From my roots to my leaves, water is my lifeblood, but its management is a delicate dance. If your care is inconsistent, I will protest. When my soil remains soggy for extended periods, my roots begin to suffocate. They cannot access the oxygen they need and will start to rot. Once root rot sets in, the entire system for transporting water and nutrients collapses, and my leaves will turn yellow, then brown, and finally drop off. Conversely, if you allow my soil to become bone dry, I enter a state of drought stress. To conserve my remaining resources, I will sacrifice my oldest leaves first. They will typically turn crispy and brown from the edges inward before detaching. The goal is consistently moist—not wet, not desert-like—soil.
You may not often think about what is happening beneath the soil, but for me, it is my entire foundation. I am a vigorous grower, and my root system can quickly fill the pot I call home. When I become root bound, there is simply not enough space for the soil to hold adequate water and nutrients. Every time you water, it may run straight through the tight mass of roots without being absorbed, leaving me parched. Furthermore, the intense crowding stresses my root system, hindering its function. This stress directly translates to my foliage, causing leaves to yellow and fall as I struggle to support them with an insufficient foundation.
I am a creature of habit. Sudden changes in my environment trigger a survival response. If you recently moved me from a nursery to your home, or even from one room to another, the shift in light levels, temperature, and humidity can be jarring. A common shock is a draft; I intensely dislike being placed near frequently opened exterior doors, drafty windows, or blowing air vents. This constant barrage of hot or cold air causes excessive moisture loss from my leaves and stresses my systems, leading to leaf drop. I need time to acclimate to new conditions gradually.
My lineage traces back to the cool, misty forests of Europe. While I can adapt to your home, the dry air produced by heating and air conditioning systems is my nemesis. Low humidity causes the moisture within my leaves to evaporate faster than my roots can draw up water. This results in my leaves developing dry, brown edges and tips before eventually withering and falling. This is especially prevalent in the winter months when indoor air tends to be driest. I thrive in a more humid microclimate.
While I am resilient, I am not invincible to tiny attackers. Pests like spider mites, scale, and aphids see my lush foliage as a banquet. They pierce my leaves and stems to suck out the nutrient-rich sap, effectively stealing my food. This damage weakens me significantly. An infestation will cause my leaves to become stippled with yellow dots, curl, dry out, and drop. Spider mites, in particular, are notorious in dry conditions and often leave fine webbing as evidence of their presence.
