Viewing post #2612551 by needrain

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Oct 18, 2021 8:56 PM CST
Name: Donald
Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a)
Raises cows Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Texas Plant Identifier
bucsnation1984 said:

The reason I'm thinking I'm underwatering is that the plant leaves were all shriveled up and crispy. They remove easily when you pull them off....


Two things in your last posts. First, some plant simply require more light than others. Those Sansevierias in your photos will manage a lot lower light than the plant in your last photo which is showing signs of etoliation. It's possible the leaves turning down at the bottom are a response to that. They are repositioning so their surface catches more light. The real tip off is the slender growth and the increasing space between the leaves along the upper part of the stem. That's etoliation in progress, I think, and will only get worse as the plant grows unless it receives more light. It's a problem I contend with every winter when I have to move plants indoors to low light conditions.

Second. The leaves all shriveled indicate a historical problem or natural shedding of old growth as new growth above takes precedence. This is a natural phenonemon for a lot of plants and is just a part of their being living things. But they may also indicate compromised roots. That can be harder to identify since both being too wet or too dry for too long can cause the same effect. It could also be damage from some kind of soil dwelling insect. That seems less likely to me, but still possible. Hard to know. Best is usually to try and determine the moisture in the potting medium if you can. If you can determine it's really dry, then make sure it gets soaked and then let it get almost dry again before giving it water again. If the plant has developed rot, that is likely to continue at a faster rate with the water. All you can do is watch and be patient. Sometimes, when a root ball has gotten too dry it will try to repel moisture. I find that sitting the container in water and letting it soak up from the hole in the container to the surface is the best means of overcoming that kind of dryness. If your container doesn't have a drain hole, then it's likely the plant stayed to wet. Containers without drainage can be bone dry on the upper part of the root ball and soggy on the bottom. That is an effective means of compromising the roots of plant until it reaches the point of no return.
Donald

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