Example of the leaves browning

Posting to follow. I started having the same problem. I thought maybe I under watered, or not enough humidity this winter?

Hi Andy

There are a few factors that can start to cause leaves to brown like lighting and watering, insufficient nutrients, or very dry air. Light is tied to how long your soil stays wet. How often are you watering? Even if its near a window, it could still not be getting enough light, which in turn slows photosynthesis by the leaves, so the roots don't drink moisture from the soil fast as in high light.. in other words, if the soil is staying wet too long it can lead to fungal issues at the roots that manifest in the leaves.

To start, are you able to share a picture showing where the plant is in relation to the window? Also what direction does the window face? Depending on where you live, light intensity varies in each direction. As Monsteras have fairly large leaves, (aroids) they need that bright light. :)

HHH

Hi thanks for the reply. It is south facing a d living in the UK. I try to water only when the top inch or so of soil has dried

Thank you so much! Hopefully that helps it out

Yeah I have a micans philodendron which is losing leaves all of a sudden but looks like it has pests. White flecks which I think are thrips? But sappy holes have appeared and it looks very bare now.

Also have a string of hearts which is losing leaves and the surviving ones are really shrivelled along with the stems

Not good all of a sudden 😂

Yes that sounds like pest damage. First isolate the plant. You might want to check the monstera if the micans was close to it. Best treatment for most leaf pests is diluted neem oil you can get at most garden centers. You may have to cut off all the vines with infestation and damaged leaves, and spray the remaining ones and soil with neem oil. If you can, keep the isolated plant with at least some light, and keep isolated until there is no more signs of pests. It will eventually grow new vines where it was cut but its a slow process. As for the string of hearts what is your care routine for it?

If you want you can share pictures of both plants, that shows the soil, and the leaf damage. I can check if I see anything.

Hi. Thanks again for all the tips! So the string of hearts gets a water when the top of the soil is dry but to be honest the soil it is in drys out very quickly. It looks almost dead but there are some signs of life

String of hearts is actually a succulent type of plant, in the same way that aloe vera or even like a cactus in that it stores water in the bulbs they grow from and its plump wax-like leaves. Therefore it actually needs more infrequent watering, ideally you'll let the soil get completely dry, down to the bottom before watering it again.

Based on what it looks like, and how it is loosing leaves, it does seem like you are probably watering too frequently if you're watering it only when the top of the soil is dry. So even though you have it in a clay pot, the soil deeper down is staying wet for too long. I think there is a good chance that if you were to unpot it, you would see some rotted roots. Once the roots die, it can't take in hydration and nutrition. At the same time, the plant is taking in too much water which causes succulent type plants to turn mushy inside (like with cactus), or in SOH case, shed leaves.

How infrequently to water it? That will depend on how much light it is getting, but SOH likes bright but indirect light, meaning no direct sunlight should touch it. So it would also be happy hanging near your south window.

To be honest I am not sure if yours can be saved, without knowing the conditions of its roots. One option is to leave it in the pot, put it in a bright indirect light area, and no water for 2 weeks, then before you water it, check the soil deep down with a chopstick. If there is any moisture, wait another week. And since the plant is very stressed, no fertilizer until it has recovered. Succulents don't really need fertilizer very often anyway. The other option is to carefully unpot and examine the roots. If they look ok, as in a whiteish color and sturdy, you can place it back in the pot, keep it near the south window and wait the full two weeks before watering again, as above.

Lastly if there are any strands still alive, you can attempt to propagate them by cutting them off between two leaf nodes. And putting those in water to try and coax it to grow roots. This is in case the plant does not make it. Image is from Houseplant Journal via Pinterest.

String of Hearts how to propagate image