From my perspective, the issue of drooping leaves is almost always a crisis of the roots, your primary connection to me. My roots need two things from the soil: water and air. When you water incorrectly, you disrupt this delicate balance. Both underwatering and overwatering create a similar physical outcome—a lack of water pressure in my cells—but they do so for completely opposite reasons. Understanding this distinction is the key to helping me recover.
When you forget to water me, the soil becomes bone dry. My roots, which are designed to absorb moisture, find nothing. Without water to absorb, the internal water pressure (turgor pressure) that keeps my stems upright and my leaves perky begins to fail. My cells become flaccid, like a deflating balloon. You will notice my soil pulling away from the edges of the pot, and the entire pot will feel suspiciously light. My leaves will droop, and they may also become crispy at the edges and start to yellow, as I cannot transport nutrients effectively. This is a straightforward plea: I need a long, deep drink.
This is a far more sinister and dangerous situation. It is not the water itself that harms me, but the suffocation that follows. When you give me too much water too often, you fill all the air pockets in the soil with liquid. My roots, like all living parts of me, need to breathe oxygen. Trapped in soggy, airless soil, they begin to rot and die. Once they are damaged and rotting, they can no longer absorb any water at all. Consequently, even though I am sitting in water, my stems and leaves cannot get any, and they droop from a lack of turgor pressure—a cruel irony. The signs here are different: the soil will feel constantly wet or muddy, the pot will be heavy, and the drooping leaves will often feel soft and mushy. You might even notice a foul smell from the soil, which is the smell of my roots decaying.
To determine which ailment I am suffering from, you must check my soil. Do not just look at the surface; push your finger about two inches down into the soil. If it feels completely dry and crumbly, I am underwatered. If it feels wet, cold, and clings to your finger, I am overwatered. Next, lift my pot. A very light pot indicates a need for water, while a surprisingly heavy one suggests waterlogged soil. Finally, look at my leaves. Crispy, dry drooping points to thirst, while soft, yellowing, mushy drooping points to root rot.
For underwatering, place my entire pot in a basin of room-temperature water for about 30 minutes, allowing the soil to soak up moisture from the bottom. Then, let me drain thoroughly. I should perk up within a few hours. For overwatering, you must act quickly. You will need to remove me from the wet soil. Gently wash my roots and inspect them. Healthy roots are firm and white or tan. Soft, brown, and smelly roots must be pruned away with sterile scissors. Repot me into fresh, well-draining soil and a pot with excellent drainage holes. Do not water me immediately; let my roots breathe and heal in their new environment for a few days before offering a modest drink.
