By Greenfingers
Dorset, United Kingdom
Why does my Swiss Cheese plant cry? Every morning the leaves are 'crying' tears, poor thing! I've only had it a couple of weeks, it's about 2' tall with great healthy leaves, but I am worried about the tear drops.
- 23 Aug, 2010
Answers
Don't be worried its natural mine did this and ended up reaching the ceiling so there was nothing wrong with it.
23 Aug, 2010
Can't remember the technical term but its quite normal. Several tropical plants produce a droplet of liquid at the tip of their leaves.
23 Aug, 2010
Its called guttation :-)
23 Aug, 2010
Quote from a botanist:
"Guttation is the appearance of drops of xylem sap on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants, such as grasses.
At night, transpiration usually does not occur because most plants have their stomata closed. When there is a high soil moisture level, water will enter plant roots, because the water potential of the roots is lower than in the soil solution. The water will accumulate in the plant creating a slight root pressure. The root pressure forces some water to exude through special leaf tip or edge structures, hydathodes, forming drops. Root pressure provides the impetus for this flow, rather than transpirational pull.
Guttation fluid may contain a variety of organic compounds, mainly sugars, and mineral nutrients, and potassium. On drying, a white crust remains on the leaf surface.
If high levels of nitrogen appear in the fluid, then that is a sign of fertilizer burn. Excess nitrogen must be leached from the soil by addition of large quantities of water. This may result in water pollution, but is the best way to restore soil fertility.
Guttation is not to be confused with dew, which condenses from the atmosphere onto the plant surface."
23 Aug, 2010
Phew! Now that's what I call an answer!
Phil J
23 Aug, 2010
Lol
23 Aug, 2010
Wow, thanks everyone. I only bought it a couple of weeks ago, only watered it once and felt sad that it was crying. I bought it in from the conservatory because I thought it may have been too cold at night out there but it's still crying. I'll not water it again yet though.
24 Aug, 2010
My tradescanthia bermudendsis does this every time I water for a day or so, but then it stops. My houseplant book suggests that continual (or should that be continuous, can't remember) crying may indicate overwatering. But it will cry whenever you do water, Greenfingers!
24 Aug, 2010
Have you left it sitting in water, perhaps in the outer pot or tray? How often do you water anyway?
Some plants do this naturally after they're watered, but they shouldn't be doing it every day.
23 Aug, 2010