Why Bleeding Heart Vine Leaves Turn Yellow and Drop, and How to Fix It
Bleeding heart vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) is a plant native to foreign countries that was later introduced and cultivated in China, and it is now grown in many places as a flowering plant with high ornamental value. Many people are growing bleeding heart vine now, but during cultivation, improper growing methods may cause some leaf drop or yellowing of the leaves. In fact, solving this is quite simple.
What to Do When Bleeding Heart Vine Leaves Turn Yellow
1. Light must be suitable. In summer, when the light is relatively strong, bleeding heart vine can be kept in a semi-shaded spot for care, where it needs bright light and must not be shaded for long periods. In winter, make sure there is enough light, and it is best if it can receive full sun.
2. Water reasonably. When watering, the main thing is to pay attention to the dryness and moisture of the bleeding heart vine and keep it within a relatively suitable range. In summer, you can water a little more as appropriate, and when the air is relatively dry, you can sprinkle some water on the leaves of the bleeding heart vine.
3. Fertilizing. When the leaves of bleeding heart vine turn yellow due to a lack of fertilizer, you can apply some fertilizer, and at the same time apply some ferrous sulfate solution, and the leaves can turn green again.
Causes of Bleeding Heart Vine Leaf Drop and Solutions
1. Bleeding heart vine dropping its leaves is a very normal situation, and everyone does not need to be overly nervous, and this situation generally occurs in autumn, that is, around the time of early winter. Although bleeding heart vine is an evergreen plant, when the cold winter comes, it will also drop some leaves, just like holly, a landscaping plant, and when spring arrives it revives together with all things and sprouts new leaves. Generally speaking, the reason bleeding heart vine leaves fall off is the change of seasons, and it is a normal physiological metabolic behavior. Gardeners do not need to make a fuss; just follow normal care and management.
2. There is another situation, which is that everyone has not adopted the correct watering method, that is, watering too much can also cause bleeding heart vine leaves to drop. There is an obvious way to tell in this situation, which is to observe whether the fallen leaves first turn yellow and then drop. If so, it is definitely because you watered too much, so at this time you should stop watering immediately and take measures to make the soil in the flowerpot not too moist as soon as possible.
What to Do When Bleeding Heart Vine Blooms Sparsely
1. Improper watering. An important reason bleeding heart vine blooms sparsely is that gardeners water unreasonably, and the crux is that everyone is always afraid the plant will dry out, so they water a lot, and that is where the problem lies. Because the flowerpot is too moist, long-term soaking causes the aboveground leaves to gradually turn yellow and fall off, and then normal blooming is affected. At this time, gardeners should stop watering immediately, wait for the potting soil to dry, and then adjust to a scientific watering amount.
2. Not enough sunlight. Bleeding heart vine is a flowering plant that depends on light, and during the growth period and flowering period it is necessary to ensure sufficiently abundant light. Once sunlight cannot meet the plant's needs, the aboveground stems and branches will grow wildly and leggy, which naturally affects normal flower bud formation and the number of blooms. So gardeners should follow a light care principle, which is that in the three seasons other than summer, bleeding heart vine must be ensured sufficient light.
3. Lack of nutrients. Another reason for sparse blooming is that the plant lacks fertilizer, so during the growth period of bleeding heart vine, be sure to remember to add some dilute water-soluble fertilizer, roughly once every 30 days, for a total of three times.
How to Prune Bleeding Heart Vine
1. Bleeding heart vine is a climbing evergreen small shrub, and to keep its plant shape attractive, pruning must be strengthened. Generally, when repotting in early spring in April, cut the plant off at a height of 10-15 cm from the pot rim, remove the upper part, and encourage the sprouting of thick new branches.
2. During the growth and development period, pay attention to pinching, control the height of the branches, and make the branches neat. After each flowering, promptly cut off the flower stems so that the plant shape is low and full. Adopting this kind of heavy pruning method can not only promote lush flowers and leaves the following year, but also save the trouble of setting up a support.
Generally, the causes of bleeding heart vine leaves turning yellow or dropping are these aspects such as light, temperature, watering, and fertilizing, so when growing it you must pay extra attention, and when these situations occur, observe carefully and solve the problem from the root, so that bleeding heart vine can grow healthily.