What to Do When Bear's Paw Leaves Go Soft? A Master Gardener Teaches You How to Handle It

What to do when the leaves of Bear's Paw go soft? An experienced grower says: when this happens, there are three points - one is lack of water, two is poor roots, which will reduce the Bear's Paw's absorption of water and affect the plant's growth, leading in turn to yellowing leaves. There is also the case where the Bear's Paw plant enters dormancy, the plant stops growing, and the roots stop growing as well.

If it is due to lack of water, then you need to pay attention to watering when growing Bear's Paw. Although you may worry about the Bear's Paw rotting at the roots or becoming leggy, blindly controlling water will only have the opposite effect. At this point, resume watering and it can recover within a few days.

If the problem is with the Bear's Paw's roots, then check whether they have rotted. If root rot is found, generally the only option is to behead it and take cuttings. At this point, cut off the Bear's Paw plant and re-insert it into the soil as a cutting so it can grow anew.

If you check and it is not root rot, and the weather is very hot, then the Bear's Paw plant may have entered dormancy. At this point, soft leaves are a fairly normal phenomenon. Take care with management to get the Bear's Paw through its dormancy period; once dormancy is over, it can still recover.

At this point, note that you should reduce watering and reduce direct sunlight. You can place the Bear's Paw in a spot with scattered light for care, and increase ventilation.