Plants hang their heads: what to do?

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author
Maike
6 minutes
Ornamental pineapple (Ananas comosus)

Table of contents

  • Common Causes
  • Location
  • Plant evaporates the water
  • Pour
  • Eliminate waterlogging
  • repotting and fertilizing
  • frequently asked Questions

If the ornamental plants are cultivated in the garden or in pots and suddenly let their heads droop, then the question quickly arises as to why this can be. However, this is usually due to maintenance errors that need to be checked. If a remedy is found, most plants usually recover quickly.

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Common Causes

Leave various ornamental plants such as daisies (Bellis perennis) or ornamental pineapple(Pineapple comosus) their heads hang, then there is usually a care error. Usually it is due to too little water, but waterlogging can also be the cause. The right watering is not only dependent on the plant, but there are other factors that are definitely related:

  • Location
  • humidity
  • temperature
  • growing period
Ornamental pineapple (Ananas comosus)
ornamental pineapple (Pineapple comosus)

Location

Choosing the right location is crucial to the survival of your plants. Everyone has individual requirements that need to be understood. If it is too dark, the plant can carry out less photosynthesis and die, but if it is in direct sunlight, the heat can burn it. Therefore, try to find out before you buy which plants you want, for example. in the poorly lit bathroom or on the terrace with strong midday sun.

  • First place the plant in the chosen location
  • observe the development of your plant
  • sometimes a few meters further to the light or the shadow is enough
wild pansy (Viola tricolor)

A notice:

Slowly acclimate plants to strong sunlight to avoid sunburn.

Plant evaporates the water

Plants evaporate water. However, this process always depends on the temperature and humidity in a room. The higher the temperature and the drier the environment, the more water the plants need. This also applies in summer Balcony and patio plants in tubswhen it is particularly hot and dry. A lack of water always leads to a lack of nutrients because the roots cannot absorb the nutrients from the soil without water.

  • Always check the soil for dryness
  • superficially dry, there may still be moisture in the soil
  • therefore control more deeply

Pour

If the plants hang their heads due to drought, further damage can be avoided by acting quickly:

  • water large potted plants well
  • until water can be seen on the collecting plate
  • drain the plate after half an hour
  • small pots dip
  • to do this, put the pots in a bowl of water
  • Water should go over the edge
  • if there are no more air bubbles, the root ball is saturated
  • Take out the pot and let it drain
Water window leaf (Monstera deliciosa).

A notice:

After watering, the plants will recover within a few hours.

Eliminate waterlogging

In addition to the drought, it can be just at Plants cultivated in pots can also become waterlogged. This is the case when the soil is repeatedly poured, although it is still moist enough. If waterlogging is detected, then quick action is required:

  • Carefully remove the plant from the soil
  • remove all soil from roots
  • check for damaged roots
  • cut them off with sharp and clean scissors
  • Allow the root ball to dry thoroughly
  • then put in fresh substrate in the pot
  • only water carefully after a few days

A notice:

If the roots have not been damaged too much by the moisture, then these plants will also recover quickly if they are no longer exposed to waterlogging in the future.

repotting and fertilizing

Repot Monstera monkey leaf (Monstera adansonii).
Monstera monkey leaf (Monstera adansonii)

If plants hang their heads and it is not due to a watering error, then missing or too many nutrients can also be the cause:

  • Check fertilizer application
  • possibly fertilize
  • repot at least every two years
  • provide the plant with fresh, nutrient-rich substrate

frequently asked Questions

Can I assume that I can treat every plant the same way?

If your decorative indoor or balcony plants droop their heads, then you have to take the different plant species into account. Not every plant has the same water or nutrient needs. Accordingly, you also have to act differently when the plants hang their heads.

Which plants are suitable for watering?

Just plants that a substrate rich in peat or humus need or stand in coniferous soil, should be watered. These include, for example, azaleas (Rhododendron simsii). Because once the floor has dried completely, it will not accept the water during normal watering and it rolls off again from above. The water does not get to the roots.

Why do the plants hang their heads despite regular watering?

This may be due to the water quality. Water from the tap is often too hard. However, if rain or well water is used, which is much better for most plants, it is often simply too cold. As a result, the soil temperature drops sharply and root activity is impaired. The plants absorb less water and nutrients. You should therefore make sure that the water temperature is above 12° Celsius.

Is there an alternative for indoor plants to not put them in soil?

Many plants can definitely be cultivated hydroponically. This has the advantage that you do not have to constantly check whether the soil has dried out and needs to be watered again. A stick in the bucket shows how high the water level is and when it is time to water.

author Maike

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