Care for Callisia Repens - Ask Extension
Hi, Master Gardeners!
I’ve attached a photo of my Turtle Vine(Callisia Repens) plant. I’m looking for advice on what might help it grow better, s...
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Care for Callisia Repens #618259
Asked March 22, 2020, 9:48 PM EDT
Hi, Master Gardeners!
I’ve attached a photo of my Turtle Vine(Callisia Repens) plant. I’m looking for advice on what might help it grow better, seeing as much of the vines have dead leaves on them(though they do still grow fresh ones further down the vine).
A few notes about the conditions it lives in:
It receives some direct sunlight in the morning, and sits in a reasonably well lit room all day.
The pot has a drainage hole on the bottom.
It would appear to be becoming root bound, as there are very thin and fragile roots coming out of the hole.
I’m not sure how y’all’s schedule is now that many things are shut down, but any advice would be immensely appreciated.
Stay safe, and thank you for your help,
-Will
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Will,
There could be a few reasons for the leaf drying, some of which you touched upon.
Plants will shed old leaves as they grow and the leaves age; stressful conditions can speed-up this process and make it more pronounced, as seen here. If the soil gets too dry between waterings, some fine roots may die and not all of the leaves can be supplied with water; the growing tips use the most, and the oldest leaves are lost as a matter of conserving resources. Callisia is semi-succulent and does not readily show drought stress via wilting like other houseplants. Similarly, overly-wet conditions cause similar symptoms, because in effect, root loss from drowning also results in too little water being able to be supplied to the foliage. Your pot having a drainage hole is good, but make sure that the soil has a chance to start drying between soakings. (And do make sure it's soaked well when it does need water.)
Depending on the distance of the plant to the window providing sun, it my be needing a bit more light. While Callisia are not high-light plants (benefiting from hours of sun per day), a shaft of sunlight 4' from a window is a lot less intense than 2' from the same window. Light intensity falls-off quite dramatically with distance, so moving it a bit closer to that widow may help if it is well within the room. The reason for the leaf death in this case would be simply that older leaves are being shed earlier than they would otherwise because they aren't able to make enough food for the plant to maintain them along with all the other points of growth. The plant shunts the resources need to keep them alive to newer growth instead.
Roots growing out of the drain hole may indicate the plant needs more room to grow, as you say. Spring is a good time to repot houseplants as they tend to enter a period of more active growth from the lengthening days. If you choose to repot it, step up only one pot size so the amount of extra soil is minimal. Root-less soil tends to hold water for longer, so you don't want to risk suffocating the roots by over-potting it. Generally, you're looking to increase the pot diameter by only 1-2". Use fresh potting soil to fill-in the extra space in the new pot, and replacing a bit of the old soil by teasing apart the roots is also beneficial.
We do not see obvious signs of pest problems, but you can inspect the leaves (undersides included) and outside of the rootball (if you pop it out of the pot) for insects. Thrips are one pest can stress a plant by feeding on the foliage (somewhere between sap-sucking and chewing, they cause pale leaf flecking). Mealybugs can hide out anywhere, including on roots, and are sap-suckers. Feeding by insects such as this can tax the plant's moisture and nutrient reserves and cause premature leaf shedding.
To improve the plant's appearance, you can either delicately remove all of the dead foliage from the stems (difficult, as stems break easily), or cut the entire plant back and root the tips of the stems that still have leaves. Cut stems may regrow, but sometimes they seem reluctant to do so. In taking cuttings, make sure the bottom end of the cutting has a couple of nodes (joints where leaves grew) and bury this portion in soil or water. If rooting in water, pot-up pieces as soon as roots form. If no pests are observed, you can re-root cuttings in this same pot, but if it is crowded with stems, you could root them in another pot(s) instead. Alternately, if you are concerned about pest or root-rot issues with the existing rootball, you can use the propagated stem pieces to start a new plant (several can be used in one pot to make it bushy faster) and discard the old rootball. Callisia does root easily.
This chart outlines common houseplant problems and remedies: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/diagnostic-chart-houseplant-problems, though not by specific plant.
Miri
There could be a few reasons for the leaf drying, some of which you touched upon.
Plants will shed old leaves as they grow and the leaves age; stressful conditions can speed-up this process and make it more pronounced, as seen here. If the soil gets too dry between waterings, some fine roots may die and not all of the leaves can be supplied with water; the growing tips use the most, and the oldest leaves are lost as a matter of conserving resources. Callisia is semi-succulent and does not readily show drought stress via wilting like other houseplants. Similarly, overly-wet conditions cause similar symptoms, because in effect, root loss from drowning also results in too little water being able to be supplied to the foliage. Your pot having a drainage hole is good, but make sure that the soil has a chance to start drying between soakings. (And do make sure it's soaked well when it does need water.)
Depending on the distance of the plant to the window providing sun, it my be needing a bit more light. While Callisia are not high-light plants (benefiting from hours of sun per day), a shaft of sunlight 4' from a window is a lot less intense than 2' from the same window. Light intensity falls-off quite dramatically with distance, so moving it a bit closer to that widow may help if it is well within the room. The reason for the leaf death in this case would be simply that older leaves are being shed earlier than they would otherwise because they aren't able to make enough food for the plant to maintain them along with all the other points of growth. The plant shunts the resources need to keep them alive to newer growth instead.
Roots growing out of the drain hole may indicate the plant needs more room to grow, as you say. Spring is a good time to repot houseplants as they tend to enter a period of more active growth from the lengthening days. If you choose to repot it, step up only one pot size so the amount of extra soil is minimal. Root-less soil tends to hold water for longer, so you don't want to risk suffocating the roots by over-potting it. Generally, you're looking to increase the pot diameter by only 1-2". Use fresh potting soil to fill-in the extra space in the new pot, and replacing a bit of the old soil by teasing apart the roots is also beneficial.
We do not see obvious signs of pest problems, but you can inspect the leaves (undersides included) and outside of the rootball (if you pop it out of the pot) for insects. Thrips are one pest can stress a plant by feeding on the foliage (somewhere between sap-sucking and chewing, they cause pale leaf flecking). Mealybugs can hide out anywhere, including on roots, and are sap-suckers. Feeding by insects such as this can tax the plant's moisture and nutrient reserves and cause premature leaf shedding.
To improve the plant's appearance, you can either delicately remove all of the dead foliage from the stems (difficult, as stems break easily), or cut the entire plant back and root the tips of the stems that still have leaves. Cut stems may regrow, but sometimes they seem reluctant to do so. In taking cuttings, make sure the bottom end of the cutting has a couple of nodes (joints where leaves grew) and bury this portion in soil or water. If rooting in water, pot-up pieces as soon as roots form. If no pests are observed, you can re-root cuttings in this same pot, but if it is crowded with stems, you could root them in another pot(s) instead. Alternately, if you are concerned about pest or root-rot issues with the existing rootball, you can use the propagated stem pieces to start a new plant (several can be used in one pot to make it bushy faster) and discard the old rootball. Callisia does root easily.
This chart outlines common houseplant problems and remedies: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/diagnostic-chart-houseplant-problems, though not by specific plant.
Miri
Thank you for your help!
