Due to their long stems, your Arrowhead plant can easily begin to droop if something is wrong! It is important that you catch the problem early and correct it as this will give your Arrowhead the best chance at bouncing back. Below we have outlined the most common reasons why your Arrowhead is drooping.
Underwatering might be causing your Arrowhead to droop
Too little water can harm your Arrowhead plant in more ways that one. It can cause dry leaves, lack of growth and nutrient deficiency. But one of the earlier signs of underwatering is drooping stems and leaves. This occurs commonly on plants with long stems as they need to carry the weight of the leaves. This is why it tends to happen a lot with Arrowheads.
If you find that the stems and leaves look a little droopy and lifeless, it is most probably because the soil has been too dry for too long. Stick a finger in the top few centimetres of the soil to check the moisture levels. You can also try lifting your Arrowhead if your plant is not that mature to see how light the pot feels. However, be careful not to injure yourself in the process.
How to fix an underwatered Arrowhead:
Your first instinct might be to give it loads of water straight away to compensate for the lack of it. However, it can actually be harmful to your Arrowhead if the soil goes from one extreme to the other and you might get a lot more problems than the initial drooping plant. Instead, you want to reintroduce frequent watering for a week or two and this should solve the problem. Over time keep an eye on how much you are watering your Arrowhead by checking the moisture in the soil frequently.
Drooping leaves can indicate a lack of humidity
If the soil isn’t particularly dry, the drooping stems on your Arrowhead could be due to a lack of humidity. Arrowheads are native to the tropics of Central and South America so they like quite humid environments and can struggle in homes with dry air. This can be especially damaging in winter months when we often have the heating on for several hours a day and are not opening the windows as much to circulate the air.
There are several ways you can increase the humidity for your Arrowhead which should fix the drooping leaves:
Misting the plant
One of the simplest ways to increase the humidity for your Arrowhead and prevent it from drooping is to mist them with a spray bottle a couple of times a week.
Pebble tray
Place your houseplants over a tray of pebbles and add fresh water to the tray. Over the day water from the tray will evaporate giving the plants above exactly what they’re looking for.
Give your Arrowhead a shower
To quickly raise the humidity and wash down your Arrowhead of any long-standing dust, you can always give them a quick once over in the shower. Simply pop them in the shower and wash them down with lukewarm water, this will clean off the leaves and give the soil a good soaking. Leave them in the shower for around 5-10 minutes after washing to let any excess water run out of the pot. The last thing you want to do is waterlog the soil as this can cause a whole range of other issues for your Arrowhead beyond the drooping stems.
Move your Arrowhead to the bathroom
If you’re lucky enough to have great lighting in your bathroom you can move your plant in there to increase the humidity and prevent your plant from drooping. The running water from your showers means your bathroom is probably one of the most humid in your home. The kitchen is also a good place for your Arrowhead as the steam from cooking means it is also fairly humid. Just be careful to keep it away from cookers to avoid burning your plant.
Buy a humidifier
They’re relatively affordable little devices and they make keeping a consistent humidity level so much easier. Most will allow you to place them on a timer so they run on a fixed schedule, and some will even have a built-in monitor so they automatically turn on and off to keep the humidity exactly where you want it. These are the most reliable way to prevent your Arrowhead from drooping as a result of dry air.
Those are the main two reasons why your Arrowhead’s stems and leaves may be drooping. The first place to start is always checking the soil as this is where most issues will arise from. Hopefully, if you have caught the problem early enough and correct the issue you should see your plant begin to lift up and look a lot healthier in no time.
To learn more about how to best care for your plant, check out our Arrowhead plant care guide.
