Why do plants look droopy?

Plants can be droopy for various reasons

Do you have some decaying or sad plants? This is a symptom that there is something that they don't quite like or feel good about. Certain changes may have to be made to make them beautiful again, but what is clear is that if we do nothing, their health will progressively worsen.

Therefore, the sooner we detect the problem, the sooner we can recover them. So we are going to see why the plants look droopy and how we should treat them to see them again.

What is a droopy or sad plant?

It is important to know how to identify a plant that is in decline, from one that is having a really bad time and is sick, since the measures that will be taken are different, since the problems are not of the same severity.

Therefore, a plant that is simply sad looking is one that will keep the leaves their natural healthy color (usually green), but perhaps somewhat flaccid; that is, it can give the impression that the stems that join them to the rest of the plant have lost strength, and that for this reason they seem to “hang”. In somewhat extreme cases, the leaves may also fold in an attempt to avoid losing too much water.

Now, when we talk about a plant being withered, we mean one that is going through a very bad time as a result of, for example, excessive watering, soil that is too compact, or an overdose of manure or fertilizer, among others. In these cases, we will see other symptoms, such as brown spots on the leaves, pests, fungi, necrosis of one or more parts of the plant, flower abortion, etc.

In this article we are going to focus on fallen plants, but on the web you will also find information about how to recover a plant that is sick.

Why is it like this and how to get it back?

The plant that looks decayed may have healthy leaves

There are several reasons why a plant can look decayed. And therefore, depending on the origin of your discomfort, we will have to do one thing or another. For example:

need water

It is one of the most common causes. A plant that is thirsty usually looks like this, with fallen leaves. These, as we said before, they will look completely green (except in certain cases, in which the margins already start to look yellow and/or brown). In addition to that, when touching the ground we will notice that it is dry, and if we have it planted in a pot, when we pick it up we will immediately realize that it weighs little.

To do? Well, very simple: water. If it is in a pot, we recommend submerging it in a container with water for about 30 minutes or so so that it can rehydrate much faster and better.

It has been or is being cold

When we have plants, it is very important that we know if they resist the cold or not, especially if our intention is to grow them outdoors. And it is that sometimes it can be the case that some, or some, are kept outside during the autumn for example, and that one day the temperature drops too much and it breaks down.

If that happens, your leaves will look apparently healthy, but decayed. Therefore, we will have to act quickly to prevent them from dying. And for this, what we will do is put them in the house if they are tropical plants, or protect them with an anti-frost cloth as this if they only need a little protection (that is, if it resists the cold well, but is still young and/or recently acquired).

It's burning (by the sun)

Sun or direct light can damage plants

Have you ever put a plant in the sun and shortly after found it decayed? It is normal. Think that, if it has never hit it before, or if it has been sheltered for a long time, its leaves are not prepared to receive the direct impact of the king star; and then of course, if it hits him, even for a moment, he will take damage.

To prevent it from spoiling, what you have to do is put it indoors or away from windows (that is, it should not be placed next to the glass, but rather a little apart), or in shade in case we are interested in keeping it abroad.

The pot has become too small

daphne smells
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Transplant plants

Sometimes there is no clear reason why our plant looks decayed because the leaves look good; perhaps a little down, but nothing that makes us suspect that something is wrong. In these cases, we will have to ask ourselves if the pot is the right size, especially if we notice that it has barely grown for some time, and/or that the new leaves are getting smaller and smaller.

It is very, very important to remember to transplant the plants every time the roots come out of the drainage holes, as well as if they have been in it for more than three years; Otherwise, they could get sick and even die.

It is an indoor plant that is exposed to air currents

The plants that we have inside the house have a particularly bad time when there are drafts (fan, air conditioning, etc.), since being originating from the humid tropical forests, this air makes the environment very dry and therefore the roots have to work faster and faster to keep the leaves hydrated, something they can't quite achieve.

Therefore, in addition to keeping them in rooms without drafts, we will have to see if the relative humidity that we have inside is very low (below 50%), in which case we will start spraying the plants with water daily, or if it is high.

With these tips, we trust that your plants will stop being droopy.


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