From my perspective, this is the most common reason my leaves hang low. You are being too generous with the water. My roots are not like yours; they need to breathe air from the spaces in the soil. When you water me too often, those spaces fill with water, and my roots begin to suffocate and rot. Once this happens, they cannot absorb water or nutrients effectively, creating a cruel paradox: I am sitting in water, yet I am dying of thirst. The first sign I can show you is my leaves becoming soft, limp, and drooping sadly. They might even turn a sickly yellow. Please, check my soil before giving me a drink. If the top inch feels damp, I do not need more.
The opposite extreme is just as difficult for me. When you forget to water me for too long, my entire system starts to shut down. Without water, I cannot maintain my internal water pressure (turgor), which is what keeps my stems upright and my leaves perky. I begin to wilt to conserve the precious little moisture I have left. My leaves will feel dry, crispy, and brittle to the touch, and the soil will pull away from the edges of the pot. When this happens, I need a deep, thorough drink. Please place my pot in a saucer of water so I can soak it up from the bottom, which helps rehydrate my entire root ball evenly.
Perhaps you have not noticed, but I may have outgrown my current home. My roots are explorers, and they need space to grow and gather resources. If my roots have filled the pot entirely, forming a tight, tangled mass, they cannot function properly. There is not enough soil left to hold adequate water or nutrients, so I become stressed and dehydrated very quickly, even with regular watering. This root-bound stress directly causes my leaves to droop from malnutrition and thirst. Gently lift me from my pot; if you see a dense web of roots circling around, it is time to move me to a new pot that is just one or two inches larger in diameter.
Sometimes, the issue is not what you give me, but where you have placed me. I am a sun-loving plant. If I am kept in a spot that is too dark and shady, I will become weak and leggy as I strain for light, and my growth will be poor, often resulting in drooping leaves. Conversely, a sudden move from a sheltered spot into intense, blazing hot sun can shock my system, causing me to wilt dramatically as I lose water faster than my roots can replace it. A consistent environment with plenty of bright, indirect light is where I truly thrive.
Lastly, my drooping leaves might be a distress signal because I am under siege. Tiny pests like spider mites or aphids suck the sap from my stems and the undersides of my leaves, weakening me and causing my foliage to curl, yellow, and droop. Fungal diseases, like the water-mold Phytophthora, which causes root rot, can also be the hidden culprit. These attacks compromise my vascular system, preventing water from traveling to my leaves. Please inspect me closely, especially under my leaves, for any signs of these tiny invaders or unusual spots.
