How to Recover a Ribbon Plant

Cinta is an easy-to-grow plant.

Image - Wikimedia / David J. Stang

Cinta is a weed that we have a lot of, especially at home, but also outdoors. It has long and not very wide leaves, green or variegated, and also flowers without problems regardless of where it is placed. It doesn't take up much space, so it looks just as pretty in a pot as it does on the ground. But, if we don't take care of it properly, problems can arise.

So if you suspect something is wrong, calm down. Next we will explain how to recover a ribbon plant, telling you the most common problems that can occur, and how to fix them.

Why the tape can stop being healthy? Well, there are several reasons: from a bad location to a bad irrigation. Although it is a plant that we could describe as easy, it is still somewhat demanding, especially and how could it be otherwise when the weather is not pleasant enough for it.

And it is that the climate is so, but so important for all plants, that when we want to have one that, for example, does not resist frost in an area where it does occur, we will have to take some measures so that it survives the winter, such as keep it indoors or protect it with an anti-frost fabric.

Our protagonist may have more problems, apart from frost, so so that you know what to do to get her back, Let's see why your plant may be declining and how to save it:

Brown leaves from cold

The tapes are plants that do not support the cold

Image - Flickr / Maja Dumat

Cinta is a grass that withstands the cold very well, and even frost. But it is important to know what your limit is. A punctual and short-term frost of up to -2ºC will not do any harm. Another very different thing would be that this frost was -4ºC, or that several successive frosts occurred during a period of time.

We will know exactly that it is having a bad time because of the cold if the day after the frost has occurred, we see that the leaves are brown: the more you have like this, the worse it will be and the more difficult it will be to recover it. The question is, what do we do to at least try? If we have it in a pot, bring it home as soon as possible. Once inside, we will cut the leaves that are bad, and we will wait for it to take out new ones.

But if we have it on the ground, we will protect it with an anti-frost fabric. We will not cut anything until the weather improves, since although it is true that they look ugly, they still serve as protection. Another thing we can do is also add a biostimulant for plants such as this, to help its roots grow stronger. But yes, you have to follow the instructions for use.

Sunburn

The tape needs a lot of light, whether you are at home or outside, but not direct. And it is that if it is exposed to direct sunlight, or if it is placed in front of a window where direct sunlight enters, it will burn. These will appear from one day to the next after the damage has been done, and only on the most exposed leaves; that is, the lower leaves, being protected by those above them, normally remain healthy.

What to do? Change the site plant. You have to put it in a more protected place, where it can grow without being exposed to light so directly. If there is any leaf that is completely dry, we can cut it; if not, no, because even if it is only a little green, it is still useful to him.

Yellow leaves due to poor watering

The tape is a plant for bedrooms

Image - Wikimedia / David J. Stang

When the leaves turn yellow, it is almost always because the plant is receiving either less or more water than it needs. How to know? Well, if he is thirsty, the first thing we will see is that he takes on a sad appearance, with fallen leaves as if they were hanging; if you continue to have a hard time, the new leaves will start to turn yellow, and when the problem is much more serious, eventually all the leaves turn yellow and then brown. Likewise, if it is in a pot, when we pick it up, we will notice that it weighs little.

If, on the other hand, it is being watered too much, it is also possible that we see the leaves as if they were fallen, but the normal thing is that the damage begins in the oldest leaves., that is, in the lower ones. These will look yellow, but be careful, because the problem will also affect the others. Others could also arise, such as the appearance of fungi, which would lead to brown or grayish spots on the margins of the leaves, gray mold on the ground, or rotting of the roots.

To get it back, in the first case what we will do is water it well, consciously. The plant urgently needs water, so we have to water it until all the soil is well wet. If it is in a pot, we could even submerge it - just the pot, not the plant - in a container of water for half an hour. And from then on, we will water more often.

In case what happens to it is that we have watered it too much, we will temporarily suspend irrigation. In addition, we will treat it with a systemic fungicide -for sale here– so that the fungi do not appear, or so that, if they have already done so, they do not cause more damage. And if it is in a pot without holes, we will plant it in one that does with quality universal cultivation soil, such as the one from BioBizz, Westland o fertiberia.

How to recover a tape plant with pests

Although it is a plant resistant to pests, that does not mean that it cannot have one throughout its life. In fact, aphids and mealybugs could weaken it a lot if we don't act in time. Luckily, they are eliminated with insecticides that we can find almost anywhere, such as here. In addition, this being a spray, it is ready to use, something that we will do after having put on the gardening gloves.

If we prefer to treat it with ecological insecticides, we can use diatomaceous earth, of which we leave you a video so you know what it is and how it is applied:

And if you want to buy it, just click on this link.

We hope your tape recovers.


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