Why Bear's Paw Loses Leaves and Develops Black Spots in Summer, and How to Fix It
Bear's Paw (Cotyledon tomentosa) has a very cute appearance. It is not only small and compact, but each fleshy leaf looks like a little bear paw. Under sunlight, the very tip of each paw slowly turns reddish-brown, and paired with its fuzzy surface, it is especially cute and delicate, deeply loved by plant enthusiasts. As everyone knows, the main appeal of succulents is their unique and beautiful leaves. So if your Bear's Paw loses its leaves, what should you do?
Causes and solutions for Bear's Paw losing leaves (summer)
Causes:
1. Losing leaves in summer is a normal phenomenon
The growing season of Bear's Paw should be from mid-autumn to mid-spring, when its leaves are thick and plump. But Bear's Paw is a Crassulaceae plant, which means it enters a brief dormant state in summer, as many sedums do. At this time, do not touch it. During dormancy the roots also stop growing, the leaves take on a wilted look, and gradually leaf drop occurs.
2. Overwatering
One case is watering too much during dormancy, and the other is watering too much during the growing season, causing waterlogging. During dormancy, Bear's Paw basically does not grow and does not need much water. If watering is not restrained at this time and the potting soil stays wet, the stems and roots of Bear's Paw rot easily, causing leaves to fall off. During other growing periods, overwatering can also cause root rot and even leggy growth; long stems and small leaves cannot get sufficient nutrients, so yellowing, wilting and leaf drop are inevitable.
Solutions:
1. Care during dormancy
If Bear's Paw is in its dormant period, do not make a fuss; losing leaves is normal. Do not casually touch the leaves. Under normal circumstances, as long as you do not touch them, the leaves are only a bit wilted. Control watering and ensure timely ventilation. Once summer passes, the leaves will gradually recover, and no extra measures are needed.
2. Loosen the soil and improve ventilation
If overwatering caused the leaf drop, then be careful and reduce watering as much as possible. Outside the dormant period, you can reduce the moisture in the soil through ventilation, sunlight and loosening the soil. If Bear's Paw is wilting quite severely, you can take the plant out of the pot, dry the roots, let part of the water in the soil evaporate, and then replant it.
How to deal with black spots on Bear's Paw
1. Diseases of Bear's Paw
Wilt disease and leaf spot disease are two common conditions in Bear's Paw. In the early stages, the symptoms are the same: black lesions appear. When wilt disease is severe, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, and large areas of the plant die, making it quite harmful. Leaf spot disease mainly damages the leaves, and in the later stage dense spots appear, seriously affecting its ornamental value. Once disease is found, promptly remove the diseased leaves, and use 50 grams of captan diluted 800 times and spray it on the surface of the plant.
2. Pests of Bear's Paw
The pests of Bear's Paw include scale insects and whiteflies. Because the surface of Bear's Paw has many fuzzy white hairs, and scale insects and whiteflies are small in size, when pest numbers are low it is hard to notice them without careful observation. The pests are on the leaves of Bear's Paw, sucking sap from the branches and leaves, forming wounds and slowing the plant's growth. In a humid environment, the wounds are highly susceptible to fungal infection, producing a chain of damage. Once pests are found, promptly rinse with clean water; when there are few pests, you can also scrape them off with a bamboo strip. Then, use 40 percent omethoate emulsifiable concentrate diluted 1000 times and spray it on the surface of the plant.
What to do if Bear's Paw becomes woody
Generally, succulents rarely become woody, but Bear's Paw is an exception; the time at which woodiness appears varies with the environment. If you want to grow an old-stem Bear's Paw, the woody stem is the first step toward an old stump, and what you need to do is plant a new Bear's Paw beside the already woody plant so they grow leaning on each other.
If you simply want to grow a cute pet plant, the following measures are recommended:
1. Bear's Paw becomes woody early because the plant lacks nutrients and the root system grows poorly. So take the plant out of the pot, cut off the excess roots and the woody stems, and let the succulent regrow roots.
2. Behead it: directly cut off the small heads of Bear's Paw and replant them; the remaining part is basically useless. In the early stage of woodiness, side shoots may still sprout and continue growing; if it is completely woody, the stems and roots are basically useless.
How to water Bear's Paw
Summer temperatures are relatively high. When the temperature reaches above 35 degrees, Bear's Paw enters its dormant period. At this time, watering should be properly controlled; otherwise, overly moist soil will make its roots rot easily.
When repotting or changing the soil, be sure to water only a little; at this time just keep the soil on the dry side.
In winter, water according to the indoor temperature and sunlight exposure. If sunlight is insufficient, just keep the soil slightly moist; it must not be too wet.
Newly rooted cuttings of Bear's Paw should not be watered at first. At this time they have no roots, so the water given cannot be absorbed and may also cause the bottom to rot, so water only after roots have formed.
It is not impossible for Bear's Paw to lose leaves. Some enthusiasts use incorrect growing methods, causing the leaves of Bear's Paw to fall or to dry out and turn yellow. So when growing flowers, everyone must master the growing techniques well! Do not let beautiful plants slowly wither away under your care.