13 Reasons Why Bloodleaf Plant is Wilting and Drooping Leaves (with Solutions)

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Wilting and Drooping in Bloodleaf Plant (Iresine herbstii) may be caused by poor lighting, pests infestations, poor quality soil, poor feeding, improper watering, root-rot among others.

Iresine herbstii also called Beef Steak Plant or Red Iresine are easy-care plants which easily adapt to indoor growing conditions. However, if the correct growing conditions are not available, the plants can develop some problems.

Bloodleaf Plant does well in very bright light with 4-6 hours of direct sunlight, warm and humid conditions and consistently moist, rich, well-drained soils coupled with fortnightly feeding during the growing season. Learn more on how to grow and care for Iresine herbstii (Bloodleaf Plant).

Wilting and droopy leaves may occur in Bloodleaf Plant when the leaves lose their stiffness and begin to wilt and become droopy. The reasons for wilting and droopy leaves are many and varied.

We have outlined herebelow 13 reasons why Bloodleaf Plant may wilt and droop and how to fix them.

13 Reasons why Bloodleaf Plant is wilting and drooping

1. Too Little Light

Bloodleaf Plant requires adequate light to make food that is needed for energy and growth. Inadequate light implies that the plant cannot make enough food for energy and growth.

In an attempt to save energy, the leaves begin to die and this begins with wilting and drooping leaves. This way, the energy available is saved for the plant's vital functions inorder to keep alive.

Solutions

Cut back the stems to rejuvenate growth and move the plant to a brighter spot where it will receive very bright light with 4-6 hours of direct sunlight or instal grow lights if you do not have adequate lighting in your home. Take a look at these full spectrum grow lights on Amazon.

Regularly clean the leaves to get rid of dust by damp wiping with a soft cloth to ensure that maximum surface area of the leaf is exposed for light absorption.

2. Pest Infestations

Bloodleaf Plant is prone to aphid infestations. These pests attack the new growth from where they suck the plant sap which causes the plant to become dehydrated and results in wilting and drooping.

Solutions

Regularly inspect your Bloodleaf Plant for the pests and take timely control measures to minimize the likely damage.

To get rid of the pests, treat the plant with appropriate products like neem oil or insecticidal soap.

To discourage pests infestation, regularly clean the leaves by damp wiping with a soft cloth and keep the plant properly pruned.

In addition, raise the humidity to discourage pest infestaions, by setting the pot on a wet pebble tray or use a cool mist humidifier.

3. Poor Quality Soil

Poor quality soil does not drain easily and therefore it easily becomes compacted or soggy which can negatively impact the growth of the plant.

Bloodleaf Plant requires loose, free-draining soil that does not hold excessive amounts of water as soggy soil can lead to root-rot disease and eventual death of the plant.

Solutions

Pot the Bloodleaf Plant in good quality soil that is loose, free-draining and rich in organic matter. Buy quality potting mix from Amazon.

4. Overfeeding

Overfeeding your Bloodleaf Plant will cause the roots to die due to fertilizer burn. When the roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves.

Since the leaves will lose water at a greater rate than it is being replaced, they will begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Take care not to overfeed your Bloodleaf Plant. Feed the plant fortnightly during the growing season with a balanced, liquid fertilizer and follow the instructions on the label to avoid overfeeding.

5. Underfeeding

Underfeeding Bloodleaf Plant implies that the plant is not getting enough nutrients need for growth and energy.

Inadequate nutrients in the actively growing tips causes nutrients to be withdrawn from the older lower leaves which begin to wilt and droop.

Solutions

Feed the Bloodleaf Plant fortnightly during the growing season with a balanced, liquid fertilizer to promote a lush growth. Take care not to underfeed and follow the instructions on the label of the plant food.

6. Root-rot Disease

Bloodleaf Plant is prone to root-rot is a fungal disease which is enhanced by soggy soil. The disease is characterized by wilted, discolored leaves, corky swellings under the leaves, drooping leaves which eventually drop.

