If you’re like most people, you probably don’t know how to save a dying Philodendron. In fact, It’s critical to emulate the growing conditions of a dying plant’s natural environment in your home in order to save it, including evenly moistened soil, routine misting to increase humidity and placement in an area with proper light and moderate temperatures.
With a few important steps, you can save your dying Philodendron. In this blog post, we will discuss what to do when your Philodendron is dying and how to revive it.…
Why is My Philodendron Plant Dying?
First, you must check some of the signs on your Philodendron like:
- Sign of leaves: The leaves on your Philodendron have turned brown or yellow. The entire edges or tips of leaves may develop dark or black blotches or patches as a result. Additionally, you might notice some leaves wilting, drying out, curling, drooping, or dropping off. This is particularly apparent on lower or older leaves. The leaves may wilt and drop randomly, depending on the cause.
- Decaying Roots: When you check the root, you should notice solid, white roots that have an earthy odor. Keep in mind that as roots age, they may start to look slightly yellow.
However, there’s a good likelihood that root rot has gotten inside if your Philodendron is dying. As a result, the roots are rusty brown or black. Additionally, they frequently have a rotting scent and are soft and mushy. - Growth Failure: Philodendron decline is indicated by stunted, distorted, or otherwise unsuccessful growth.
And when in warm weather, your Philodendron is no new growth. - Disease or Pest Infestation: Weak Philodendrons are unable to repel pests and disease-carrying insects.
Therefore, if your Philodendron is consistently afflicted by mealybugs, spider mites, fungus gnats, whiteflies, or other insects, your plant is definitely dying. Both bacterial and fungal illnesses have this trait. - Moldy, Damp, or Soggy Potting Mix: Root rot or overwatering may be present if the soil is damp to soggy. These are the causes most likely to destroy your Philodendron. In addition, due to the moisture in the air, mold, and other fungal growths may develop on the soil’s surface.
How to Revive Dying Philodendron?
Overwatering or Underwatering your Philodendron
Overwatering
Causes and signs:
Despite being a tropical plant, the Philodendron doesn’t require a lot of irrigation. It must be thoroughly watered, but if you do it too frequently, it will get overwatered.
If you take the right actions and prevent it from dying, you can heal your plant in a week. Some of the most serious issues with houseplants, such as root rot, can be brought on by overwatering.
Solution:
- Put an immediate stop to watering your Philodendron. As an alternative, empty any extra water from the saucer to stop further soaking and from making the problem worse.
- Remove any infected, dead, or severely harmed pieces. Use only sterile cutting equipment.
- Check for root rot by tipping your plant out of the pot. Remove any sick roots, cure any that are still there, and then repot in new soil.
- Place the plant in bright indirect sunshine and give it plenty of ventilation to allow the soil to dry. To promote moisture loss and recovery, lower the humidity and make sure there is aeration.
- Watering properly is essential. Before watering again, make sure the top two to three inches of the soil have dried out.
- You shouldn’t overhead irrigation and choose to water in the morning.
- Watering from below or using a self-watering pot is ideal for indoor plants. After watering your Philodendron until the liquid begins to flow out of the drain holes, remove extra run-off water.
- The frequency of watering your Philodendron will vary depending on a number of variables. These include seasonal variations, development stages, pot size, and other factors.
Underwatering
Causes and Signs:
Dehydration in Philodendron from a lack of water also results in other issues. You already know that Philodendrons are forgiving and can endure being underwater for a few days, but if this persists for a longer period of time, issues are unavoidable. It will lose health, and you not even notice any growth.
Your Philodendron will start to die if you entirely allow the potting soil to dry out. The first thing you’ll notice is the dry, crispy, brown, and maybe burnt leaves. The leaves may then begin to coil, droop, and finally wilt before dropping off. Lower or older leaves tend to shed more frequently.
Solution:
- Put the Philodendron in the sink or bathtub. 3 to 4 inches of room-temperature water should be added.
- For at least 45 minutes, let your plant soak up water in the basin. Then, check to see that the top 2 to 3 inches of soil have been evenly saturated with moisture.
- Drain the basin once the potting mix has been evenly moistened. Permit the soil to thoroughly drain any extra water.
- Reposition your plant in its original location after replacing the saucer. Only water again until the top two-three inches of soil are dry.
- To give the dry plant some moisture, mist it.
Exposed to direct sunlight
Causes and Signs:
Since they are accustomed to living in a controlled environment with temperature levels and indirect light, the majority of houseplants cannot handle direct sunshine.
Direct sunlight is not tolerant by Philodendrons. Potential issues: Yellow and pale leaves, slower growth, and crisp, brown foliage.
