Plumeria leaves drooping can have a variety of causes, usually from improper care or from environmental factors.
This is your plant letting you know that either something is lacking, there is too much of something or something is actively irritating your Plumeria.
So if your Plumeria is drooping, falling over, bending or the like, here are the main causes and what you can do to correct or prevent this from happening in the future.
Underwatering
Like most plants, Plumeria leaves will begin to droop or wilt when the plant becomes dehydrated from underwatering.
This is a pretty common mistake as sometimes people do forget to water all of their plants, but this isn’t the worst thing that can happen, not even close.
With all of that said, Plumeria’s are actually quite drought tolerant and can go without water for a little longer than other plants so once again it’s not that big of a deal if you sometimes forget.
Some signs you may have been underwatering include the following.
- Drooping or wilted leaves
- Leaves are curling
- Brown leaf tips
- Crispy leaves
Solution
While watering frequencies can vary due to temperature or whatever the current season is, the best way to know when to water is by checking the soil.
If the top inch of the soil is dry then you can water.
If the top inch is still moist then you should hold off until it isn’t.
It can be as simple as that!
Just make sure you water deeply each time and use well draining soil for best results.
Once the underwatering is taken care of, the leaves should perk right back up.
Overwatering
Like underwatering, overwatering a Plumeria can also cause the leaves to droop as overwatering can mimic the effects of too little water once the plant stops growing efficiently.
This is because when you overwater, you get standing water that starves the roots of oxygen and prevents them from doing their job.
This results in all sorts of issues just like underwatering, but can be much worse.
As mentioned before, Plumeria’s are drought tolerant plants so it’s better to underwater them than overwater as the former is much easier to correct and causes less serious issues.
Some signs you may have an overwatered Plumeria include.
- Drooping leaves or wilting
- Curling leaves
- Leaves turning brown
- Leaves turning yellow
- Brown leaf tips
- Stunted growth
- Leaves falling off
- Root rot
Solution
If you find yourself in an overwatered situation, you should first check the roots for rot to be safe.
If the roots are firm and white then they’re fine, but if they’re dark and or mushy then you have root rot and should act fast to save the plant.
This involves pruning damaged roots and leaves that are badly affected and then repotting in fresh soil and a new container or growing location.
Once this is taken care of, be sure you only water when the soil has dried up to prevent this from happening again.
Also make sure you are using soil that drains well as this is also very important.
Pests
Pests can also be a major cause for Plumeria leaves drooping as this plant can be affected by a variety of these annoying bugs.
Some pests that can invade your plumeria include but are not limited to spider mites, scales, thrips, mealybugs and aphids.
What do all of these pests have in common?
They all feed on the leaves of plants and thus take nutrients from your Plumeria, causing the plant to become dehydrated and droopy.
They also leave behind a honeydew substance that eventually turns into sooty mold as well, yuck.
Some signs of a pest infestation include the following.
- Drooping leaves
- Curling leaves
- Holes in the leaves
- Leaves turning white in patches or white spots
- Yellowing of the leaves
- Brown leaves
- Black spots on the leaves
- Visible pests themselves
- Cotton like ovals(these are mealybugs)
- Spider webbing like material(Spider mites)
- Stunted growth
Solution
There are actually a couple different ways you can treat a pest issue on a Plumeria.
One way is to just spray down the affected parts of the plant with water and some pressure behind it to spray the bugs off the plant.
Another way is to use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to wipe down the leaves and remove the pests by hand.
This is very effective but can be a bit time consuming.
One of the most effective ways to deal with pests is by using neem oil as it can remove the bugs and help repel them as well.
I recommend this neem oil if you want to try that method.
Overall if you suspect you have pests, make sure you isolate your plumeria from other plants first before treating to prevent the bugs from spreading.
Once they are gone, the leaves should return to normal, given they aren’t too badly damaged in which they should be pruned.
Low Light
Plumeria’s look and grow their best when grown in plenty of bright light whether that be bright indirect light or a bit of full sun.
What you don’t wanna do is grow your Plumeria in super low light conditions as this can cause chlorosis which is a loss of chlorophyll and can turn the leaves yellow, pale and droopy.
The best type of light for Plumeria’s is bright indirect light with some full sun here and there with some shade to protect the plant from the hot afternoon sun.
You certainly want to avoid growing in near complete darkness or somewhere that doesn’t get plenty of light daily.
Solution
If you’re growing outdoors, then you may need to move your Plumeria somewhere that gets more light throughout the day.
Just about anywhere will do as long as there is some shade to protect the plant from the afternoon sun and you should be good to go.
When growing indoors, you can opt for a South facing window or any window that seems like it receives a lot of light.
Keep in mind not to place your plumeria too close to any given window as this can cause a higher chance of the plant getting burnt.
If all else fails and your windows aren’t getting enough light, consider using an indoor grow light to supplement your plants needs.
Heat Stress
As mentioned above, you should protect your Plumeria from the hot afternoon sun or really anytime that the heat gets up there just like you would protect yourself.
Although Plumeria’s can handle full sun, they don’t like to more than a few hours a day at most and prefer bright indirect light.
Too much heat can dehydrate your Plumeria resulting in the leaves drooping or other issues like sun scorch or the leaves falling off.
Solution
Whether you’re growing indoors or outside, you should be aware of how intense the heat is going to be for the day, even if only for a few hours.
Take measures to give your Plumeria shade during the afternoon or bring the plant indoors during the warmest parts of the year, typically during a heat wave in the summer.
Just treat your plant similar to how you would treat yourself, your Plumeria will thank you.
Transplant Stress
Transplant stress, transplant shock or repotting stress, whatever you wanna call it can cause all sorts of issues and one of them is droopy leaves on a Plumeria.
This is actually very common and can happen with most plants after a repot.
This is because your Plumeria is trying to adjust to a new growing environment whether in the form of new soil, container or both.
Thankfully this isn’t all that serious and all you really have to do is wait it out.
It can take a while for the plant to recover whether that be weeks or months, but if it’s just transplant shock, your Plumeria will recover.
There are a few ways you can reduce the chance of this occurring or lessen the shock so to speak.
Solution
Since you really just want to wait this out, here are some tips to prevent or lessen the issue.
- Only repot during active growing season
- Be careful not to damage roots during repot
- Use similar soil in the new container
- Don’t pack in the soil too tight
- Only go up one pot size per repot
Closing Thoughts
By now you probably have a good idea what could be causing your droopy Plumeria leaves.
Most of the time it will be a watering issue, but it certainly can be one of the other causes listed above.
So overall I hope you found what you’re looking for so you can get back to enjoying the process!