Question
QUESTION: dear Darlene : i stay in mumbai, india and i have a persian shield which was fairly well off in the monsoons. New leaves started to grow splendidly, but has of late, started to lose lots of leaves - they start to brown and then dry and fall off one after another. of course now - sept 30, we have reached the end of the monsoons, so the weather is less rain, but more humidity and heat.
i notice the stems which support the leaves are also dark brown, as if there is a fungus covering - perhaps this is some infestation which is spreading to the leaves.
i have fertilised as needed, but this loss of leaves and the brown stems seem related?
pls advise
tks, leroy

ANSWER: LeRoy,

I think it may be related to the shorter days and the heat. Also stems stiffen and turn brown as plants mature.  They begin to look almost like a tree trunk. In the heat I would try to keep the plant in a semi-shady location. It does love high humidity. But just in case I reccommend that you go to a plant nursery with some of the leaves and describe the problem. I would not know what type of fungicide is available in Mumbai if they feel the probllem is a fungal problem. Look closely to see if there are any sprouts for new leaves. If there are you are just dealing with a seasonal leave change. Good luck!

Darlene

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browing leaf on persia  

brown stems on persian   QUESTION: ear Darlene: tks so much for replying. here are the symptoms
1. leaves not yellow and not mottled
2. watering is once a day. misting is twice a day, at least
3. drainage is fairly okay, but i do not water such that water runs from the container
4. light is afternoon sun, and morning fairly bright light
5. repotting has been done once when the plant was prcoured, but i notice the surrounding earth around the root area is hard (clogging?) but this was how i repotted it, without disturbing the original set up
6. note new leaves are coming as you see in image !!!!
7. bark of the stems supporting leaves are browned and furry (see image) a bit
8. present images show minimal browning since many leaves are lost, but the browning spreads quickly and completely. i have snipped off some of the brown leaf parts
9. darlene of this site says maybe seasonal leaf shedding, and to watch for new shoots. well, new leaves are appearing (see image)

Answer
LeRoy,

In looking at the weather reports for your area in India I see that the temperatures are from the mid 80's to the mid 90's Fahrenheit for the highs. The browning on the edges of the leaves indicate that they are not getting enough watering. Keep watering them only once but make sure you give them enough that all the soil in the pot gets moist. The weather report says the air is very humid so the misting may not be necessary and may be causing the stems to mature quickly. The brown fuzzy stems are just normal mature stems. I do not believe their is a fungus. A fungus would cause a moldy looking substance. The fur you have is an integral part of the stems, it is not something on the surface that can be wiped off. I believe it is normal, just premature maturity. Encourage more growth with a little more fertilizer and stop the misting for the time being. I believe that will stop the new growth from maturing so quickly. Good luck!

Darlene