One of our favorite potted plants is the Satin Pothos because of its unique leaves.
However, if they begin to curl up, it can indicate that your plant is miserable and having a hard time thriving.
The Leaves On My Satin Pothos Are Curling; why?
Because there are so many potential causes, curling leaves can occasionally be a difficult issue for plant parents to deal with. You can read about all of the most frequent explanations for your Satin Pothos’ curled leaves in this post. To quickly fix the issue, it’s critical that you go through each step one at a time to identify the root cause.
Underwatering
Curling leaves are a common symptom of watering problems, which are the leading cause of plant issues. Your Satin Pothos’ leaves will start to curl as they fall into shock and shrivel up if you consistently submerge them. Plants of the Satin Pothos species are not drought resilient, despite not enjoying too soggy soil. When there is a water shortage, curled leaves are sometimes one of the first warning signals.
It serves as your plant’s first line of defense against dehydration through its leaves, so if you take action right away, you’ll have a high chance of resolving the problem before it begins to seriously harm your plant.
What To Do In Case Of Underwatering?
Make sure this is the issue before you go and submerge your Satin Pothos to compensate for the absence of it. A lot of other problems will result from watering a plant when it truly doesn’t need it. Remove your Satin Pothos from the pot and feel the potting mix to confirm the diagnosis.
The potting mix will disintegrate if submerged and feel very sand-like. We advise you to also examine the plant’s roots since if they have begun to crisp up, the issue has likely been there for some time.
Instead of drowning your plant, progressively restore water to address the curled leaf issue (and stop more issues from arising). Because Satin Pothos can be a little bit sensitive, any abrupt and drastic alterations in their environment may send them into shock.
How Do I Know If The Soil Is Moist?
Use a moisture meter to measure the soil’s moisture content before watering to prevent curling leaves in the future. While you should let the potting mix to dry out completely in between waterings, you don’t want it to go too long without any liquid. Moisture meters are an excellent investment because they are quite reasonably priced and will benefit your other indoor plants as well.
Overwatering And Root Damage.
Similar to underwatering, your Satin Pothos may curl up if there is too much water present. Due to their strong root systems, they can usually tolerate the odd overwatering, but if the potting mix is seriously flooded, they will start to struggle. Curling leaves is one of the earliest symptoms of overwatering, so it’s better to address the problem right away before it gets worse.
If the roots of your Satin Pothos start to rot, they will be unable to absorb any water or minerals from the soil. The plant is deprived of essential resources for growth as a result, and the leaves may start to curl. Pay attention to these indications as well because they may also turn soft and yellow.
What To Do To Stop Overwatering?
Before adjusting the amount of watering, like with underwatering, you should be certain that the issue exists. Using the finger or wooden stick approach, you should be able to identify waterlogged soil quite easily. Overly moist soil also emits a rather unpleasant scent, so be on the lookout for this as well.
In order to prevent the issue from leading to more severe issues than just curling leaves, it’s critical that you take immediate action if you have been overwatering your Satin Pothos. Trim away all decayed roots and replace any soil that has become wet with new, dry soil. Best to completely erase them since they can’t be saved.
How To Prevent Leaves Curling In Future?
Next, consider how to avoid having additional curled leaves in the future as a result of the problem. You need to either lessen the amount of water you feed your Satin Pothos each time you water it or reduce how frequently you do. Choose the option that best suits your routine and your plant. Both of these options work. The amount of water your Satin Pothos consumes must also be considered in light of any changes in the environment. Reduce watering, for instance, in the winter.
Effects Overfertilization On Pothos Leaves?
Over fertilization is another factor in curling leaves in Satin Pothos. Every month or so during the spring and summer, we advise fertilizing using a water-soluble fertilizer at a strength that is less than suggested. Size, age, and location are just a few of the many variables that go into determining how much fertilizer to apply to each individual houseplant. This is the reason there could never be a universally applicable quantity to feed each plant, as is sometimes suggested on the bottle. Utilizing less than the advised dosage can help prevent overfertilization.
Additionally, since your Pothos won’t be developing any new growth during the winter, you should postpone applying any fertilizer. The reason the leaves are curling could be because you are fertilizing more frequently. Replace the potting soil, and cut back on the fertilizer application. It’s kind of an optional bonus that you can omit entirely if you want; skipping it is preferable to doing more harm.
Can Lighting Cause Leaves Curling?
Insufficient light is another factor in Satin Pothos plants’ curling leaves. Fortunately, there is a quick way to determine whether is the case because both too often and too little light can cause the leaves to curl.
The leaves of your Satin Pothos will curl inward if it gets too much light. The plant defends itself against the harsh light in this way. It reduces the amount of coverage that the sun hits by curling inward. Look to see whether you can identify any burnt areas on the leaves that can suggest solar stress because direct sunlight will also irreversibly scorch and burn the foliage of your Satin Pothos.
If you suspect that your Satin Pothos’ curled leaves are a result of exposure to direct sunlight, transfer the plant to a somewhat more shady area of your house and keep an eye out for any changes.
Why Pothos Leaves Curling Upwards?
The leaves will also curl up if your Pothos plant is not receiving enough light, but this occasion they will curl upward toward the source of light. The plant does this in an effort to enhance the quantity of sunlight that reaches the leaf. If your Satin Pothos is experiencing this, you should look for a location with a little bit extra light to promote healthy growth.
What To Do When Temperature Swings?
And if your Satin Pothos isn’t exposed to direct sunshine, its leaves may begin to curl if it becomes too hot outside. Heat stress is the term for this. Hotspots in a room can imply that the temperature is much hotter in a specific area of the room. These hotspots can be caused by sunlight, radiators, or cookers. It makes it challenging to notice because you could think the room’s temperature is just right overall.
To avoid overheating and curling leaves, place your plant at least 1 meter away from any radiators, heating vents, or ovens. We also advise utilizing a digital thermometer to keep track of any temperature swings or extremes. This will assist you in determining whether you need to move your Satin Pothos in order to address the problem of curling leaves.
Can Pests Cause Pothos Leaves Curling?
This is a rather uncommon reason because Satin Pothos plants are rarely affected by pests, although a scale insect, spider mite, or mealybug infestation may be to blame for the curled leaves. With a magnifying lens, examine the tops and undersides of your Satin Pothos’ leaves closely to see if you can identify any insects.
You should remove your plant from the rest of your indoor plants as soon as you notice any insects or evidence of them. Check all of your plants to check whether the infestation has progressed because pests can hop across plants through nearby leaves.
To reduce the infestation’s growth and help it be a little bit easier to manage, you should then remove the worst-affected leaves. Neem oil and insecticide treatments along with routine watering will help your plant fight off the infestation.
Conclusion
The majority of times, Satin Pothos leaves will curl for the reasons listed above. Watering problems are frequently the cause, therefore we usually start by testing the soil’s moisture before ruling out the others one at a time.