Last Updated on August 16, 2023 by Real Men Sow
Overwatering your string-of-hearts can cause a host of problems for your plant. There are a few steps that can save your string of heartbroken plants. The first step in saving your plant is to identify the root cause.
Do not water the plant immediately. Repot the plant and amend the soil. You must ensure proper drainage and watering. If the root has suffered severe damage, you can transplant the tubers and vines to create a new pot.
It may take some time for overwatering symptoms to be visible. However, damage may be already done within a short time.
Signs That Your String of Hearts Is Overwatered
Overwatering heart plants can cause yellowing, edema and root rot. If not treated, the plant will eventually die. Overwatering your plant will eventually cause the leaves to fall off.
Yellowing of Leaves
Your plant’s leaves turning yellow is a sign that it is being overwatered. Overwatering can cause yellow leaves and can cause your plant to lose some nutrients.
Root Rot
A string of hearts is a succulent plant and that means wet soil can cause root rot. Overwatering can cause soil to become waterlogged, which prevents roots from aerating. Root rot can be caused by a failure to properly aerate or excess moisture in soil. The root rots and the leaves will wilt.
Wilting of Leaves
If the waterlogged soil problem is not solved, then the leaves will turn yellow and eventually fall off. The plant will most likely have died.
Edema
Edema is when your plant develops water spots under its leaves. Your plant may become saturated with liquid if you overwater it. They will burst if they cannot transpire as fast and absorb more water than they can. Your leaves would then develop brown or black spots.
How To Save Overwatered String Of Hearts
You can either repot or propagate your plant depending on how severe the damage was. If your plant has suffered minimal damage, you can simply repot it. The damage to your plant’s roots is severe, you might need to transplant it.
Repot Overwatered String of Hearts
Repotting your plant is delicate and must be done correctly to avoid it from dying. To save your plant’s life, follow these steps
- Avoid Direct Sunlight – You might think that you can dry your soil by putting it in the sun. It’s best not to strain the plants by putting them in direct sunlight.
- Remove The Plant From Pot – Take the plant out of the pot and remove the soil.
- Extract Plant Roots From Soil – To loosen roots from soil, you can use your hands. Then remove the vines and dead roots by cutting them. There are white bulbs that look like bead-like beads. These bulbs are the aerial tubers that are used to produce vines.
- Air Dry – Allow the roots to dry out after you have removed the plant. The time it will take will depend on how saturated it is.
- Ensure to fill the pot with the right soil mix – You can disinfect your soil with an oven, or other methods if you find fungal growth. Fresh soil means new nutrients. If you don’t like the current soil, you can always try a new one. You can use a succulent soil mix for your string of hearts.
- Ensure Proper Drainage – Make sure the pot has drainage holes so that soil doesn’t retain excess liquids. You can use rocks to fill in the pot’s bottom if it doesn’t have drainage holes.
- Place The Plant in Pot – Once the roots have dried, you can place them in their new homes. Place the tubers about 3/4 of the way into the pot, then cover it with soil.
- Water the soil – After you have planted the tubers, it is time to wet the soil.
