Why is My Candytuft Dying? – The Absolute Reasons + Remedy

Despite being tolerant to slightly adverse conditions, a candy-tuft plant may die due to the lack of intensive care. Matters like watering issues, soil problems, inappropriate humidity conditions, root rot, insect infestation, and disease attack are supposed to be responsible for candytuft dying.

I wondered! Why is my candytuft dying as I took enough care of them? But then, I  realized that I provided the materials required for the plant, but that wasn’t in a perfect way or quantity. 

That’s why I observed my plant’s response to different things more closely and found the actual proportion of the elements which they require for maximum development. You can have a look at my findings shortly from the following table.

ProblemsSolutions
Watering issues Water the plant when the soil gets dry and don’t overwater the plant.
Soil problemsSoil should be sandy loam, nutrient-enriched and well-drained.
Inappropriate humidity condition Try to maintain appropriate humidity 
Root rotKeep the drainage system undisturbed and complete repotting process if needed
Insect infestation Apply insecticides or homemade recipes 
Disease attack Use fungicides or bactericides or homemade solutions

5 Causes That May Kill Your Candytuft Plant and Ways To Solve Them

Watering Issues

Candytuft plants face more crucial problems when they go through inappropriate watering. Though candy-tuft plants are drought-tolerant, they cannot grow in completely dry soil. On the other hand, they cannot tolerate excessive water-logged conditions. 

If they are kept in a dry area and watering is not adequate, the plant cannot produce enough food as the photosynthesis process becomes restricted due to the absence of water. The overall growth of the process is hindered and the plant starts wilting. Eventually, they die after a certain time.

Control Measures

Water your plant regularly as necessary. On summer days, the plant needs more water than in winter. That’s why we maintain the environmental issues while watering. 

On the other hand, keep in mind that watering should not be excessive. You should provide water when about 2 inches of the topsoil gets dry.

2. Soil Problems

Next, I will highlight one of the most common problems of a candy-tuft plant: problematic soil. The soil mixture is the main issue from where a plant receives its food and nutrition. 

If the plant of the soil is not enriched with nutrients, the nourishment of the soil is disturbed. Consequently, the plant easily gets attacked with any type of disease or other problems. Again, inappropriate soil pH also causes unwanted conditions for the plant like wilting, slow growth, dwarfness, etc. 

Control Measures

The soil mixture should be prepared with sandy loam soil, coco-peat, sphagnum moss, and coco coir so that the plant can get enough nutrients from the plant.

You should be careful about the plant’s pH. It should be neutral or slightly acidic. Again, the soil should be well-drained. It should not conserve excessive moisture and also should have enough potential to retain the nutrient quantity. 

3. Inappropriate Humidity Condition

After that, I will talk about the humidity condition. This is a common mistake that most gardeners do. A candy-tuft plant cannot grow restlessly in high humidity. Excessive humidity is detrimental to their existence. 

Besides, too much humidity causes the growth of pathogens that weaken the plant and kill it. That’s why they cannot make enough production of foliage and the growth system remains imperfect. 

Control Measures

The humidity range should be between 50-60% for a candy-tuft plant. You can use a humidity meter to understand the exact level of humidity. If the humidity is too low, you can fix it with a humidifier. Else, to keep the humidity at a controlled level, water the plant in a perfect manner.

4. Root Rot

Undoubtedly, the root rot problem is the most serious problem for a candy-tuft plant that can cause the death of a candy-tuft plant. This is mainly caused due to overwatering problems.

When you water a lot of plants, the plant cannot uptake all of them. The plant uses a certain amount of that water and the rest of the water remains in the root zone. As the root area becomes soggy due to too much water, fungus, and other pathogens start to grow there and the plant easily dies due to the malfunctioning.

Control Measures

Generally young candytuft plants need more and regular watering. Once they are established, they do not need much water. You should think about these criteria and season while watering.

To understand if the plant needs water or not, you can first check the soil condition and then apply water to the plant. Also, check the drainage system daily so that the excess water can be easily drained out from the pot.

