Maranta has folded itself in half
August 30, 2022 4:19 PM Subscribe
My maranta is doing something new that makes me worry for it. The leaves are folded down so dramatically that they are almost vertical. (The opposite of how they are supposed to fold up at night.) There is little circadian movement at all.
To be clear, the leaves aren't droopy; they're firm. They are just folded down way too far and seem "stuck" in that position. (The inverse of how they are supposed to fold up at night.) There is some sporadic death/dropping of leaves, but so far not at a terrible rate. The other leaves look healthy, except for their extreme position, so I don't think that it's getting scalded.
The plant is on a shelf in front of a south-east-ish facing window, but it's actually not that bright due to the layout of neighboring trees/houses and such. It does get sun, but the sun does not shine directly into it. I've successfully kept a maranta in window on the same side of the house before.
Does this seem like an issue of not enough light? That's my guess, but I want second opinions before I do the exact opposite of what I need to.
To be clear, the leaves aren't droopy; they're firm. They are just folded down way too far and seem "stuck" in that position. (The inverse of how they are supposed to fold up at night.) There is some sporadic death/dropping of leaves, but so far not at a terrible rate. The other leaves look healthy, except for their extreme position, so I don't think that it's getting scalded.
The plant is on a shelf in front of a south-east-ish facing window, but it's actually not that bright due to the layout of neighboring trees/houses and such. It does get sun, but the sun does not shine directly into it. I've successfully kept a maranta in window on the same side of the house before.
Does this seem like an issue of not enough light? That's my guess, but I want second opinions before I do the exact opposite of what I need to.
Response by poster: Is it still tracking the light during the day
No, there is very little circadian movement at all.
If it's not tracking light/moving around in some way then yes it may be unhappy or otherwise unwell.
I'm pretty sure it's unwell, which is why I'm posting!
Low humidity/low water can cause leaves to point down prior to wilt
It's not low water; the soil is moist. I'm actually more concerned about the soil being too moist because it doesn't seem to be taking up water as fast as it should. Low humidity is a possibility, but seems unlikely since the main symptom is leaves pointed sharply down, not leaves curling. Also, it's no less humid right now than when I had my happier maranta.
My two suspicions right now are maybe that overwatering has caused root rot, so it's not getting the moisture it needs despite the soil being moist, OR that it's not getting enough light, and its metabolism is low . But I'm hoping someone will recognize this and point me in a firmer direction. A lot of proposed rescue plans directly contradict each other! I don't want to move it to more light if the problem is actually too much light, or use less water if the problem is not enough water! Etc.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 6:20 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
No, there is very little circadian movement at all.
If it's not tracking light/moving around in some way then yes it may be unhappy or otherwise unwell.
I'm pretty sure it's unwell, which is why I'm posting!
Low humidity/low water can cause leaves to point down prior to wilt
It's not low water; the soil is moist. I'm actually more concerned about the soil being too moist because it doesn't seem to be taking up water as fast as it should. Low humidity is a possibility, but seems unlikely since the main symptom is leaves pointed sharply down, not leaves curling. Also, it's no less humid right now than when I had my happier maranta.
My two suspicions right now are maybe that overwatering has caused root rot, so it's not getting the moisture it needs despite the soil being moist, OR that it's not getting enough light, and its metabolism is low . But I'm hoping someone will recognize this and point me in a firmer direction. A lot of proposed rescue plans directly contradict each other! I don't want to move it to more light if the problem is actually too much light, or use less water if the problem is not enough water! Etc.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 6:20 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
overwatering has caused root rot
This is by far the number one killer of houseplants, full stop.
It certainly does not need more light, it is adapted to live in dank dark places. It certainly does not need more water unless the potting media is bone dry and it is wilting. It may have preferred more humidity than your air conditioned indoor location is providing; its home is the tropical understory.
On balance, without pictures: take a good node now while it's healthy and start propagating it in water. Use rooting hormone or a willow twig or any other plant that roots easily to induce rooting.
You can carefully investigate for root rot. You can stab little holes all over the soil and put some wicks in it to help dry it out. But it may well be time to move on to the next clone no matter what.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:01 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
This is by far the number one killer of houseplants, full stop.
It certainly does not need more light, it is adapted to live in dank dark places. It certainly does not need more water unless the potting media is bone dry and it is wilting. It may have preferred more humidity than your air conditioned indoor location is providing; its home is the tropical understory.
On balance, without pictures: take a good node now while it's healthy and start propagating it in water. Use rooting hormone or a willow twig or any other plant that roots easily to induce rooting.
You can carefully investigate for root rot. You can stab little holes all over the soil and put some wicks in it to help dry it out. But it may well be time to move on to the next clone no matter what.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:01 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Look underneath the leaves - any signs of pests? Spider mites are a common culprit.
posted by keep it under cover at 7:16 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by keep it under cover at 7:16 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by countrymod at 4:33 PM on August 30, 2022