I’ve had this plant for a while in other countries, and it was always very easy going. But after the last time I moved the sapling I took with me has started struggling.

The picture is not a perfect illustration, but you can see new leaves coming out turning black in the ends, and eventually drying out and dying. This already happened with a lot of leaves that I cut off, but now it’s repeating itself with the new ones.

The plant has been in a relatively bright spot and I think it has received enough water that it shouldn’t be the problem. The black parts are completely dead. Does anyone have any idea what can be done? :)

I’m sorry the picture is not more illustrative.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Using rainwater has always solved blackened tips for me. Forgot the class, but my professor was talking about how plants will move the chemicals in tap water to the leaf tips to get rid of them.

    If collecting rainwater isn’t practical, fill a wide-mouthed pitcher with tap water and let it sit for a day, preferably in the sun.

    • cabbage@piefed.socialOP
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      14 days ago

      This could very well be - I think it wouldn’t be the first time plants respond poorly to the water here. And it seems to always be starting at the tips very specifically. I’ll see if I can find some way to collect rainwater - thank you! Will probably do all my plants good to be honest.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        I have a huge plastic tub stashed in the woods behind my house, bring it out twice a year or so before a storm. For storage I have 10 or 12 1.5L vodka bottles a friend gave me.

        It would be faster to collect the runoff from the roof, but no idea what chemicals or minerals leach into that. My little pond under the eaves gets refilled with that water and it’s super healthy. Frogs everywhere!

        • pdqcp@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          13 days ago

          no idea what chemicals or minerals leach into that

          That’s why we have screens and first flush diverters on rainwater harvesters :)

    • Zwiebel@feddit.org
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      14 days ago

      Is it about chlorine? Cause my tap water doenst have any added chemicals, just a bunch of limescale

      • evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        Hard water can build up in the soil. There’s some plants I’ve had in the same pot for a long time where the top of the soil starts to look a little “crusty”, even though i don’t have particularly hard water. If you have a lot of lime scale, your water pH is likely high, which can make it hard for plants to pickup nutrients.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        You sure nothing is added to your tap water? I guess I assumed all municipal water supplies were treated, in any given country.

        • Zwiebel@feddit.org
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          14 days ago

          I looked it up, their internal test report says Cl^- 58mg/l. Looking around online this seems super high, but maybe thats because of the difference between chlorine and chloride?

          Anyway apparently they pump it from groundwater wells and just run it through carbon filters

          • shalafi@lemmy.world
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            14 days ago

            That sounds great! For humans anyway, maybe not so much for plants. Thanks for looking and learning me something!