Solution:
- Find a new location for the Philodendron first, away from any sources of direct sunlight.
- Cut off all the brown and yellowed leaves that have been impacted.
- To keep the plant hydrated, water it.
Not Enough Sunlight
Causes and Signs:
Your home’s location is crucial in deciding whether your Philodendron receives enough light. While non-climbing Philodendrons prefer medium to bright indirect sunshine, climbing Philodendrons can grow in low light.
Philodendrons detest intense, hot sunlight. However, this does not imply that it must be placed in a dimly lit area. It will begin to yellow, brown, and droop if you set it in an environment that is too gloomy.
Loss of chlorophyll is indicated by discoloration. It will start to wilt and die if not addressed.
Solution:
- Try moving your Philodendron to a location with more indirect light if it isn’t receiving enough light. This window could be looking west.
- If there isn’t any natural light in your home, utilize artificial lighting.
- Avoid keeping your Philodendron in areas with little natural light if you don’t want it to grow lanky or slowly.
- Check the soil frequently because poor light speeds up evaporation. You can easily overwater your plant because of this.
Philodendron Root Rot
Causes and Signs:
Sitting in soggy soil will have a negative effect on your Philodendron. This will result in your Philodendron dying prematurely as a result of the roots suffocating and rotting. You’ll see overwatering signs that are remarkably similar.
The initial symptoms of root rot are browning and yellowing leaves. The leaves wilt, get limp and fall. Brown spots with yellow haloes around them. Mushy, brown roots. An unpleasant nasty smell emanated from the ground.
Solution:
- Move your Philodendron from the pot as soon as possible.
- Cut all unhealthy roots and just keep the good ones. These ought to be white, solid, and springy. After each cut, be sure to wipe the trimmer with alcohol.
- Dip healthy roots in hydrogen peroxide or fungicide solution to treat them.
- Repotting is best done in a brand-new container with new soil. But if you’re using the pot again, be sure to give it a good cleaning with a disinfectant.
- Add some cinnamon powder, activated charcoal powder, or hydrogen peroxide during repotting.
Temperature swings
Causes and Signs:
Philodendrons prefer an environment that is warm and has high temperatures. It won’t stay healthy if it doesn’t reach the proper temperature.
The philodendron can be shocked by temperature changes since the plant cannot adapt to the fall in temperature. When exposed to cold drafts and other cold-related injuries, philodendrons begin to die.
Usually, cold-damaged leaves turn yellow, black, or brown. Incessant cold drafts cause leaves to wrinkle or dry out.
Solution:
- The leaves and stems will be impacted by unsuitable temperatures or temperature variations. You need to prune your Philodendron’s impacted areas.
- The optimal environment should be between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 and 24 degrees Celsius).
- Avoid placing the Philodendron in direct sunlight as this will increase the plant’s temperature.
- The Philodendron should be moved to a warmer location where it will experience greater temperatures when the wintertime temperatures drop below normal.
- Keep your plant away from drafts caused by open windows, air conditioning vents, and entrance doors.
Low humidity
Causes and Signs:
Philodendrons enjoy high humidity levels. In their native countries, they are subjected to much amounts of humidity, which aid in their growth.
But if the humidity drops, the plant will struggle. The leaves will begin to droop and develop brown borders.
The entire leaf will start to yellow. The leaves will wilt and turn dry and crispy. As a result, you must give your philodendron enough humidity.
Solution:
- Around the Philodendron, try to keep humidity levels high (between 70 and 90 percent).
- To raise the humidity, you can mist the Philodendron from time to time.
- Put the Philodendron in a group with other plants that enjoy humidity.
- Avoid placing the Philodendron in the sun’s direct rays.
- To keep the area around your Philodendron humid, you can use a humidifier. Either spritz the leaves or set up a humidity tray (a water tray with small pebbles) nearby.
Philodendron lack of Nutrients in Soi
Causes and Signs:
Well-drained, well-in-rich soil is ideal for your Philodendron. However, it will exhibit indications of death if it lacks nutrients like potassium nitrogen, magnesium, or phosphorus.
Leaves Philodendron turning brown, yellow, or pale. They grow that is slowed or altered. The leaves begin to drop, droop and wilt.
Solution:
- Replace the pot if the soil is nutrient-depleted with a new potting mix.
- If not, you use a balanced liquid or water-soluble houseplant fertilizer. As needed, add the appropriate amounts of macronutrients.
- The ideal strategy is to fertilizer-water plants once a month during the growing season (spring through summer).
- Reduce feeding throughout the low growth season to every 6 to 8 weeks (fall & winter).
