It’s always disheartening to see your beautifully colored Caladium leaves curling up on themselves and dying off. Fortunately, the problem could be something easy to fix and prevent from happening, so you can keep enjoying your Caladium plant.
If you’ve noticed that your Caladium leaves are curling up, it may be time to check the temperature and lighting in your home. If the temperature drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit or rises above 80 degrees Fahrenheit at night, or if the plant isn’t getting enough light, curling could be caused by those issues. You may also notice curling leaves if you’re overwatering or under watering your Caladiums.
For more details, (why are my Caladium leaves curling) keep reading to find out what could be causing it.
Why are my Caladium Leaves Curling?
There are several possible reasons why your Caladium leaves are curling, and they include plant not getting right the amount water, the soil (Soil pH), lack the right temperature and light conditions.
Therefore, the first thing you should do is to see that the plant is getting enough water, the soil has enough nutrients and it’s at the right temperature.
However, if the problem still persist, here is a detailed guild to why your Caladium leaves are curling and how to fix it.
Watering Issues
Overwatering
Overwatering is a big problem for Caladium plants, particularly potted ones. Try watering your plant more frequently but less deeply and make sure there’s plenty of drainage in your potting soil or the roots will rot!
Make sure that each layer of soil drains properly so you don’t drown your poor plant. If your plant has been getting too much water, chances are its root system has become waterlogged.
You can solve this by repotting your plant into fresh soil with better drainage. However, if you repot too soon after over-watering, you may just kill all of your roots instead—so wait until they have recovered before repotting!
Under-watering
One of the reasons you see Caladium plants curling up is because of drought. When your plants are getting the required measure of water they need for survival, they curl up to preserve water within their system.
When your Caladiums suffer underwatering for so long, you will see their stem bending, the leaves drooping, or turning pale, then finally curl and die due to drought.
To understand more the impacted of Watering issues on plant, Read the effect of Overwater and Underwater on plants.
Too Much Sun
If you want to grow a successful caladium plant, it is important to know how much sunlight is ideal for them. Too much sunlight and they may end up burning and dying, too little light and they won’t grow at all or will only grow very slowly.
In general, they do best in partial shade. This means that if you keep them in a place that gets full sun all day long then your plant probably isn’t going to do well there unless you move them indoors and provide some sort of additional lighting.
Wrong Temperature
Too cold or too hot temperatures can cause your plant to curl, wilt, or lose its vibrant color and develop brown spots.
In general, Caladium plants like warm temperatures between 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit (21-29 Celsius) with plenty of sunlight during daylight hours. However, they will tolerate temperatures up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) provided they have plenty of water and humidity; after all, they’re tropical plants!
If you find out that your Caladium is curling or wilting in direct sunlight, consider moving it into a shadier area for better results. If you live in an area where nighttime temperatures dip below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius), consider investing in a grow light to keep your plant healthy.
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Soil pH
If your potting soil is too acidic or alkaline, that can be a factor that is making your Caladium curling. Most Caladiums prefer a neutral to slightly acidic pH range (around 6).
Make sure you’re using an appropriately pH-balanced fertilizer for your plants and check your soil’s pH level with a test kit (available at our home improvement stores) before planting.
Light Exposure
Exposing your plants to sunlight can cause leaf curl; to prevent leaf curl from occurring, keep them shaded for about one hour after sunrise and for about one hour before sunset. In addition, make sure that your plant is getting enough water – but not too much!
Root Disease
Root diseases are another reasons why your Caladium leaves curl up. This doesn’t happen too often with caladiums but they can get root rot if they don’t have enough water or if they stay too wet for long periods of time.
The symptoms include yellowing of leaves, leaf drop and curling. If you think your plant might have a root disease you should contact an expert to help diagnose it so you can treat it properly
Other ways on How to Fix Caladium Leaf Curl
Now that you know why your Caladium leaves are curling, here is a quick solution to fix it:
- Keep soil moist but not wet and water only when needed.
- Give your plant some shade or rotate position so sunlight doesn’t hit at one particular spot every day.
- Maintain temperature between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 26 degrees Celsius).
- Adjust pH in soil if too acidic or alkaline with an appropriate amendment like peat moss or ground lime.
- Watch for pests like aphids, mealybugs and spider mites.
- If all else fails, ask your local nursery for advice on how to take care of your Caladium plant.
In addition to correcting any problems you discover from checking out our list of symptoms above, there are other general tips we can offer for taking care of these plants that may also help you keep them looking good as new.
Download our free book on plant care.
Frequently Asked Questions on Why Are My Caladium Leaves Curling
Why Is My Plant Leaves Curling in?
The three major reasons why your plant is curling in include too much sunlight, not enough water and root diseases. By taking away any one of these things, you should see your plant start to recover within days.
Curled leaves tend to grow back out as soon as you solve that problem, and then you’ll just have a chance at growing a beautiful plant for yourself or for your family!
Your plant may curl up its leaves to help protect itself from direct sunlight. Your plant may also do this if you don’t keep it watered well.
How Do You Fix Curling Leaves?
First, check to see if your plant is getting enough water by pulling a leaf out of the pot and gently bending it back and forth; if there’s no resistance and it feels limp, then you should consider watering more frequently or using less porous soil in order to help retain moisture.
If that doesn’t solve the problem, try moving your plant to a shadier spot. If you still don’t see any improvement after making these changes, consult with an expert for advice.
How Often Should You Water Caladiums?
There’s a quick answer to that and a detailed one, depending on how you want to approach your plants’ watering schedule.
If you opt for shallow watering (i.e., only filling your pot halfway or so), they should get watered every 10–14 days in summer, when temperatures are high and there is more sun; in winter, when temperatures and light levels drop, that can increase to every 7–10 days.
But if you prefer deep watering (i.e., filling your pot up until water comes out of its drainage holes), you may need to water only once per week during hot months, and once every 2 weeks during cold months. Either way, check soil moisture with your finger before each watering—if it feels dry an inch below soil level, give them water.
How Do I Know If I’m Watering Too Much?
Look at your plant. Is it soggy or wilted? If so, you’re likely overwatering—the first thing to do is cut back on watering until things start looking better again. Then continue checking up on your plant regularly (every few days) to make sure that it isn’t getting too dry; adjust accordingly as needed.
How Do You Revive Dying Caladiums?
If you’ve got a plant that’s stopped producing flowers and is looking more dead than alive, chances are that a good watering will revive it.
Just water your plant as normal and wait until new growth appears. If new growth doesn’t appear, try waiting a little longer before watering again, or take better care of your plants in future to prevent another drought! Good luck!
Why is My Caladium Plant Drooping?
A caladium plant drooping is usually a sign of too much heat or direct sunlight on a plant during its growing stage, so moving your plant away from any direct light and providing more space between other plants and your caladium should help restore its growth to normal.
Drooping can also occur when you have given too much water, so only water your caladium when it has dried out slightly in soil. If you don’t see signs of life in several days, there may be another issue that requires fixing.
We have a detailed guide on Why your Caladium plant is drooping and how to fix it here.
Final Word
Curling is a natural process that happens when you let your plants stay in an environment that they’re not used to.
And because most of these plants are tropical, they’re not accustomed to cold weather and too much sunlight, which can make them curl up under extreme stress conditions such as these.
Even so, there are other factors at play here – temperature, light exposure, type of soil you have – so don’t hesitate to keep on checking on your Caladium for signs!