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Why Are My Canna Lilies Drooping? (5 Common Reasons)

Why Are My Canna Lilies Drooping? (5 Common Reasons)

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Canna lilies are nice plants that are popularly grown both indoors and outdoors. These plants are native to South Africa, but they actually do well in both temperate and warm climates.

One of the most appealing aspects of caring for them is the fact that they aren’t tough to keep alive. Generally, these plants are considered to be hardy, and they even grow well in either full sun or partial shade.

This is why it’s very off-putting when you notice that the plant is having issues. If you’re seeing that your canna lilies are drooping, you must be wondering what’s wrong with them.

Why would canna lilies suddenly start to droop? Is this an indication that you’re doing something wrong?

Keep reading to get more information so that you can figure out what’s going on. It should help you to determine the best path forward.

1 – Water Problems

Wet Canna Leaves

Water problems are the likely cause of the drooping. This is almost always the issue when people notice their canna lilies drooping for the first time.

Canna lilies are known to droop when the soil gets either too damp or too dry. This means that you could be watering the plant too much or you might be neglecting it.

Try to remember when the last time that you watered the plant was. You can check the condition of the soil to see how it feels.

If the soil is still moist, there’s a good chance that you have been going overboard when watering the plant. All you’ll need to do is start watering them more carefully moving forward to fix the problem.

How often are you supposed to water canna lilies? These plants should be watered once per week on average, but during the hottest parts of the year, you might need to water more often than that.

Canna lilies like approximately one to two inches of water each week. As long as you’re paying attention to the plant’s needs and checking the condition of the soil, it’ll be easy to keep up with its water requirements.

2 – Soil and Drainage Issues

Of course, sometimes plants retain too much water due to being in soil that doesn’t drain well. If you planted your canna lilies in soil that is too dense and compacted, that could be the cause of these issues.

They might be getting too soggy after you water them. This is because they don’t have the time to drain properly between watering sessions.

It’s easy enough to avoid situations like this by simply checking the soil before watering. Instead of watering on a set weekly schedule, you’ll be taking the time to check the soil multiple times per week to see when the canna lilies need to be watered.

You’d also be wise to change the soil when you have the chance to do so. The plant will do a lot better in nutrient-rich soil that drains properly.

While changing the soil, you should also check for other drainage problems. For example, if you’re keeping a canna lily indoors, you might have it in a pot that doesn’t have proper drainage holes.

Take care of these issues so that you can be confident that the plant will drain well between watering sessions. This will keep the plant from drooping and encountering other problems.

3 – Fertilizer Issues

Field of Canna Lilies

Fertilizer issues have also been known to cause canna lilies to droop as well. You might see that the leaves will start to go limp and drag if you use too much fertilizer.

Sometimes people make the mistake of using a fertilizer that is a bit too strong. Often, people will use one that is nitrogen-rich, but giving the plant more than it can handle will lead to drooping issues.

The nitrogen-rich fertilizer is typically meant to encourage leaf growth. You’ll find that the growth can get too much and cause the plant to have heavy leaves that droop.

Simply use less fertilizer moving forward and things should be okay. It might even be wise to dilute the fertilizer if you plan to use it in the future.

Suspend the use of the fertilizer for now, though. Hopefully, you’ll be able to have better results when fertilizing canna lilies next season.

4 – Fungal Issues

It should also be noted that fungal issues can cause these plants to droop. When the conditions outside are cool and wet, it makes it so that fungal spores can spread easily.

When the weather gets warm again, these spores will bloom and spread. Calla lilies will sometimes experience soft rot when exposed to fungal spores.

Spores in the soil attack the bulbs and stem of your canna lily plant. Eventually, the stems will start to become mushy.

At this point, you’ll be able to visibly tell that the canna lily is drooping. It’s good to pay attention to drooping issues in case you are dealing with a fungal problem.

Sadly, you likely won’t be able to save the plant if it is experiencing some type of fungal rot. It’s best to replace the soil completely and start over next year with a fresh canna lily plant.

You can get canna lilies that are resistant and less likely to experience fungal issues. It might be good to seek out resistant plants even if you haven’t had fungal problems, just to be on the safe side.

5 – Pests

Japanese Beetle Up Close

Pests could also be to blame for your canna lily woes. Many different pests such as caterpillars, Japanese beetles, snails, and slugs have been known to bother these plants.

They can cause the plant to have various issues. If you’re dealing with pests, you might even see holes in some of the leaves.

Sometimes these pests will cause the canna lily to become stressed and start drooping. You can protect it from pests by treating the plant with insecticides.

If you don’t want to use insecticides, you could try something natural. Neem oil is a great product that works well to keep pests off of your plants.

It’s well worth buying neem oil spray to treat your plants if you’d like to stay away from using chemicals. This should help you to protect your plants without harming beneficial insects in the area.

Final Thoughts

You should be able to protect your canna lily and figure out why it’s been drooping. There are quite a few potential causes to look into, but it’s likely that your plant is experiencing some type of water problem.

If you’re watering your plant too much or too little, it might start to droop as a result. To remedy this, you should try to water the plant properly without going overboard.

Your canna lily could have issues with the soil it has been planted in as well. Soil that doesn’t drain well will make it so that the plant doesn’t dry out properly between watering sessions.

There could be an issue with potted plants if the canna lily is in a pot that doesn’t have adequate drainage holes. Otherwise, you’ll need to look out for fungal issues, pests, and even whether or not you used too much fertilizer.

Simply do your best to care for the plant and you should be able to turn things around. Fungal issues can’t be fixed, but you can try to protect a new canna lily plant next season by replacing the soil and buying a resistant variant.

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