Does this sound familiar? Your space needed a little spicing up so you decided to get a new plant from the nursery – you can already see visions of your future together.
Maybe you were thinking “this time has to be different.” You’ve found a great spot for it and even named it Rita. She seems to be doing great after a couple of weeks – you always remember to water her and her leaves blossom into a full, bright green hue.
Why is my tropical plant dying?
Then, work gets a bit hectic and you go on a work trip over the weekend. When you get back home, your once-thriving Rita has lost her lustre – leaves start falling off, or even worse, it starts turning brown. There goes another one!
The question you keep asking is “why is my tropical plant dying?”
If you’re a well-intentioned plant parent, finding out what your tropical plant needs can feel a bit cryptic. But there’s good news! Tropical plants are quite easy to keep alive – as long as you know what they need.
Plants need five things to thrive – nutrients, air, moisture, suitable temperature, and of course, sunlight. Without any of these elements, your plants can have limited growth – even worse, they might die. Luckily, these five elements can be provided by the artificial or natural environments that plants live.
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So, Why Would Your Plant Suddenly Die?
There are multiple contributing factors that can cause your plant to suddenly die. Let’s look at some of these factors, shall we?
Inadequate Watering – too little or too much
This is one common reason for plants suddenly dying – forgetting to water your plants for a few days can make the roots dry up. But, more often than not, the opposite is the case – too much water can be blamed for container plants dying. This is likely the reason you’re wondering why your plant is dying even though you’re watering it and even why your plants are dying in winter.
How do you know if you are overwatering your plants?
Even if your plant looks healthy, root rot can be happening just beneath the surface of the soil – this is a result of poorly drained and wet soil. You can easily see this by removing the dead plant from the pot.
Could you be over watering your tropical plants?
Rotted roots have a seaweed appearance and are usually mushy, unlike healthy roots that are pliable and firm. So, don’t get overly ambitious when watering after replacing the plant.
Most, if not all, plants are healthiest when you allow the soil to dry between watering. So, after you water the plant deeply until it starts dripping through the drainage hole, make sure the pot drains completely before taking it back to the drainage saucer. Also, don’t let the pot stay in water.
After that, you can water the plant again only if you touch the top of the soil and it feels dry. Also, ensure that you place the plant in a well-drained potting mix, rather than garden soil.
One important thing to note is that the place should never be placed in a pot that doesn’t have a drainage hole. Without proper drainage, your plants can easily die.
Pests and insects can drain the life from your plant
Maybe inadequate watering isn’t the reason your plant is dying. If that’s the case, then you should check properly for signs of pests and insects.
It can be hard to spot some common pests. Let’s take mealybugs for instance – they are indicated by cottony masses on the underside or joints of leaves.
Another common pest is Spider mites. Even though they are too tiny to see with the bare eye, they leave a noticeable fine webbing on plant leaves.
Household chemicals could be killing your plant
Even though it’s highly unlikely, ensure your plant hasn’t been in contact with toxic substances like an herbicide spray. Also, check that you haven’t splashed fertiliser or any other chemicals on the leaves.
How Do You Revive A Tropical Plant?
If your plant is really a goner, then you might need some “abracadabra” to bring it back to life. But luckily, even though your plant looks dead, it can be resuscitated if you take quick action.
Here are a couple of things you can do to revive your dying plant.
Check the Damage
Improper cultural care might be one of the reasons your plant is dying. So, your best chance of reviving the plant is to find out what’s wrong and carefully look at the damage.
Inadequate watering – either under watering or overwatering – can be the reason all your plants are turning yellow. Also, the tips of your tropical plant can turn brown as a sign of accumulation of salt in the soil, overfertilisation, dry air, and lack of water.
Nibbled or deformed leaves can be an indication of pests. Plus, transparent or scorched leaves can be a result of too little or too much sun.
Repotting a tropical plant to revive a dying plant
You can revitalise your plant by using a high-quality potting mix – it’s advisable to pick a pot that’s wider than the former one. Also, you can include some water-storing crystals if you realise your plant is dehydrated.
Trim the Leaves to help revive a dying plant
You can trim back the leaves of your plant if you see that the roots have been damaged. This way, there’s a smaller amount of foliage and the roots won’t have to work as hard.
Move the Plant to help it come back to life
If you think your plant is getting more sun than it needs, check for dark or light patches on the leaves and dry, brittle leaves. Or, look if the leaves are small and pale – this is an indication that your plant isn’t getting adequate light. So, move your plant to a better space with appropriate light conditions.
Feed Your Plant
With an appropriate fertiliser, you can give your plant all the nutrient boost it needs. It’s best to follow directions carefully so you don’t overload the plant.
Wipe Your Plant Regularly
If you notice your plant is being invaded by pests or insects, you should use a mild soap solution or damp cloth to wipe down its leaves.
Provide Adequate Humidity
Misting tropical plants can really help raise the humidity they need to grow well
Some plants need more than just getting enough water for them to thrive. Ferns, for instance, need humidity to bloom – enough humidity that your space might not be able to provide.
Luckily, this can be easily solved.
Fill a shallow pan with small rocks and place it under the plant, then add some water. This way, the water evaporates and humidifies the air around your plant.
Allow Soggy Soil Dry Out
Even though you haven’t watered your plant in a while, touch the container soil to check if it’s wet. If it’s wet, then the plant might be suffering from excess water – this might be from poor drainage or overwatering.
Stop watering and allow the soil to dry out. Also, check the drain holes of the pot – if it’s inadequate, you need a transplant.
Get Rid of Dead Foliage
This is quite different from trimming the leaves.
Your plant has a higher chance of getting revived if it’s not being choked with dead leaves. So, clip off all dead branches and leaves and get rid of any fallen foliage.
Try the scratch test if you aren’t quite sure whether a branch is dead or not. How do you do this? Using a fingernail, scrape off some of the outer layer of your plant’s skin. If there happens to be green underneath, then the branch is alive and doesn’t need to be removed. This is also a good thing because there’s a higher chance of you reviving the plant.
