I got this plant as a gift about 18 months ago. I water regularly (but not on a schedule) and top up every now and then with my compost.
For about two months it's been looking very sad with curled,limp leaves, some brown spots and droopy branches.
It did have scale at one point and I used Neem oil a few times to get rid of it. The leaves are still really sticky and I can't get it off.
It gets very little direct sunlight and is inside all the time. I live in Sydney and it's winter right now. It's been pretty cold and we've had the heater on a fair bit.
Any tips on getting it looking great again? Do you think it's a humidity thing? Sunlight?
Thanks in advance!!!!!
by brodology1
2 Comments
It might be it needs more humidity.
>It did have scale at one point and I used Neem oil a few times to get rid of it. The leaves are still really sticky and I can’t get it off.
This is precisely why I despise neem oil and **never** recommend it under any circumstance. There are much better options and ones that don’t stick to the leaves. The oil that sticks to the leaves feels like old oil that has dripped down the side of a cooking oil bottle and has never been wiped off. It is impossible to remove from the leaves.
https://preview.redd.it/9mzfvveccufd1.png?width=761&format=png&auto=webp&s=333d3194e6ece897fe07c42e7a4002936ca8bf3f
Stop “topping” the soil. Adding more soil to the top of a potted planted is not good for the trunk. If it needs to be repotted, the entire plant should be pulled UP, sitting **higher** than the previous planting.
Coffee plants need the soil to stay **slightly** moist *at all times throughout the year*. Never let the soil become bone dry. Coffee plants only need a dappled light, so your lighting appears to be be more than sufficient.
They are also acid loving plants. A **reduced** amount (1/3 the package directions) of an acidic plant food, applied during the growing season is helpful. Do not feed now – wait until spring.