5. Insect Infestation

The next one is the insect infestation issue that is caused by some common insects like mealybugs, scales and spider mites. Mostly, they bite on the leaf or suck the leaf sap from the cells and thus the plant becomes weak and dies at a certain time.

Control Measures

Remove the insects by handpicking if they are in an initial stage. Most importantly, if you can remove the eggs of the insects, you need not take any further tension.

But if the insect infestation becomes out of control, you have to apply industrial insecticides or homemade insecticides. If industrial insecticides are available, you can spray them on the plant according to the required dose. 

If those insecticides are not available and you want to try an organic one, then I can suggest some organic solutions.

  • Solution 1: Baking soda 

Apply 4 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 gallon of water. Then mix the solution properly and spray it on your plant.

  • Solution 2: Neem oil

It is supposed to be one of the most beneficial homemade recipes. You can apply ¼ tablespoon of aloe vera powder, 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, 2 tablespoons of concentrated neem oil and a few drops of essential oil together in 1 gallon of water. Then spray it on the affected places.

6. Disease Attack

Lastly, I will enlist one more thing which is the death of the plant by disease attack. Disease attack is initiated by wounds caused by insects. The pathogens enter through the wounds and create an infestation. 

Control Measures

If you find abnormalities in your plant due to a disease attack, first remove that part of the plant. It will stop the spread of the plant.

Then you can use fungicides under the group carbendazim. Again, a Bordeaux mixture can be also helpful for your plant. To prevent bacteria, you can use bactericides. Else, if these are not available near you, you can take the help of the organic remedies that I explained in the insect infestation section.

Can a Candytuft Plant Be Revived From Dying?

Yeah! You can revive a candy-tuft plant from dying. But for that purpose, you have to follow some rules strictly to protect your plant.

  • Cutting Back

First of all, remove all the parts of the plant completely. If needed, you can cut around one-third of the plant. This will help in the new growth of the plant. Again, the eggs or pathogens remaining in the green leaves will be removed. Thus, you can save your plant.

  • Maintaining microclimate 

Maintain the elements of microclimate like humidity, temperature and sunlight properly. Watering, fertilizing and cutting activities should be done after a needed and regular interval. The plant should be kept in a perfect place that is suitable for its growth.

Caring Requirements of a Candytuft Plant

Sunlight Bright but indirect 
WateringWatering should be done regularly when the soil is dry
Climate Warm and moderately humid
SoilSoil should be nutrient-enriched, well-drained, sandy loam and of slightly acidic or neutral pH
Temperature 70°F
Humidity 50-60%

If you want a detailed guide about the caring of a candy-tuft plant, you can enjoy this video-

FAQs

Can a candy-tuft plant grow in a highly humid area?

No. A candy-tuft plant usually doesn’t grow in a highly humid area. Candytuft plants have slight xerophytic characteristics in their mechanism. That’s why high humidity is detrimental to them.

Can I propagate a candytuft plant by stem cutting?

Yeah! A candy-tuft plant can be propagated by cutting stems. But the cut stem should be vibrant and should be collected from a healthy and disease-free mother plant.

Is complete shade beneficial for a candy-tuft plant?

No. This plant cannot grow perfectly in a complete shade area. It needs enough sunlight for food production. Providing partial shade from afternoon scorching sunlight is helpful for them.

Final Thoughts

These are all about the experiences that I gained from my candy-tuft plants. Why is my candytuft dying? This is a critical question to answer as the reasons are diversified. 

The criteria that I mentioned here are the most common problems or mistakes that gardeners may go through. If you also need a suggestion to save your candytuft plant, then match it with your problem and pick the right solution for that problem. Thus, keep your garden vibrant with a healthy candytuft plant.

James Rivenburg
James Rivenburg
James Rivenburg

James Rivenburg is the founder of plantandpest.com, a passionate gardener with valuable experience and knowledge gained through trial and error. The website has a large community of followers who trust his tips and techniques and have succeeded with his advice. He is always Committed to helping others create a beautiful and healthy garden.

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