Pics of my Pilea.

Thank you.

Reading Leaves

When leaf tips or margins abnormally curl/cup upward, it's usually an indication the plant is trying to retain moisture – most common causes are dry soils or high temps; or, if you are using supplemental lighting, the lights might be too close.

When leaf margins curl down, especially if leaves droop abnormally from the base of the leaf to the leaf tip, there is probably an issue affecting root function or health. The main causal suspects would be over-watering or soil compaction causing an inadequate supply of oxygen to roots, a root infection, or a TDS (fertility) level too high, which can limit water uptake.

Al

Thank you, Al, for your reply.

I did notice that the leaves see to droop downward, but wasn't sure if that was due to the habit of this plant or not. I usually give it a quarter turn once a week to provide as even an exposure to the light coming from the window as possible. There is no supplemental lighting.

If I’m understanding your descriptions correctly, the leaf margins on my plant are curling downward. The plant has grown quite a bit since I got it in April 2020 and has been in the same 4” terra cotta pot, plus has produces offsets which I have not removed. My mix is roughly 40ish-50ish% commercial C&S mix to 50ish-60ish% pumice. I wouldn‘t think it could become compacted in that amount of time, but maybe I’m wrong. I water it with rain water to which I sometimes add Foliage Pro and Protekt - the spotting on some of the leaves.

Perhaps with all of the growth, it’s pot bound and, if so, a full repotting to a larger size pot may be in order.

If you lift the root/soil mass from the pot and it comes out intact, it would benefit from a repotting, but that's not to say it's an emergency. It's always to work WITH your plant natural rhythms so you plan heavy work for when your plant should be naturally strong in energy reserves and ad coming into the most robust part of the growth cycle; so, that would be June for most houseplants. Think Father's Day or Summer Solstice, both of which are close to mid-June.

Reading leaves is a 'general thing'. There are many other factors that can cause wavy leaf margins and cupping. Very often the cause ends up being idiopathic.

Pilea (varieagata)

Al