Overwatering
Wet soil plus yellowing lower leaves points squarely at overwatering — easy to do with a plant that likes moisture.
Diagnosis
Overwatering
What's happening
Because nerve plants enjoy steady moisture, it's tempting to keep them constantly wet, but soggy soil starves the fine roots of oxygen. They begin to suffocate and rot, and the plant responds by dropping its oldest, lowest leaves first, which turn a soft, uniform yellow before they fall.
How to fix it
Let the soil dry down before watering again, and slip the plant out to check the roots — trim any brown, mushy ones with clean scissors and repot into fresh, airy mix in a pot with drainage. The goal is evenly moist, never waterlogged: water once the top of the soil feels dry to the touch rather than on a fixed schedule, and always empty the saucer so the pot never sits in standing water.
What fixes it
- A soil moisture meter — A moisture meter removes the guesswork — water when it reads at the dry end of moist, not while it's still wet.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Nerve Plant care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this