asian restaurants), if it comes out dry, then you have to adjust the watering patterns of that plant.
There are plants, such as the fittonia and the Lily of Peace that are very dramatic and at any lack of water they will faint. This is not usually serious and watering it very well is enough, because in a couple of hours they will recover their bearing.
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- Paradoxically
overwatering will also result in a decayed plant, but this is potentially more dangerous than a plant with little water. The plant will always lose turgor when it can't absorb enough water. This happens because it is either not watered or because it has too much water.
At first you will see the typical signs of overwatering: the plant will turn yellow, the leaves will feel swollen (this is called edema and means that it is retaining too much fluid). If the overwatering persists then the roots will begin to suffer, because with the excess moisture the roots will not be able to oxygenate properly, drowning, which will also bring infections with anaerobic bacteria and the roots will rot.
Diagnosing this is simple. Look for signs of edema and insert the rod into the substrate. If it feels waterlogged, sticks to the rod and stains your fingers, then there may be an overwatering problem. Try to take the plant out of the pot and smell a little, as an unpleasant smell, such as rotting leaves or mold, means that there are rot problems. We have to act very quickly to save it.
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- This
usually happens to novice and enthusiastic plant owners, because at first glance it seems to us that putting a little more than what the manufacturer indicates is perfect for the plants to grow bigger and more exuberant, right? The problem is that the cartoons deceived us, because the excess nutrients contained in the fertilizer cause chemical damage and affect the roots of the plants, which will not be able to absorb enough moisture from the substrate.
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- The
wrong temperature causes stress to the plant, either because of excessive heat or drafts. Excess heat causes direct damage to the plant's tissues, if the sun falls directly on the leaves. Even when it is in the shade, if it is too hot the moisture evaporates much faster and not only dries out the substrate, but also the leaves. This is easy to notice: look for the tan leaves, brown spots, and dry leaf tips.
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Very low temperature and intermittent drafts can cause direct damage to leaves and roots. The cold prevents the roots from absorbing water properly, wilting it. Check to see if the plant is near a drafty window or door.
- Many
plants, especially those of tropical origin, require slightly higher humidity levels than we usually have at home. Most manage to adapt, but if you are in extreme seasons (summer or winter) and have heating or air conditioning, this can dry out the environment too much, affecting the turgor of the plants.
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- Transplants
are traumatic for plants, as it is often unavoidable to cause a little damage to the roots, either because it has been difficult to remove them from the pot, because they had grown too large or because the soil was too compact in the root ball. The roots are not made to be exposed to the outdoors or to receive direct sunlight. They are delicate organisms, so their function can be affected when handled. For this reason, it's normal to see it a little saggy when you put it in a new pot. Avoid overwatering after transplanting, as this far from helping the plant, can worsen the problem.
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- Poor or excessive lighting
Remember when we talked about plants that have nyctinastia? These types of plants have specialized organisms that are sensitive to the amount of light in the environment, so they tend to show the effects of lighting problems much faster. If you have a Calathea Roseopicta, for example, and you put it in a place where it gets direct sun, it's going to decay and wilt almost immediately. But it is not exclusive to these species, as almost all plants will respond in this way to poor lighting.
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How to Improve Drooping Plants
If your plants are swooning, stiff, and sad, it's time to get to work. If you've read the causes well, then you'll already know what caused that level of stress in your plant's tissues, so you're ready to start solving it:
- Lack of watering
The solution is simple: water well and deeply. If you feel that the substrate is too dry, you can soak it for a while in a bucket of water, which barely covers the pot. Then let it drain very well, check that the excess water is coming out. If you have a succulent or a very leafy plant and it is difficult to moisten the substrate well, you can water it underneath, put it in a shallow basin with water, reach the middle of the pot and leave it for about 20 minutes, it will absorb the water it needs. Don't forget to adjust watering patterns, it's better to water infrequently and with plenty of water, than with little water and several times a week. For dramatic plants like the Peace Lily you can buy an automatic watering device, that way it will never run out of water.
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- Overwatering
This is a bit trickier. Remove the plant from the pot, being careful with the roots. Check to see if the substrate is too waterlogged. If so, it is better to put it in a cool, dry substrate, discarding the one that is soaked. Check the roots, to make sure they are not rotten or full of mold. Check the drainage holes in the pot and always place a layer of pebbles or pieces of polystyrene at the bottom, which will make it easier for excess water to escape. Before watering, check the substrate or buy a nice humidity indicator, so you avoid any watering problems.
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- This
is eliminated by watering generously and abundantly to "wash" the substrate, remove excess nutrients and remove any fertilizer residues that may be affecting the roots. If you think that the excess exceeds this method, you can change the substrate of the plant, leaving only a little on the roots, to avoid mistreating them and water them abundantly, letting it drain very well to avoid problems due to overwatering.
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- Temperature and lighting problems
The solution is simple: relocate the plant. You can find out about the plant's preferences by researching its origin. If you have bought them at Be Green, you can find this information on the card that came with your new plant or on our website. Avoid placing plants near doors and windows, as we inadvertently subject them to drafts that stress them. Do you want to improve the lighting but don't have many windows? Well, get a nice UV lamp. Your plants will love it and it will give you a little light of color that will look great with your décor.
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- Low humidity
Gently spray your tropical plants with a sprinkler. Remember that succulents should never be wet, because they will stain and rot. Another trick is to put many plants together so that they regulate the ambient humidity themselves.
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- Transplants
Change the pots of the plants only when it is really necessary. If you find the planter unattractive, you can look for cute decorative planters. Try to transplant in spring and summer, always in the shade or in low sun hours. Do it quickly, without pulling on the plant and try not to manipulate the root ball. It is not always necessary to loosen the soil that is attached to it, if the plant is healthy it is better to leave it as it is. Water normally and give them time to get used to their new home. In a short time, she will look rosy and healthy again.
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