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String of Rubies Plant (Othonna capensis) may die due to root-rot, overwatering, underwatering, direct hot sunlight, too little light among other reasons brought about by cultural faults.
String of Rubies Plant also called String of Pickles, Little Pickles or Ruby Necklace is one of the popular string of plants and is characterized by thin oval-shaped leaves and reddish-purple stems.
Othonna capensis is an easy grow plant which flourishes in very bright light with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight, average warmth of 20-270C, moderate humidity of 50-55% and moderately moist, fertile, well-drained, succulents soil coupled with two feedings in the growing season. Read more on how to grow and care for String of Rubies Plant.
If the growing conditions are not met, String of Rubies Plant may begin to die. We have herebelow outlined for you 11 reasons why your Othonna capensis may die and their solutions to make it easier for you to save your plant.
String of Rubies Plant is prone to root-rot disease which is brought about by soggy soil. The disease is characterized by wilted, discolored leaves, corky swellings under the leaves, dropping leaves and eventual death of the plant.
Soggy soil reduces oxygen concentration in the soil which causes the roots to die. Once the roots die, they cannot take up water and nutrients to the leaves. The leaves begin to die and eventually drop.
Slip your Othonna capensis out of 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 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 about 7 days before resuming watering. Read more on how to treat root-rot in houseplants.
To avoid getting soggy soil, ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and the soil is free-draining. Decrease watering during the cold season to maintain the soil slightly moist as growth is minimal at this time.
String of Rubies Plants require bright light with some morning or late afternoon sunlight to thrive. The light is needed for making food that is required for energy and growth.
Insufficient light implies that the plant cannot make enough food for energy and growth therefore it begins to drop its leaves and finally dies.
Cutback the bare stems to rejuvenate growth and move your Othonna capensis to a brighter spot where it will receive bright light with at least 6 hours of morning or late afternoon sunshine. If you do not have enough lighting in your home, you may instal a grow light to supplement it. Check out these full spectrum grow lights on Amazon.
Regularly turn the pot to ensure that the plant absorbs enough light on all sides for uniform growth and to prevent legginess. Check out this guide on understanding light for houseplants.
Overfeeding your String of Rubies Plant will cause the roots to die due to fertilizer burn. When the roots die, they cannot take up nutrients and water needed for photosynthesis; the process of making food for growth and energy.
Without, adequate food for growth and energy, the plant begins to drop leaves and eventually dies if the situation is not corrected.
Feed your Othonna capensis twice during the growing season with a succulents fertilizer to promote growth. Take care not to overfeed it as it is not a heavy feeder. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the label of the plant food.
Do not feed the plant in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time thus the plant does not require it. Regularly flush out excess 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. Learn how to feed houseplants.
Poor quality soil does not drain easily and therefore it easily becomes compacted or soggy which can negatively impact the growth of the plant.
Othonna capensis requires well-drained succulents soil. Such potting soils do not hold excessive amounts of water therefore do not become soggy. Soggy soil may lead to root-rot which is characterized by yellowing, leaf drop and death of the plant.
Pot your Ruby Necklace in good quality, rich, succulents soil as it drains easily and does not hold excess amounts of water.
Othonna capensis is prone to various pests infestations. The common pests include mealy bugs, aphids, scale insects and spider mites. These pests attack the new growth from where the suck the plant sap. This causes the plant to become dehydrated and may begin to die.
Regularly inspect your String of Rubies Plant for the pests and take timely control measures. Treat it for the pests with neem oil or insecticidal soap as per the manufactuer's recommendations.
A root-bound Othonna capensis is one whose roots have filled the pot and there is very little soil to hold water when you water the plant.
Therefore, the roots have no access to water and nutrients required for making food for growth. Without adequate food the plant begins to die from the leaves which turn yellow and drop.
Check the bottom of the pot for roots growing through the drainage hole and repot your String of Rubies Plant into a pot one size larger than the current one.
You may divide the plant into several sections and plant these sections in individual pots to propagate new plants. Check out these succulents pots available on Amazon.
Underfeeding your Othonna capensis 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 yellow, drop and eventually the plant may die.
Feed your String of Rubies Plant twice during the growing season with a succulents fertilizer for a lush growth. Take care not to underfeed by following the recommendations on the label of the plant food.
When your String of Rubies Plant is underwatered, there is little moisture in the soil. As such, the plant cannot take up nutrients and water needed for photosynthesis (food making process).
Overwatering the plant results in soggy soil (excess water in the soil). Too much water in the soil reduces the oxygen concentration in rootzone and this causes the roots to die.
When the roots die, they cannot take up water and nutrients needed for the food making process. Therefore, the plant does not make enough food for growth and energy. Since the plant does not get adequate food for growth and energy, in a bid to save energy it may drop its leaves and begin to die.
When you note that the leaves are yellowing and dropping, check the soil condition by inserting your index finger into the soil and feeling the soil.
If the soil feels dry, immediately water your Ruby Necklace thoroughly until the water comes out through the drainage holes and it should recover.
If the soil feels wet, the plant is overwatered. Stop watering it and repot it in fresh, succulents soil and ensure that the pot has a drainage hole to avoid getting soggy soil.
Thereafter, water the plant liberally during the growing season and allow the top 2-3 inches of soil to dry out between waterings. Reduce watering during the cold season but do not allow the soil to dry out completely. Learn more on how to water indoor plants the right way.
String of Rubies Plants are native to the tropical regions where the temperatures remain constantly warm. Therefore, constantly watering these plants with too cold water will shock the plant, causing it to stop growing and begin to die.
Water your Othonna capensis with water that is at room temperature and avoid watering with too cold water for a prolonged period of time to avoid shocking the plant.
Othonna capensis requires average temperatures of 20-270C to thrive. Extreme temperatures; either too high or too low (outside the above range) will affect the normal functioning of the plant systems.
Too high temperatures will cause excessive loss of water leading to wilting, leaf drop and eventual death of the plant. Too low temperatures cause the plant to stop growing and begin to die. Leaf drop is one of the signs of a dying plant.
Keep your String of Rubies Plant away from cold drafts like drafty windows, air conditioning vents, open doors among others. Ensure that it is not near hot surfaces, hot air vents and other hot areas to prevent extremely high temperatures.
Maintain an average room warmth within the range of 20-270C. Usually, a room temperature that is comfortable for you is good for your plant. Check out this guide on understanding temperature for houseplants.
Exposure of your String of Rubies Plant to hot midday sunshine will result in dehydration and sunscorch which may cause the plant to wilt and begin to die if it is not corrected.
Do not expose your Othonna capensis to hot direct sunshine before acclimatizing it. Gradually expose it to brighter light for over a period of 2 weeks to acclimate it.
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