Tradescantia Nanouk leaves turning brown is a worrying matter that you would have in mind when you acquired the plant. You must know that the plant has wonderful variegated green leaves with soft hues of purple that should in no shape or form be going brown, so something is happening to the plant.
We’re here to help you understand what’s going on with your Tradescantia plant and treat it back to life with ease.
Contents
Why Is Your Tradescantia Nanouk Leaves Turning Brown
Your tradescantia nanouk leaves are turning brown because of low humidity, sun drainage, or due to under watering. It can also be because of root rot, sunburns, being overcrowded with plants, due to damaged leaves, or, lastly, because of old age.
Tradescantia nanouk or the wandering Jew, is a beautiful trailing evergreen plant with attractive, green, and purple-pink leaves that boasts tiny boat-like rosy flowers in small clusters and is just adorable to look at. The plant grows to a sweet miniature silhouette of nine inches tall and loves moist but well-draining soils and partial shade. However, if you fail to deliver constantly on the growing needs of this plant, it will rebel with some browning leaves.
– Low Humidity
As we said, tradescantia nanouk will enjoy prolonged humid spells and will be happy if you can keep it in the higher range of the spectrum. It will struggle if the heat begins to go up while humidity stays below the average level, and this is why and how the plant would start to weaken.
Always be mindful of the area where you keep your plants. It won’t matter much during the cold winter months as long as you can combat that dry heated air with some misting. However, summer days will call for some shade along with misting to avoid the leaves getting scorched and brown.
– Sun Damage
You may feel compelled to expose your tradescantias to full sunlight exposure to enhance and intensify the purple beauty. However, the result can come far from enchanting, as tradescantia leaves lack protective waxiness and will quickly dry up and become crispy in the intense sun.
While it’s true that the sun can bring certain vibrancy in plants, you may hold that thought when it comes to wandering yews. When they are not exposed to the right sunlight that they need, you should know that the plant will weaken, and won’t have chlorophyll any longer, which is why they will start to lose their color.
– Lack of Watering
Underwatering can harm a Tradescantia plant, leading to various issues that hinder its growth and health. It will deprive the plant of the necessary moisture, causing several noticeable consequences.
The leaves of an underwatered Tradescantia plant will wilt and droop, losing their usual turgidity and becoming limp. This will result in a lackluster and unhealthy appearance, affecting the overall aesthetic appeal of the plant.
Leaves will also appear dry and brittle, prone to browning on the edges. Prolonged periods of watering less than it needs would impact the plant’s root system, inhibiting root development, and stunted tradescantia nanouk growth.
– Root Rot
This is a serious condition that affects plants, including Tradescantia nanouk. It occurs when the roots are subjected to excessive moisture, leading to a lack of oxygen and providing a favorable environment for fungal or bacterial pathogens to thrive.
The disease is triggered by overwatering, poor drainage, or using pots without proper drainage holes. As root rot progresses, the roots become mushy, and discolored, and may emit a foul odor. The affected roots cannot absorb nutrients and water effectively, resulting in wilted leaves, turning yellow, and stunted growth, so the plant’s overall vigor and vitality decline rapidly.
If left untreated, this rot will lead to the death of the plant. You should look to identify and address the issue quickly by tweaking your watering practices and improving drainage.
– Sun Burns
Excessive and intense sunlight can severely hurt your tradescantia plants, causing some heavy damage and leaf discoloration. Tradescantia nanouk’s leaves are sensitive and prone to sunburn if left without protection and shade.
The leaves will develop brown patches and streaks with yellow discoloration at the centers. If the sun exposure has been going on for too long, the affected leaves will lose their vibrancy, and even become crispy-dry and develop necrotic lesions. You should always provide just the right amount of sun and shade to your wandering yews and trim away any affected leaves, as they won’t be able to recover fully.
– Overcrowded With Plants
When multiple tradescantia nanouk vines grow together, overcrowdedness happens. It can happen due to planting them too close to each other, or when your maintenance and pruning has been on the back burner for a little too long.
The lack of space hinders the airflow and circulation in the foliage, thus creating an environment where fungal diseases happen. This increased humidity and stale air will cause mildew and leaf spots, to come about, and you will also see the leaves are not as healthy and vibrant because now they appear brown.
And diseases aren’t the only issue — the plants will compete for nutrients and water leading to deficiencies and uneven growth. The roots will become tangled as well, which will further limit their ability to absorb nutrients, resulting in stunted growth, brown and yellow leaves, and an overall decline in the plant’s health.
