From my roots' perspective, the most common reason I droop is a simple lack of water. My leaves are soft and thin, and they lose their turgor pressure—the internal water pressure that keeps me upright and perky—very quickly when my soil dries out. You might notice my soil pulling away from the edges of my pot, and it will feel dry to the touch several inches down. While I am drought-tolerant once established, I still need consistent moisture, especially when I'm in a container. The fix is straightforward: give me a deep, thorough drink. Water me slowly at my base until excess water runs out of the drainage holes. I should perk up noticeably within a few hours.
Paradoxically, you might be killing me with kindness. If my soil is constantly soggy and never allowed to dry out somewhat between waterings, my roots are suffocating. They need oxygen from the air pockets in the soil to survive. Waterlogged soil drowns them, and the subsequent rot sets in. Once my roots are damaged and rotting, they cannot absorb water or nutrients, causing me to wilt and droop—a cruel irony. My leaves may also turn yellow or brown. If you suspect this, you must check my roots. Gently lift me from my pot. Healthy roots are firm and white or tan. Rotten roots are mushy, slimy, and dark. The fix is to trim away all the rotten parts, repot me in fresh, well-draining soil, and ensure my pot has excellent drainage.
If I have been growing in the same container for too long, my root system may have completely filled the available space. There is simply not enough soil left to hold adequate moisture and nutrients to sustain my above-ground growth. After you water me, the moisture is used up or runs through too quickly, leaving my roots perpetually thirsty and unable to support my foliage, leading to a droopy appearance. Check if my roots are circling tightly around the inside of the pot or growing out of the drainage holes. The solution is to gently repot me into a new home that is only 1-2 inches larger in diameter, giving my roots room to breathe and access new soil.
I adore bright, direct sunlight; it is what I was born for. However, during an intense heatwave, especially if I am in a black plastic pot on a patio, the combined heat from the sun and the radiant heat from the pot can be overwhelming. My soil can bake dry in hours, and my leaves will lose water through transpiration faster than my roots can uptake it, causing me to wilt dramatically to conserve moisture. This is a protective measure. The fix is to provide me with some afternoon shade during the hottest part of the day or to move my container to a slightly less intense location until the extreme heat passes.
