10 Reasons Why Teddy Bear Vine is Dying and How to Revive It

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Teddy Bear Vine is dying due poor growing conditions like incorrect watering, improper feeding, too little light, cold drafts, poor quality soil, root-rot, pest infestations among others.

The Teddy Bear Vine is a succulent vine which bears oval-shaped, hairy (velvet-like) leaves with purple undersides and is one of the beautiful hanging succulents for indoors.

Teddy Bear Vine which is known by the botanical names Cyanotis kewensis and Cyanotis beddomei is a relative of Cyanotis somaliensis (Pussy Ears Vine) which bears larger leaves with pale grey hairs.

Teddy Bear Vine prospers in bright indirect light with 4-6 hours of morning or late afternoon sunshine, average warmth of 15-27⁰C, humidity of 50-55% and moderately moist, fertile, succulents mix coupled with regular feeding during the growing season. Learn more on how to grow and care for Teddy Bear Vine (Cyanotis kewensis).

If you fail to provide the right growing conditions, the plant may begin to die. Herebelow are 10 reasons why a Teddy Bear Vine may die and how to fix them.

10 Reasons Why Teddy Bear Vine is Dying & Solutions

1. Root-rot disease

Teddy Bear Vine is prone to root-rot which is prevalent in soggy and overwatered soil especially in the cold season. The disease is characterized by yellowing, wilting and leaf drop which is rapidly followed by browning and plant death.

How to fix it

Carefully, remove your Teddy Bear Vine from of its pot and inspect the roots. Brown-black mushy roots indicate root-rot, trim them off and treat the healthy roots with a copper-based fungicidal solution as recommended by the manufacturer.

Disinfect the pot with the fungicidal solution or use a fresh pot to repot the plant in fresh succulents soil. Withhold watering the plant and keep it dry for about 7 days before you resume watering.

To prevent root-rot in the future, ascertain that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is well-drained to prevent it from getting soggy.

Take care not to overwater the plant in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time, therefore, the plant does not need a lot of water. Read more on how to treat root-rot in houseplants.

2. Poor quality Soil

Poor quality soil does not drain easily and therefore it easily becomes compacted or soggy which can result in reduced growth and death of your Teddy Bear Vine.

How to fix it

Grow your Teddy Bear Vine in succulents soil which is rich in organic matter to prevent it from getting soggy while providing the required nutrients.

3. Improper feeding

Overfeeding Teddy Bear Vine will result in death of the roots due to fertilizer burn. When the roots die, they cannot take up the nutrients and water required for photosynthesis, thus the plant begins to die due to lack of food.

At the same time, underfeeding the plant implies that the plant is not getting enough nutrients needed for growth, therefore, the plant begins to die.

How to fix it

Feed your Teddy Bear Vine every 4 weeks during the growing season with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer for a lush growth. Withhold feeding in the cold season as growth is minimal and feeding at this time can lead to fertilizer burn and death of the plant. Learn more on how to feed houseplants.

4. Pest infestations

Teddy Bear Vine is prone to sap-sucking insects like aphids and spider mites. These pests may cause the plant to become dehydrated, stunted and to begin to die.

How to fix it

Make sure that your Teddy Bear Vine is healthy by providing it with the proper growing conditions. The pests infestations may be prevalent in dry conditions.

Therefore, elevate humidity especially when the temperatures are too high. You may grow the plant in a bathroom or other humid conditions in the home to minimize pest infestations. In addition, keep the plant well pruned by removal of dead, yellow and diseased foliage to reduce the pests hidding places.

If the pest infestation is heavy, isolate the affected plant to prevent spread to the other plants and treat it appropriately for the pests Some effective products that you may use to get rid of these pests are insecticidal soap and neem oil. Make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

5. Extremely pot-bound plant

If your Teddy Bear Vine becomes extremely pot-bound, it begins to wilt, drop leaves and will eventually die. This is because the roots have filled the pot and there is very little soil to hold water when you water the plant. This will cause the plant to wilt, drop leaves and may die.

How to fix it

Check the bottom of the pot for roots growing through the drainage hole and repot the plant into a terracoatta pot one size larger than the current one. A terracotta pot is preferable as it is porous and allows water to drain faster. This prevents the soil from holding too much water and being soggy.

Thereafter, repot your Teddy Bear Vine at the beginning of the growing season when it has become root-bound. Take a look at these terracotta pots with saucer on Amazon.

6. Too little light

Adequate light is necessary for photosynthesis, the process by which plants make food needed for growth and energy. Too little light for Teddy Bear Vine means that the plant cannot make enough food for growth and development which results in stunted growth and death of the plant.

How to fix it

Position your Teddy Bear Vine infront of a brightly-lit window where it will receive bright indirect light with 4-6 hours of morning or late afteroon sunshine or instal grow lights if the natural lighting is not adequate. Take a look at these full spectrum grow lights on Amazon.

Rotate the pot regularly to ensure that the plant receives light on all sides for uniform growth and prevent leggy growth. Check out this post on understanding light for houseplants.

7. Very low humidity

Teddy Bear Vine grows best in average room humidity. However, too low air humidity will result in dry and shrivelled leaves, leaf drop and eventual death of the plant.

How to fix it

To increase humidity for your Teddy Bear Vine, you may group the plants together, grow the plant in a well-lit bathroom and other humid areas in the home. You may also set the pot on a wet pebble tray or use a cool mist humidifier. Check out these techniques on how to raise humidity for houseplants.

8. Incorrect watering

Incorrect watering; either overwatering or underwatering your Teddy Bear Vine will result in yellow leaves, leaf drop and eventual death of the plant.

Overwatering will cause the roots to die due to lack of oxygen. When the roots die they cannot take up water which causes the leaves to yellow, drop and eventually the plant dies.

Underwatering means that there is too little moisture in the soil and therefore, the plant has no water to take up to the leaves. Thus, the leaves begin to drop and eventually the plant may die if the situation is not corrected.

How to fix it

Teddy Bear Vine requires that the soil be kept moderately moist at all times during the growing season while allowing the top 2-3 inches of soil to dry out between waterings.

Cut down on watering in the cold season to keep the soil slightly moist and do not allow the soil to dry out completely. Ensure that the pot has a drainage hole to prevent the soil from getting soggy. Learn more on how to water houseplants the right way.

9. Exposure to hot direct sunlight

Exposing your Teddy Bear Vine to hot direct sunlight will result in wilting, leaf drop and eventual death of the plant. It blossoms in bright, indirect light with some morning sunshine but not hot direct sunlight.

How to fix it

Place your Teddy Bear Vine in a more shaded spot or instal a light curtain to shield the plant from hot direct sunlight to prevent its eventual death.

10. Cold drafts

Cold drafts coupled with soggy soil will cause sudden drops in temperature which will lead to reduced growth in your Teddy Bear Vine and eventual plant death.

How to fix it

To prevent the death of your Teddy Bear Vine, keep the plant away from cold drafts and maintain an average warmth of 15-27⁰C and a minimum of 13⁰C. In addition, decrease watering in the cold season and confirm that the pot has a drainage hole to prevent the soil from getting soggy. Check out this guide on understanding temperature for houseplants.

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