Black spot on Scindapsus pictus

Plant Parent

I got this Scindapsus pictus from a store 1 week ago. And then a couple days ago, I noticed one of the leaves had a black area. I touched it, and it felt very soft, like it was rotting.

I thought maybe it was because the plant was planted too low in the pot. The leaves almost seem to be right on the surface of the soil. So, I decided to repot it, so the leaves would sit higher away from the soil. I attached some photos as well. Any thoughts on what happened here? Thanks again!

Darryl

Could you please show me where you’ve put this plant? I’ll help you assess the lighting situation – please let me see how far you’ve put it from the window and the size of the window.

Could you also tell me your thought process around watering and exactly how you water. I’ll do my best to help!

Plant Parent

I put the Scindapsus pictus on this little table on the right. The window is pretty large, floor to ceiling. I believe it’s a north-east facing window.

I read your book, so I pretty much follow your tips on watering. I’ll put my finger into the soil a couple inches down to assess how moist the soil is. If it’s dry, then I’ll take it to the sink and water it thoroughly until it drains out the bottom. I wait about 15-30 minutes and then put it back into its pot.

For this Scindapsus, I hadn’t watered it since I had gotten it from the plant store since the soil was still moist. I only had it about a week. Then, I noticed the black spot on one of the leaves. I know you mentioned the adaptation period, where older leaves may yellow or brown and fall off. I just hadn’t seen a black, rotting one before. So, I wasn’t sure if it was part of the adapting period or maybe a soil issue.

Darryl

Those are some excellent windows! I’m confident that your lighting situation is great for these plants!

The rotted spot might have already been set in motion prior to you acquiring the plant. I would simply cut off that leaf. As a preventative measure, you can occasionally aerate your soil by gently loosening it with a chopstick as compacted soil can cause fungal problems in the soil.

Scindapsus pictus is one of my favorite plants – I’ve had mine for several years. They propagate easily too!

Tired of your houseplants dying on you?

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