Polka Dot Plant Dying [7 Reasons With Solutions]

After enjoying the purple-to-pink summer bloom, a sudden encounter with a dying Polka Dot plant can be heartbreaking.

Continue with the article to prevent your Polka Dot from dying earlier than its natural time with the cause behind it.

Listen to this article here.

Can I Save a Dying Polka Dot Plant?

Drooping and yellowing are common in Polka Dots if you have recently repotted them, and the good thing is you can reverse them.

Some of the noticeable initial signs shown by Polka Dot due to the unstable environmental conditions are:

• Sagging of leaves
• Yellowing leaves
• Tips of leaves turning brown
• Brownish spots on the top of leaves
• Wilting leaves
• Soil not holding water
• Water not being absorbed
• Roots coming out from the drainage hole

However, the signals should not be neglected if the Polka Dot has not recovered after a week or two, as the plant might be dying slowly.

On the other hand, do not conclude that wilting leads to death, as the condition is reversible if not due to environmental stress.

Mainly, if the plant has completed flowering, the Polka Dot enters dormancy or prepares for the following year’s growth in the case of a year-old plant, given the lifespan of 2 years.

Nevertheless, inspect the plant and conclude after thoroughly investigating the factors responsible.

Why is my Polka Dot Plant Dying?

Given their splashy, dotted foliage, Polka Dot lightens up any indoors with enough care.

However, avoid the following gardening mistakes to prevent the plant from losing its vibrancy.

1. Watering Issues

Polka Dot, a native of Madagascar, prefers moist conditions rather than soggy or too-dried conditions with watering twice a week in summer.

However, act accordingly by keeping the season and location in mind before abiding by the rule, as it could be deadly sometimes.

In contrast, twice a week watering in the summer of USDA zone 11 and 12 might not suffice the moisture needed, leading to underwatered plants.

You can pinpoint the underwatered Polka Dot plant by analyzing the foliage’s health as they sag and leaves start turning brown and crispy.

So try to identify whether the sickly-looking Polka Dot is due to over or underwatering and apply the solution accordingly.

Immediate Solutions

• Cease the watering schedule if the soil is soggy to prevent the overwatered Polka Dot plant from worsening.
• Cut off any mushy, damaged leaves and check for rotted roots by lifting the plant from the pot slowly.
• Place the Polka Dot over a newspaper to let it dry for a day, or change the location if the light is not falling upon the plant.
• Test the moisture in the soil by inserting the chopstick in an inch-deep soil or using a moisture meter and water accordingly.
• If the stick feels dry, submerge the pot in a water-filled tub and let it dry afterward.
• Change the soil if it has hardened off and is blocking the water flow.

2. Fluctuating Temperature and Humidity

Polka Dot plant loves humid and moderately warm environments ranging from 65-80ºF with humidity around 50%.

Polka Dot suffering from heat undergoes excess water loss, leading to curled, wilted, brittle leaves similar to the condition during low humidity.

Meanwhile, the plant encountering the drafts undergoes stress due to cold and stunts its growth, leading to dead foliage.

Immediate Solutions

• Re-locate the pot indoors during winter if you are in hardy USDA zones (below 10).
• Use mulches like straw and wood chips to prevent heat loss during cold days.
• Alternatively, you can use a frost blanket and heating pads to prevent drafts.
• In case of high temperatures, mist the plant daily to keep the temperature and humidity in check and save the wilted Polka Dot plant.
• Also, group the plant and use the pebble tray method to boost the humidity.
• At last, try using the humidifier if the moisture is below the minimum requirement.

3. Improper Fertilizer Use

As a heavy feeder, the Polka Dot plant requires fertilizer once a month during the spring and summer.

Meanwhile, applying the wrong fertilizer without enough nutritional composition can cause deficiencies in the plant.

If the deficiency is of nitrogen, the Polka Dot loses its green vigor, ceases growth, and starts to wilt and die.

While Phosphorous deficiency makes the foliage lose its color combination, making it appear yellow and ultimately droop and die.

Immediate Solutions

• Keep the plant under running water to flush out excess salt from the soil.
• Dilute the fertilizer to half its strength before applying it to the plant.
• Change the soil if the condition is irreversible and plant in a new well-draining organic-rich soil.
• Approach for organic fertilizer or compost to release the nutrients slowly.
• Balanced liquid fertilizer once a month would be good for the Polka Dot Plants.

4. Low or High Intensity of Light

The bright to medium indirect light for a couple of hours is what Polka Dot expects from its grower, with a minimum of an hour of the morning sun.

Similarly, if you have placed the plant in a north-facing window, it suffers from leggy growth and faded variegation due to low light.

Immediate Solutions

• Snip off the damaged, discolored leaves to revitalize the plant.
• Locate the pot in an east or south-facing window to provide morning sun and indirect bright light.
• In the case of a south-facing window, cover it with a white curtain or drapes.
• Install a grow light and place the plant under it for 10-12 hours.

5. Poor and Old Soil Mix

The Polka Dot plant thrives best in a well-draining neutral soil (5.5-7.3) potting mix rich in organic matter and porosity.

Old soil also has usually turned too acidic or basic, which affects the Polka Dot in its way.

Too acidic soil diminishes the availability of minerals like phosphorous required by the plant and increases the number of toxic minerals like aluminium.

In such cases, the Polka Dot becomes nutrient deficient, leading to the yellowing and shrivelling of the foliage with ultimate death.

Meanwhile, too alkaline soil increases the salt build-ups around the root, suffocating the roots and depriving the plant of the required nutrients.

Immediate Solutions

• Add pebbles and perlite to the soil to increase the porosity and aeration.
• Enrich the mix with garden limestone to neutralize highly acidic soil.
• Alternatively, add coffee grounds, organic compost, and pine needles to increase the acidity of alkaline soil.
• Repot the plant in a new soil mix specially prepared for Polka Dot.
• Also, you can transfer the plant to a pot containing a DIY mix made from a regular potting mix and perlite or pumice in a 2:1 ratio.

6. Pests and Diseases

Although Polka Dot is hardy, it can still get attacked by common pests like aphids, mealy bugs, whiteflies, spider mites, and vine weevils.

These bugs show their presence by deforming, withering, or killing your entire plant.

In contrast, the Polka Dot suffering from diseases like powdery mildew and southern blight shows symptoms like small, circular white spots that turn brown and ultimately wilt.

Immediate Solutions

• Trim off the damaged, discolored leaves.
• Spray neem oil and insecticidal soap over the pest-affected plant.
• Use tweezers to hand-pick the pests or place the pot under running water.
• Also, you can wipe off the leaves with isopropyl alcohol.
• As for the diseased plant, isolate the plant immediately and dispose of the damaged foliage part in a dustbin.
• Spray copper-rich fungicide to prevent future infestation.

7. Natural Death After Flowering

Naturally, Polka Dot plants are short-living annual plants which can extend their life up to two years.

However, you can decline the aging and dying of the Polka Dot plant by pinching off the buds as soon as they appear.

Although the pinching might not prolong the life of the Polka Dot, it can still let you enjoy the dotted foliage for a few more weeks.

Take reference from the video to cater to any confusion regarding care!