leaf drop on Goldfish Plant
Quick answer
If your Goldfish Plant has leaf drop, the most likely cause is: Nematanthus gregarius has a small root system much like its African violet cousins, so the potting medium dries out quickly between waterings and the trailing stems shed their small, shiny leaves whenever the substrate is allowed to become too dry for too long.
Start here:
- 1. Water the plant thoroughly as soon as the surface of the fast-draining potting medium begins to feel dry to the touch, then let the excess drain away so the roots never sit in standing water.
- 2. Pot the goldfish plant in a fast-draining African-violet-style mix that contains some peat moss so moisture is held evenly around the small rootball rather than running straight through.
Why Goldfish Plant gets leaf drop
Nematanthus gregarius
Nematanthus gregarius has a small root system much like its African violet cousins, so the potting medium dries out quickly between waterings and the trailing stems shed their small, shiny leaves whenever the substrate is allowed to become too dry for too long.
How to reverse leaf drop on Goldfish Plant
- 1
Water the plant thoroughly as soon as the surface of the fast-draining potting medium begins to feel dry to the touch, then let the excess drain away so the roots never sit in standing water.
- 2
Pot the goldfish plant in a fast-draining African-violet-style mix that contains some peat moss so moisture is held evenly around the small rootball rather than running straight through.
- 3
After watering, move the plant back to its bright east- or west-facing window so the warm air encourages even uptake through the epiphytic, hanging-basket root system.
Keep leaf drop off this Goldfish Plant
Keep the potting medium evenly moist at all times, never let it dry out completely, and use a peat-based African violet mix in a hanging basket so the cascading stems of Nematanthus gregarius stay hydrated without sitting in water.