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squidy_gw

hoya carnosa with icky brown leaf tip??

squidy
12 years ago

One of the white leaves on my KQ is getting all weird and brown at the tip, and it's creeping down the leaf. It's sort of squishy and shriveled and flat. Is the plant getting too much water?? I put it outside a while ago and it's been looking just fine, but it does rain sometimes, often having showers a few days in a row. Plus I did water it a little while ago because there were a couple mealybugs on it so I put some systemic pesticide granules in the pot and had to water them in. That was last week, and I think it has rained most days since then, although not super hard.

Should I bring it under cover?

Comments (9)

  • puglvr1
    12 years ago

    Yes, by your description raining daily plus you watering it again because of the granules you added it sounds like you need to bring it under some cover for several days. If it were mine I would let the soil dry out slightly before watering again. It sounds like its staying too wet which might be the cause of your brown tips? Most Hoyas don't like to stay wet constantly...can you wick some of the water? Stick a thin piece of yarn or rope on the drain hole and let some of the water wick out...or if you can remove the root ball gently you can check to see just how "wet" the roots are.

    Good luck!

  • squidy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Okay thanks, I brought it inside this morning because I woke up and it was raining again. It doesn't seem really wet, like it's not dripping out the bottom or anything. I touched the soil through the drain hole and it just feels sorta moist. The leaves cover the top of the pot pretty thoroughly so I hoped not much rain was really getting in.
    Fff, there's another funny leaf I can see now, it has gray spots on the white part..

  • mdahms1979
    12 years ago

    If the spots are wet or squishy as you said they are probably bacterial infections. If they begin the spread cut the leaf off. You can use peroxide full strength to clean the spots if they are wet and cinnamon powder if they are dry and form a ring which indicates fungi vs bacteria.

    Is it possible that you exposed the plant to sun and it burned? Can you take a photo of the affected leaf?

    Mike

  • Denise
    12 years ago

    Also consider that the all-white leaves are more sensitive to sun. If you're not seeing any of the green leaves affected, my first guess would be the white leaf got sunburned, which started it shriveling. I don't find that the few Hoyas I grow outside are affected negatively by a lot of rain. Right now, I've got my latifolia out on my back deck - I only put Hoyas out that are struggling or aren't growing because I think the exposure to fresh air and rainwater will "re-boot" them into growing. Well, that plant has not had a dry moment since I put it out there probably 3 or 4 weeks ago, yet it looks better than it EVER has and it's putting out all kinds of new growth. It doesn't get much direct sun, but a lot of dappled sun and, of course, it's nice and bright all day out there.

    I would do as Mike suggests just in case you've got some fungus or bacteria started. I always cut off dieing or ugly leaves, because they detract from the overall appearance (and health) of the plant.

    Denise in Omaha

  • squidy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Okay, here are some pictures:
    the brown leaf:


    (With some bird poo on it, I think.. that's what the bit of grime is.)

    The spotty leaf:

    And the plant overall:

    The brown one isn't really wet and squishy, it's just not dry. It's the same texture as the rest of the leaves pretty much, but the brown part is sort of deflated and flat.

    Should I take these leaves off then?

  • cpawl
    12 years ago

    Hi We both sort of have the same weather,I live just across the broader.So with it being so damp and cool so fare this spring and summer I have been having problems with fungus and
    Powdery mildew.I have also found that when ever I have had all white leaves they always go brown and die.
    With all this rain and high humidity we have been having I have been experiencing a lot of fungus issues. I have been using cinnamon oil to help fight the powdery mildew.

    Cindy

  • mdahms1979
    12 years ago

    I would take the leaves off because your plant won't miss them a bit. Overall your plant looks healthy so I would just watch that you don't keep it wet and from what Cindy is saying you may need to keep it from getting rained on too much.

    Mike

  • Denise
    12 years ago

    I agree - it looks very happy and healthy. Cool and wet is a lot harder on plants than hot and wet, like it's been here. That's probably why my Hoyas outside, though waterlogged, are doing well.

    And yes, I would always remove dieing leaves.

    Denise in Omaha

  • squidy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    It's 67 degrees here, is that cool? That's what we call hot, lol.
    Okay I'll take off the leaves, thanks guys.

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