Dear flower friends, are your osmanthus plants also facing this kind of trouble? Those dry leaf tips, do they make your heart ache so much you want to cry? Don't worry, let me reveal the mystery of dry osmanthus leaf tips to you and help you solve this problem easily!
The Culprit of Dry Osmanthus Leaf Tips
Do you know, there are many reasons for dry osmanthus leaf tips, just like a mystery in a detective novel, making it hard to figure out. Now, let me reveal them to you one by one.
1. Improper Watering: Osmanthus is a little diva, fearing both waterlogging and drought. If you water it too much or too little, its leaf tips will dry out. Imagine what would happen to a person who is too full or too hungry? Therefore, watering should be moderate, keeping the soil slightly moist and well-ventilated.
2. Nutrient Deficiency: Osmanthus is a little foodie, it needs sufficient nutrients to maintain its growth. If the soil lacks major elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, it will lead to leaf yellowing, slow growth, and naturally, dry leaf tips. Therefore, reasonable fertilization is key.
3. Environmental Factors: Osmanthus likes a warm, well-ventilated environment. If it is in a high-temperature, windy, or low-light environment for a long time, the leaf tips will dry out. Just like a person's skin will become dry after staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time.
4. Pests and Diseases: Pests and diseases are also one of the reasons for dry osmanthus leaf tips. For example, leaf blight and aphids can make osmanthus leaves dry.
How to Save Dry Osmanthus Leaf Tips
Now that we know the reasons, we need to prescribe the right medicine to save the dry osmanthus leaf tips.
1. Adjust Watering: Decide the frequency of watering based on soil moisture, keeping the soil slightly moist. If the soil is too dry, you can appropriately increase the frequency of watering; if the soil is too wet, you can reduce it.
2. Reasonable Fertilization: Use a compound fertilizer containing comprehensive nutrients and apply it regularly according to the growing season. Pay attention to the concentration of fertilizer to avoid root burn.
3. Improve the Environment: Move the osmanthus to a warm, well-ventilated environment and avoid direct strong light. If the light is insufficient, you can appropriately increase the light duration.
4. Prevent and Control Pests and Diseases: Regularly inspect the osmanthus and deal with pests and diseases in a timely manner. You can use pesticides or biological control methods.
Improper Repotting and Soil Change
Recently, some flower friends have asked about their osmanthus plants, which always have the problem of dry and yellow leaf tips, and they don't know what's wrong. This problem is not unique, especially for friends who grow osmanthus indoors. Let's first analyze the fundamental reasons. In fact, when osmanthus has dry leaf tips and edges, there are several situations. The most common one is that the roots were not observed during repotting and soil change. In the final analysis, it mostly comes down to root problems.
Because many osmanthus plants bought by friends come with local garden soil, which is very suitable for the local living environment. Most osmanthus plants are sold in the southern Fujian region, where the air is suitable for maintenance. The soil is a kind of sticky red soil, which is more suitable for outdoor or greenhouse cultivation. If you take it indoors for maintenance, the indoor ventilation conditions are not good.
Improper repotting can easily lead to problems. Many friends, after getting the osmanthus, directly potted it with its original hard soil ball, while the edges of the pot used very loose nutrient soil. This loose soil, plus the hard soil in the middle, makes it easy for water not to penetrate the hard soil in the middle when watering. If it doesn't get watered through, it's easy to form a "sandwich" soil. It looks like you've watered it thoroughly, but in fact, the middle is still dry. The roots cannot absorb water and become withered, and the leaves are prone to the phenomenon of dry leaf tips.
Therefore, when you get such an osmanthus, you need to wash the roots when repotting and replace it with nutrient soil. Soak the original soil ball in water in a large basin, clean it, and then replace it with nutrient soil. This way, the phenomenon of "sandwich" soil will not occur. The roots will also be able to absorb water, and later maintenance will be easier.
Overwatering, Increasing Humidity, Adjusting TemperatureDry osmanthus leaf tips may be caused by excessively strong light, which scalds the plant, so you need to provide shade for it. It could also be due to too little watering, causing the osmanthus to lack water, so you need to increase the frequency of watering. It's also possible that the concentration of fertilizer applied is too high, causing root burn, so you need to dilute the fertilizer with clear water.
During the growth process, osmanthus needs a certain amount of water, but it cannot tolerate waterlogging. Once you water too much, water will accumulate in the pot, affecting the roots, causing them to turn black and rot. The leaf tips will also dry out. If left unattended, the entire leaf will eventually turn yellow and fall off, leading to the death of the whole plant.
Solution: Choose soil with good breathability. If it's due to overwatering, you need to stop watering immediately and ensure good drainage.
When the temperature is high, the surrounding air is relatively dry, and the old leaves will also have dry tips.
Solution: Increase the overall humidity, set up a net to block the sunlight, and spray water mist in a timely manner, especially in summer, try to keep the humidity above 60%.
Temperature is also a key factor. If the temperature is too low or too high, it will cause the old leaves to have dry tips.
Solution: The suitable temperature is 15-28°C, try to...