– Old Age
If you’re doing everything right by the above-mentioned standards, and if, despite good health, your vines still have brown leaves, it may just be a sign of aging! Especially if bottom leaves are affected solely. The oldest leaves will naturally go brown to give way to the new growth, and as they are shaded away, they won’t be able to produce as much food for the roots.
– Damaged Vines
Damaged vines won’t only impact the aesthetics of the wandering Jew plant but will impact its health too. And most often, these will occur due to mechanical damage or improper handling of the plant.
Accidental mishandling, pruning, or dropping the plant’s container may break tradescantia nanouk’s vines without you even noticing. Only a few weeks after the incident will you spot the leaves going brown and wonder about what has happened.
And this is where too many green enthusiasts mess up, so they jump to conclusions and do all sorts of actions to make the plant feel better, and they end up hurting it even more instead of giving the right plant care.
For this exact reason, you should always check what’s beyond those browning leaves, and if there’s a brown stem leading to them, you’ll likely have your answer, and the only thing to do is to snap the damaged vine away.
How To Fix Tradescantia Nanouk Foliage Turning Brown?
To fix tradescantia nanouk foliage turning brown, you must begin to perfect the watering needs, and then keep it in indirect light. After this, you must also increase the humidity level of the plant, and prune out the damaged vines.
– Perfect Watering
Achieving the perfect watering balance is crucial with tradescantias and so easy. Never allow your soil to become a swampy bog, as this will only lead to root rot, suffocation, and possibly to your tradescantia nanouk dying. At the same time, leaving the plants to go dry will leave them parched and droopy.
Water Tradescantia nanouk when the top one or two inches of the soil have gone dry, so this is the secret formula and a way to make a ritual out of your watering with a deep showering session.
Allow the water to go through all the spots in the container and wait for it to flow out the drainage holes before you place your plant back in its place. If you want to keep things at a high level, you can always acquire a moisture meter, so you don’t have to check on the soil daily.
– Keep In Indirect Light
To keep those browned leaves at bay, you need to protect your shade-loving Tradescantia nanouk from direct sunlight. They will appreciate some sun exposure, but it’s best if you can keep them indoors and bright indirect light. Find a cozy spot for it outdoors to enjoy partial shade.
If you’re struggling to find the perfect spot indoors with enough sunlight, don’t despair, because this is a trusty grow light can come to the rescue. It will provide supplemental light to your Tradescantia needs, preventing it from becoming leggy and keeping it in tip-top shape. A little shade goes a long way in keeping your plant happy and free from brown leaves.
– Increase Humidity
The practical approach is the best to maintain the perfect humidity for your beloved Tradescantia; you should start by monitoring the humidity levels using a humidity monitor. Increase the moisture in the air by using a humidifier, misting the plant’s leaves, or setting the pot on a pebble tray with some water.
These methods work wonders in adding much-needed humidity to the surrounding environment. To further support your Tradescantia’s well-being, keep it away from hot and dry air sources like fireplaces, heating vents, and radiators. These can sap the moisture from the air, affecting your plant’s health, so if you fix it, you will see that the plant is beginning to look better.
– Remove Damaged Vines
Pruning is an effective tool to rescue your brown-leaved Tradescantia. It’s a practical solution for addressing issues like old age, rot, or damaged stems with the right care guide. To execute this task with finesse, arm yourself with sharp and clean precision shears or micro snips.
Carefully inspect your plant, identifying dead, broken sections, or showing signs of rot. Remove these undesirable parts with precision, making way for fresh growth and renewed vitality, and make sure to also spray fungal infestation as well to avoid further damages.
Conclusion
Those dreaded brown leaf tips on your Tradescantia Nanouk plants need plenty of caution, so now let’s recap the possible culprits and the actions you can take to address them effectively.
- Conduct a thorough inspection up close and by closely examining your plant, you’ll gain valuable insights that will lead to better outcomes.
- Sun damage, overwatering, and underwatering are common suspects. These issues can often be resolved by making simple adjustments to your tradescantia nanouk care routine.
- Low humidity, poor or strong light, and even too much attention to water can all cause the plant to show of browning leaves.
- Tweak the amount of sunlight, adjust your watering frequency and amount, and ensure your plant receives adequate nutrients.
- Certain underlying factors may require you to reassess the overall living conditions of your tradescantias. Plants need a change in potting soil, a shift in humidity levels, or even a different location in your space.
Don’t be afraid to take those necessary steps, be mindful of plant needs, and watch as your yew flourishes before your eyes.
- 25 Kalanchoe Types and Colorful Varieties for Your Garden - October 3, 2023
- 17 Hawaiian Flowers That Grow and Thrive in the Hot Summer - October 2, 2023
- Watering a Poinsettia and How is it Done Correctly? - September 30, 2023