When the soil is soggy, the oxygen concentration in the soil is reduced which causes the roots to die. Once the roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves. The leaves begin to wilt, droop and eventually drop.

Solutions

Take out the Bloodleaf Plant from its pot and inspect the roots. Brown-black mushy roots indicate root-rot, trim them off and treat the healthy roots with a fungicidal solution.

Disinfect the pot or use a fresh pot to repot the plant in fresh, loose, free-draining soil.

Do not water the plant and keep it dry for some time before resuming watering. Read more on how to treat root-rot in houseplants.

7. Root Bound Plant

If your Bloodleaf Plant is root bound, the roots have filled the pot and there is very little soil to hold water when you water the plant.

Therefore, there is no water for the plant to take up to the leaves. The leaves loss their stiffness, they wilt and droop.

Solutions

Check the bottom of the pot for roots growing through the drainage hole. Repot the plant into a pot one size larger than the current one. Take a look at these Self Watering Planters with Drainage Hole on Amazon.

8. Overwatering

Overwatering Bloodleaf Plant results in soggy soil. Too much water in the soil reduces the oxygen concentration in the rootzone which causes the roots to die.

If the roots die, they cannot take up water to the upper parts of the plant including the stems and leaves. These parts lose their firmness, which causes the leaves to wilt and droop downwards.

Solutions

To avoid getting soggy soil, ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is loose and drains easily without holding excess water.

At the same time, decrease watering during the cold season to maintain the soil barely moist as growth is minimal at this time and the plant does not require much water.

9. Underwatering

Underwatering Bloodleaf Plant implies that there is too little moisture in the soil. As such, there is no water in the soil for the plant to take up to the leaves and other parts.

Therefore, water lost by the leaves cannot be replaced. Thus, the leaves lose their turgity, they wilt, become floopy and droopy.

Solutions

Thoroughly water the plant immediately and it should perk up.

Thereafter, water the plant liberally during the growing season while allowing the top 1-2 in. of soil to dry out between waterings to maintain the soil consistently moist.

Reduce watering during the cold season but do not allow the soil to dry out completely to keep it slightly moist at this time. Learn more on how to water houseplants the right way.

10. Extremely Hot Temperatures

Bloodleaf Plant requires average room temperatures within the range of 18-26⁰C inorder to thrive.

Extremely hot temperatures (above the upper range) will cause excessive loss of moisture from the plant leaves which leads to wilting and droopy leaves.

Solutions

Keep the Bloodleaf Fig away from hot drafts like hot surfaces, hot vents and other hot areas to prevent too high temperatures.

Maintain an average room temperature within the range of 18-26⁰C. Usually, a room temperature that is comfortable for you is ideal for this plant.

11. Low Humidity

Bloodleaf Plant requires above average room humidity to thrive and for lush growth. Very low humidity will result in dehydration of the leaves causing them to lose their turgidity and therefore wilt and droop.

Solutions

To elevate humidity, set the pot on a wet pebble tray or use a cool mist humidifier. Read more on how to raise humidity for houseplants.

You can also grow the Bloodleaf Plant in the moist areas in the home like the bathroom, laundy area and other moist areas if the lighting is adequate.

12. Accumulation of Salts in the Soil

Excess soluble salts in the soil from the water or excess feeding will prevent the Bloodleaf Plant roots from taking up water due to the high concentration of salts.

Plant roots absorb water by osmosis, therefore, a high concentration in the soil will prevent water from moving from the soil into the plant system.

As such, since the leaves water loss is greater than the replacement, they lose their firmness, wilt and become droopy.

Solutions

Regularly flush out accumulated salts from the soil by running a stream of water through the soil until it comes out through the drainage holes and repeat the process several times.

13. Repotting Shock

Repotting Bloodleaf Plant will cause it some shock which may lead to some leaves wilting and drooping before it can adjust to the new growing conditions.

Solutions

To minimize repotting shock, water your Bloodleaf Plant thoroughly one day before repotting as a well hydrated plant experiences less shock.

Do not make too many changes at once. For instance, after repotting, maintain the plant in the same location until it is well established before moving it to a new location.

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