Watering Water stress
Collapsed plant, extreme soil
The plant collapses, and its leaves yellow or brown.
Also called: wilting plantwiltlimp leavescollapsed plant
Severity
Keep an eye on it
Deal with it this week, before it spreads.
Parts affected
- Leaves
- Stems
- Flowers
- Fruit
- Roots
- Soil
Family
Watering
Too much, too little or at the wrong time: the leading reason plants decline.
Understand
What is happening inside the plant
Water stress happens when a plant loses more water through transpiration than its roots can take up.
The imbalance comes either from soil that is too dry, or from roots suffocating in soaked soil and no longer able to function. Both situations produce exactly the same limp foliage, which is why they are so often confused. If it persists, growth stops, leaves drop early and the plant can die.
Check
How to be sure
Tick what you can see on your plant.
Tick the signs you can see and the gauge will add them up.
Some signs match. If the rest does not fit, look at the related problems further down.
Most of the signs match: this is very likely it. What to do
Signs and causes
What you see, and why
Symptoms
- Soft leaves and stems collapsing across the whole plant
- Brown, brittle leaf edges
- Leaves dropping while still green, or barely yellowed
- No new growth for several weeks
Causes
- Watering too far apart, or conversely too close together
- Damaged roots that no longer absorb, even in moist soil
- Heat or dry air driving transpiration beyond what roots supply
- A pot too small, whose water reserve does not last a day
What to do
The action plan
In order. Tick each step once it is done.
0/5 done
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Push a finger five centimetres in: that test decides everything that follows.
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Dry soil: water deeply, until water runs out of the bottom.
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Soaked soil: stop watering, empty the saucer, lift the root ball out to dry.
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Move the plant into bright shade while it recovers.
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Remove leaves that are dry right through, they will not come back.
Prevent
Stopping it coming back
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Check with a finger before every watering, never by the calendar.
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Mulch the surface to smooth out the swings between waterings.
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Keep the plant away from direct heat sources.
Questions
Common questions
Too much or too little water, the symptoms look the same?
Almost, and that is the trap. The only judge is a finger in the soil: a limp plant in dry soil is thirsty, a limp plant in wet soil has drowned roots.
How long does recovery take?
A few hours after watering if only the shortage was at fault. Several weeks if the roots have suffered.
Should I prune a stressed plant?
Take a third off if it carries a lot of foliage: fewer leaves means less transpiration, so less demand on a reduced root system.
Keep an eye on it Dry soil, drooping leaves
The soil is dry and the leaves are soft and drooping.
Causes and fixes
Minor Flower buds dropping
Flower buds drop before opening and fruit splits or dimples.
Causes and fixes
Minor Brown tips, white crust
Leaf tips turn brown and a white deposit appears on the soil or the pot.
Causes and fixes