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Posted 1Y ago by @Stall54Jo

What am I doing wrong here?

My plant has a dying leaf on the bottom, and the new leaf at the top died. I follow Greg watering and always use meter to test. There are no drafts where she is, no vents etc.
2ft to light, indirect
5” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 year ago
Best Answer
@Stall54Jo mealybugs are definitely a sign of overwatering and they attack when the immune system is weakened. I would water less often for sure. If it starts wilting or drooping then you know it’s been too long without water and then water immediately
Is that pests on the leaf in the first picture? Almost looks like mealybugs from far away.
Almost seems as if it’s overwatering or underwatering. Does the soil take a long time to dry? Is there a fan or anything nearby to circulate the air and help dry the soil?
What seems to be mealy bugs happens every time I water. I am watering every 8 days. Moisture meter shows 0. I was thinking about pushing it to 10 days. What do you think?
Thanks for you advice @SirLiquorice it is greatly appreciated.
I had some succulents that kept getting attacked by mealybugs and I had to stop watering for long periods of time and had to use systemic poisons and make sure and use a soil that drains and dries fast. Now I don’t get mealybugs anymore. It’s surprising how long you have to wait to water sometimes. They definitely have evolved to thrive without water. But these are different plants than yours. But still yours definitely is showing signs of being watered too often. I would maybe even go longer than 10 days before watering. Watch for signs of minor drooping and then you know that’s the moment it is definitely in need of water. My diffenbachia I wait until the bottom leaves start to lower slightly but not too much. It give me signs when it needs water. And it’s been doing great and it’s not even my style of plant. I had to learn what it likes and doesn’t like over time by looking for signs
Joann, I personally don't like it used a water meter. I use bamboo skewers which have proved to me to be accurate. I'm probably an underwaterer to some extent but my plants seems happy. πŸ₯°
@Sassylimey I used to use two different water meters but even if the soil is completely dry that still doesn’t mean my plants need water. I could still be overwatering even if the soil is dry. I have seen cacti rot even watering when the soil is dry. Only one watering too many killed the plant. So now I looks for signs of dehydration or the plant drooping or wilting and I try to water right when it shows minor signs of being dehydrated. Cacti will get softer and squishy if they aren’t too spikey you can squeeze test them. But some like lithops will get obvious wrinkles as well as other cacti and succulents. My tropical plants and tomatoes I just make sure it doesn’t get too droopy and wilted. I watch for the leaves to lower slightly. Same with my crown of thorns. It will start to look shriveled on the stems and branches and the lower leaves start to droop some. Then I know they need water and I won’t be risking overwatering. I have learned to not even test the soil anymore and just let the plants tell me what they need. But some can be difficult to judge how hydrated they actually are. Especially super spiky cacti. Can be difficult to even see the wrinkles on the bottom. So now if I am not sure if I should water then I hit snooze and wait because if I’m not sure then that means no to me now. Not risking it anymore