Watering Underwatering
Dry soil, drooping leaves
The soil is dry and the leaves are soft and drooping.
Also called: thirstydry soilwiltingdrooping 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
Every plant cell is held plump by the water inside it, that pressure, turgor, is what keeps a leaf upright.
As the substrate dries, the plant draws on its reserves, then closes its stomata to limit losses, and the thinnest tissue sags first. A brief shortage is made up within hours of watering. Repeated, it scorches leaf tips, aborts flower buds and kills the fine roots, which do not grow back straight away.
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
- Drooping leaves that lift again a few hours after watering
- Dry, brittle leaf edges
- Soil shrinking away from the sides of the pot
- A pot that feels unusually light
Causes
- Watering too rarely for the season or the pot size
- Soil gone water-repellent: water runs off instead of soaking in
- A pot so small the soil dries within a day
- Heat or a draught speeding up evaporation
What to do
The action plan
In order. Tick each step once it is done.
0/4 done
-
Stand the pot in a basin of tepid water for twenty minutes.
-
Let it drain fully before putting it back.
-
Remove fully dried leaves; they will not recover.
-
Return to a regular rhythm rather than one large catch-up watering.
Prevent
Stopping it coming back
-
Check the soil once a week with a finger.
-
Repot into a larger pot if the soil dries in under two days.
-
Move the plant away from radiators and heating vents.
Questions
Common questions
Water runs straight through without wetting the soil, why?
Bone-dry compost turns water-repellent: the water runs down the sides. Soak the pot in a basin for twenty minutes, it is the only way to rewet the whole root ball.
Should I cut off the dry leaves?
The ones that are dry and brittle right through, yes: they will not recover. Those with only a brown tip are still useful, just trim the dead part.
How long before I see an improvement?
Two to six hours for limp leaves, a few weeks for growth. If nothing has changed by the next day, the roots are damaged and that is a different problem.
Keep an eye on it Collapsed plant, extreme soil
The plant collapses, and its leaves yellow or brown.
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