Lipstick Plant problems & how to fix them

Aeschynanthus radicans

Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Lipstick Plant problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.

Common problems

Root rot

As an epiphyte it needs an airy mix; dense wet soil rots it, dropping leaves from the stem base outward. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.

Etiolation (insufficient light)

Low light produces sparse, leggy trailing stems with no blooms. The plant is stretching toward light it isn't getting: long gaps between leaves, pale thin growth, and leaning. Stretched growth never compacts again, but with more light all new growth comes in full and sturdy - the plant's future is good.

Example of etiolated seedlings stretching pale toward the light, on another plant — Example on another plant
etiolated seedlings stretching pale toward the light
Photo: சஞ்சீவி சிவகுமார் · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cold damage

Cold drafts or sudden chills below ~59°F (15°C) trigger wholesale leaf drop. Tissue injury from a cold draft, a chilly windowsill, or a night outdoors below the plant's tolerance. Damaged leaves will not heal, but if the stems and roots survived, new growth typically appears within three to four weeks in a warm, stable spot.

Example of fig leaves killed by a frost, on another plant — Example on another plant
fig leaves killed by a frost
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mealybugs

Mealybugs nest in the leaf axils along the dense trailing stems. Slow-moving sap-sucking insects that look like bits of white cotton stuck in leaf joints. They are stubborn but very treatable with repeated spot treatment; expect steady improvement over 3-4 weeks.

Example of a long-tailed mealybug on a leaf, on another plant — Example on another plant
a long-tailed mealybug on a leaf
Photo: D-Kuru · CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Wikimedia Commons

The mistakes that most often kill it

Cold drafts, which strip the stems bare.
Heavy, water-retentive soil for what is naturally a tree-dweller.
Deep shade, where it survives but grows stringy and never flowers.

Not sure what’s wrong?

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