What to do if the leaves of Podocarpus are dry and brittle

1. Increase the temperature

Reason: Podocarpus grows well in warm places. Too low a temperature will freeze the plant and cause the leaves to dry out.

Solution: Place the Podocarpus in a warm place indoors, preferably above 10℃ in winter. Although it has good shade tolerance, it should not be kept indoors for a long time and needs appropriate light at noon. You can also cover the plants with plastic film and place them on the balcony to achieve the dual purpose of keeping them warm and providing light.

2. Enhance lighting

Reason: Podocarpus is shade-tolerant to a certain extent, but long-term absence of light will lead to the weakening of photosynthesis and the drying up of the leaves.

Solution: Podocarpus needs sufficient light, so you can put it in a sunny place indoors. It is usually better to place it on a balcony or windowsill, but it should be placed in a place with scattered light at noon. Because the afternoon sun is too damaging to the leaves, it will cause them to burn and lose water.

3. Drainage and root pruning

Reason: If the Podocarpus potted plant is watered too much, the water accumulation in the pot will cause the roots to rot, and then the leaves will dry up.

Solution: If there is water accumulation in the Podocarpus pot, drain it in time. Then take the plant out of the pot, carefully remove the soil and check the roots, cut off the rotten roots, and replant it with dry soil. When watering daily, you should control the amount of water and not water too much.

4. Appropriate fertilization

Reason: If Podocarpus does not get enough nutrients during its growth, it will also grow poorly and its leaves will dry up.

Solution: Generally, during the growing season, that is, from February to March and from September to November, decomposed organic fertilizer should be applied to Podocarpus. Fertilizer needs to be diluted with water. Generally, the ratio of fertilizer to water is about 3:7. Fertilize once a month.