Wilting and drooping

A drooping plant has a handful of usual causes. Start with the lift test: heavy means too wet, light means too dry, then check heat and roots.

Symptoms

• Leaves and stems hang down.
• May be worse in the afternoon or after watering.
• Can come on suddenly or slowly.

Quick checks

• Lift test first.
• Canopy temperature.
• Run-off EC.
• Look at the roots if the others are normal.

How to fix it

1. 1
   Check

   Lift test

   Heavy: see Over-watering. Light: see Under-watering.

2. 2
   Environment

   Check heat

   If it droops in the afternoon and perks up at night, see Heat stress.

3. 3
   Check

   Check run-off EC

   If much higher than the feed, see Nutrient lockout and salt build-up.

4. 4
   Physical

   Check the roots

   Brown, slimy roots: see Root rot. Insects or white wax: see Root aphids.

Likely causes

• Over-watering (heavy container, fat curled-down leaves).
• Under-watering (light container, thin papery leaves).
• Heat stress (afternoon droop, recovers overnight).
• Root rot or root pests (wet medium, brown roots).
• Salt build-up (drooping even though wet, high run-off EC).
• Seedlings: damping off.

What to avoid

• Don't water a drooping plant without the lift test.
• Don't add feed to a drooping plant.

Prevention

• Water by weight.
• Temperature in range.
• Weekly run-off checks.

Monkey products that can help

Stress

Monkey say silicon helps cells keep their pressure and shape during stress such as drought, and helps with over- and under-watering. Can help, not cure.

2 ml per 10 L every week. Always add it to the water first and mix thoroughly before adding anything else.

View product →

Products support a healthy plant. They don't replace fixing the cause.

When to get help

If the plant stays wilted after correcting water and temperature, check the roots and email info@monkeynutrients.co.uk with photos.

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