9 Reasons Why Teddy Bear Vine is Turning Brown and How to Fix Them
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Teddy Bear Vine may turn brown due to a number of reasons which include improper watering, pest infestation, root-rot, extremely high temperatures, too little light, improper feeding among others.
Teddy Bear Vine blossoms in bright, indirect light with some morning sunshine, average warmth of 15-270C, moderate room humidity and moderately moist, rich, well-drained succulents soil coupled with regular feeding during the growing season. Learn how to grow and care for Teddy Bear Vine (Cyanotis kewensis).
Brown leaves in Teddy Bear Vine are an indication that the growing conditions are not right. Below we have discussed 9 causes of browning in Teddy Bear Plant. Keep reading for more on these causes and how to fix them.
9 Reasons why Teddy Bear Plant may Turn Brown and their Remedies
1. Overwatering
Overwatering a Teddy Bear Vine will lead to soggy soil (excess water in the soil). Too much water in the soil reduces the oxygen concentration in the rootzone and this causes the roots to die due to root-rot. When roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves, they wilt due to dehydration, turn brown and die.
Solutions
Carefully slip the plant out of its pot and inspect the roots. Brown-black mushy roots indicate root-rot, trim them off and treat the entire plant with a fungicidal solution.
Disinfect the pot with the fungicidal solution or use a fresh pot to repot the plant in fresh free-draining soil. Do not water the plant and keep it dry for some time before resuming watering. Learn more on how to treat root-rot in houseplants.
Alternatively, if the plant is badly damaged, use the healthy stems to propagate new plants. Learn how to propagate Teddy Bear Vine from stem cuttings.
To avoid getting soggy soil, ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and the soil is free-draining. Allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry out between waterings and reduce watering during the cold season to maintain the soil slightly moist as growth is minimal at this time.
2. Underwatering
Underwatering means that there is too little moisture in the soil. As such, the Teddy Bear Vine cannot take up nutrients and water to the leaves. Therefore, they wilt, turn brown and die.
Solutions
Water the plant liberally during the growing season until it comes out through the drainage holes while allowing the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry out between waterings.
Reduce watering during the cold season but do not let the soil dry out completely, maintain the soil moderately moist. Read more on how to water houseplants the right way.
3. Pest Infestations
Teddy Bear Vine is prone to aphids and spider mites. These pests attack the new growth from where they suck the plant sap. This causes the plant to become dehydrated and results in the leaves wilting and browning.
Solutions
Regularly inspect your plant for these pests and take timely control measures. Treat the Teddy Bear Vine appropriately for the pests with products like neem oil or insecticidal soap as per the manufacturer's instructions.
4. 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 Teddy Bear Vine.
Teddy Bear Vine requires loose, free-draining soil that does not hold excessive amounts of water as soggy soil can lead to root-rot disease which is characterized by yellowing, browning and dropping leaves.
Solutions
Pot the plant in good quality soil that is loose, free-draining, succulents soil that is rich in organic matter.
5. Too Hot Temperatures
Teddy Bear Vine requires average room temperatures within the range of 15-270C with a minimum of 130C for optimum growth. Extremely hot temperatures above the optimum range will cause dehydration of the leaves resulting in wilting, browning and eventual leaf drop.
Solutions
Keep the Teddy Bear Vine away from hot drafts like hot surfaces, hot air vents and other hot areas to prevent extremely high temperatures. Do not expose the plant to hot midday sunshine as it can cause extremely hot temperatures which can cause browning of the plant.
Maintain an average temperature of 15-270C. Usually, a room temperature that is comfortable for you is ideal for this plant. Check out this guide understanding temperature for houseplants.
6. Too Little Light
The Teddy Bear Vine requires bright indirect light with some direct sunshine to thrive. The light is needed for making food that is required for energy and growth.
If the light is insufficient the plant cannot make enough food for energy and growth. In an attempt to save energy, it begins to die from the leaves. They turn yellow, brown and eventually die.
Solutions
Move your Teddy Bear Vine to a brighter spot where it will receive bright light with 4-6 hours of morning sunshine or instal a grow light if the natural light is not adequate. Regularly turn the pot to ensure that the plant absorbs enough light for photosynthesis on all sides. Take a look at this guide understanding light for houseplants.
7. Overfeeding
Overfeeding Teddy Bear Vine will cause the roots to die due to fertilizer burn. When the roots die, they cannot take up water to the leaves. Without adequate water, the leaves get dehydrated, they wilt, turn brown and die.
Solutions
Take care not to overfeed your plant. Feed Teddy Bear Vine every 4 weeks during the growing season with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer and follow the instructions on the label to avoid overfeeding. Do not feed in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time and feeding at this time can lead to fertilizer burn.
Regularly flush out the 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.
8. Underfeeding
Underfeeding implies that the Teddy Bear Vine 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 turn yellow, brown and drop.
Solutions
Feed Teddy Bear Plant every 4 weeks during the growing period with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer and follow the manufacturer's instructions to avoid underfeeding. Learn more on how to feed houseplants.
9. Root Bound Plant
If your Teddy Bear Vine 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 and they wilt, turn brown and drop.
Solutions
Check the bottom of the pot for roots growing through the drainage hole and repot the vine into a pot one size larger than the current one. Check out these terracotta pots with saucer on Amazon.
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