Pest infestation
Causes and Signs:
Unfavorable circumstances, like dim lighting and submersion, can foster the growth of pests. If you don’t catch the indicators of a pest infestation in time, your Philodendron may suffer numerous issues and eventually die.
If you don’t do anything, pests spread swiftly and can quickly take over the plant.
Mealybugs, thrips, scales, and spider mites are just a few of the pests that will rob your philodendron of the moisture and nutrients it needs.
When your Philodendron is forced to host a lot of pests, it will start to die. Watch out for these indications of an insect infestation: fronds turn yellow. You can be seen, especially underneath bugs on the leaves. Patches of brown or black on the afflicted foliage. Because of the honeydew, there may be ants or sooty mold. Drooping leaves.
Solution:
- To prevent pests from infesting the other plants, first, isolate the Philodendron from them all.
- Cut off any damaged roots, stems, or leaves.
- Neem oil and water are mixed. Spritz the Philodendron with this mixture all over.
- Remember to spray the undersides of the leaves as well since most pests hide there.
- Check to see if the pests are still on the Philodendron after spraying for at least two weeks.
- Dishwashing soap can also be used by dilution in water and application to the afflicted areas.
- Cotton balls should be soaked in rubbing alcohol before being applied to the Philodendron’s harmed parts.
- The pests that you can see on the Philodendron can be manually removed, but wear gloves.
- Every 7 to 10 days, repeat this treatment regimen until they are gone.
Pathogenic Infection
Causes and Signs:
Your Philodendron may become infected by pathogens due to overwatering, inadequate aeration, plant detritus, or pests. Since the pot may be old, disease-causing pathogens may already be present in the soil. They could be viruses, bacteria, algae, protozoa, fungi, or bacteria.
Most of these diseases cause root or stem rot because they like moist environments. Root rot is most frequently brought on by Phytophthora. The roots are going to be brown, mushy, and soft.
Your philodendron has wilting, drooping, and falling off yellow leaves, and brown spots on leaves. It has no fresh growth or stunted growth.
Solution:
- Examine the roots for indications of infectious diseases.
- Remove any contaminated roots, cut some foliage, and apply the proper treatments to healthy roots, such as hydrogen peroxide, fungicides, etc.
- Repot with a new potting soil mixture.
How to Ensure the Philodendron Plant Grows Healthily
First, remember the following guidelines to prevent overwatering in the future.
- When the three top layers of soil get dry, you can water the Philodendron because it enjoys slightly damp soil.
- To test whether the soil is still damp, stick your finger inside of it. To make things simpler, think about utilizing a moisture meter.
- If the pot has holes for drainage, check to see if the holes are plugged in. If not, either repot the Philodendron in a pot with drainage holes or remove it from the pot and make holes for the drainage.
- It will take some time for the soil to dry up if it is unsuitable for your Philodendron. In such a situation, water the plant less or repot it in a peat-based soil mixture with good drainage so that extra water can drain out.
The second tip is to not rigidly adhere to a watering plan and to water less throughout the winter.
- Before selecting when to water the Philodendron and how much, take into account other variables such as the season and weather.
- After your Philodendron heals, you can proceed with these actions. You must avoid allowing dehydration and underwatering to repeatedly stress your Philodendron.
- Use a humidifier, spritz your plants, or gather your plants together to maintain high humidity levels.
- Make sure you are watering your Philodendron adequately.
- To give the plant more humidity, keep the plant on a tray of pebbles.
Finally, you remember:
- In order to avoid direct sunlight, if the plant is placed outside, bring it inside or put it somewhere shaded.
- Avoid moving your Philodendron outside abruptly because doing so could startle the plant and lead to sunburn.
- Use drapes or curtains to block the light if the plant is positioned close to a window.
- Keep the temperature between 65° and 80°F.
- Avoid exposing your Philodendron to temperatures below 50°F since they will be too harsh and risk shocking the plant.
- During the winter, move your Philodendron and put it 2-4 feet away from the fireplace or any other heating vent.
- Placing the Philodendron away from the window will protect it from frost and chilly winds during the winter.
Conclusion
Your Philodendron can be dying of one of the aforementioned causes. There are various actions you may do to revive your Philodendron once you understand what is killing it. If you follow some straightforward advice, your plant should quickly resume growing healthily. We’ve outlined these important steps in the article, so be sure to read on for guidance.
In the event that it is too late to save your Philodendron, look for a sound branch to remove a piece from. It can be grown into a new Philodendron plant by planting it in new soil.
You will have a robust plant if you take care not to make the same mistakes you did with the prior Philodendron. Now that you know how to save a dying Philodendron, make sure you put this knowledge into practice.
