What to Do When Houseplants Wilt in the Summer Heat? A Few Easy Fixes

In the hot summer, houseplants often wilt. The causes of plant wilting are many: lack of water, lack of fertilizer, lack of light, unsuitable temperatures, intolerance of the pH level in the soil, excessive chemical fertilizer, viral infection, pest damage, damage from toxic gases in the air, and so on, but in reality, most cases are caused by insufficient water.

When the potting soil lacks water, it is often because the grower pours too little water each time, thinking that moistening only the surface of the potting soil is enough, so the roots of the plant cannot absorb water. This is a major taboo when watering plants. Growers call it "half-way watering," and over time the plant will naturally wilt from being unable to get water.

The remedy is, of course, to water the potting soil, but take special note: at this point you can only increase the amount of water gradually when watering the potting soil, and must not suddenly pour a large amount all at once, because when a plant wilts, its root hairs have already shriveled and lost their ability to absorb water. At the same time, wilting has already caused the cells to lose water, and if water is supplied too suddenly and in excess, plasmolysis will occur between the cell walls and the protoplasm, so after a drought, a plant that suddenly takes in a large amount of water can also die.

In addition, air that is too dry can also cause plants to wilt. The way to make up for this is to spray water on the ground around the plant and on the leaves 2 to 3 times a day.