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Any ideas what could be causing leaf drop? One leaf before this… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

Sparky🤍plants

Any ideas what could be causing leaf drop? One leaf before this turned brown and died but I figured it was just normal aging. The left leaf grew its own roots a while ago but has now died and the right just popped off of the stem. I bought the plant when it had baby leaves growing but now they have stopped. Someone accidentally watered it with tap water when I first got it a few months ago and these same leaves made brown spots shortly after but they didn’t change until now. The soil is still damp from my last watering about three weeks ago.

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5 comments

  1. c.cat

    if the soil is still damp after three weeks, i would say its overwatering! check the roots for rot and remove any mushy roots if needed. spraying with 1:1 ratio of water and hydrogen peroxide can help kill rot causing bacteria, and repotting in a chunky well draining soil with a pot 1-2 inches bigger than the root ball can help with avoiding future rot! good luck!

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  2. Dondoo52

    I agree. Looks like fungal issues due to overwatering. Your pot size looks fine to me. Just make sure your plant gets plenty of sun and let it dry completely between waterings.

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  3. Lacee

    My pearls and jade porthos just did this too. It looks like root rot but doesn’t smell. :( I’m sorry

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    • Sparky🤍plants

      Same!! No smell from my plant yet the soil is wet. 🤷‍♀️

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  4. Adrian

    The soil shouldn’t still be damp after 3 weeks. What kind of soil are you using? Some brands like Miracle Grow use lots of peat moss in their soil and can stay moist for way too long, especially in more humid climates (I live in PA, for example, and that stuff’s a plant killer here). I would definitely suggest taking the plant out of the soil and checking it for root rot (dark and mushy roots. Healthy ones are light in color and firm), treating it for root rot (come back here if it is rotted and I can walk you through how to treat it). If the soil stays that wet for that long it likely has caused root rot, hopefully only in its early stages if you’re lucky. If there’s no signs of root rot, but just wanna be safe, soak the roots (completely free of the soil. Gently remove as much of it from the roots as you can) in a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 2 parts water for at least 30 minutes, then gently rinse the roots off with filtered water (bottled water works just fine for this step, and room temp), then gently dry the roots with a paper towel and repot the plant in new, fresh soil (do NOT reuse any of the soil, and clean the pot completely if you plant on reusing it). I recently repotted 3 of my peperomia, and used Espoma’s Organic All-Purpose Mix. It runs for about $7-9 where I live: You can add extra perlite to the soil if you fear overwatering it again. Make sure the pot has drainage holes and repot it. Hope this helps! I have a Variegated Peperomia like yours, and I’d hate to lose her, so I’d love to help if I can.

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