Pineapple Sage Crisp and Wilt Simultaneously

From time to time, the edges of the leaves on my two Pineapple Sage plants get brown and crispy. It's usually 5-7 leaves at a time, not all on one branch.

Soil is kept moist, and the plants get medium light and consistent 70-75 F temperatures (they're waiting to outplant after the last frost in zone 8a).

Other than the few leaves at a time that crisp, the plants seem healthy and strong. They're adding foliage, not leggy, not thinning, good color.

If I leave the crispy leaves on the plant, they eventually turn into something resembling a soggy green-brown rag. They are still firmly attached at the stem, but are clearly dead. Only the edges crisp; the rest of the leaf turns soggy.

So, what's causing my crispy wilt?

I have the same condition on my pineapple sages, but don't know the cause.

I had made cuttings from the parent plant last fall, brought them inside and rooted them. They're under lights, waiting for the right time to plant out (May here, lol)

I just pick off the affected leaves, and have actually cut back the cuttings. It responded by sending out new growth.

I think they will be alright when they go outside.

Interesting! I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I find that the leaves are still very firmly attached. I can't easily pick them off without putting a lot of pressure on the stem. They don't twist off, either. Since I'm worried about damaging the plant, I've either been snipping off damaged leaves with scissors, or letting them stay until they wilt completely.

You might try keeping things a little drier, many sages like things on the drier side, so "the soil is kept moist" may be a little too wet for them . But if they seem healthy other than that, it could also just be a combination of various things caused by being indoors and they'll probably recover when you get them out in the garden.

Most monographs on Pineapple Sage I've found online say to keep the soil evenly and consistently moist (not wet). This is in contrast to most other sages, which prefer to be more dry. I've been following that advice so far, but I could easily be under- or overwatering without realizing it.

The soggy wilt sure seems like too much water, but the crispy edges seem like too little. Are crispy edges a sign of too much water in some plants? I'm really new at this stuff, and I thought crispiness usually indicated too little water rather than too much.

I just know one of you will be along in a minute to tell me, "It all depends!"

well, I know that my poor pineapple sages are either bone dry or soaking wet.... depending.



so, the cause of my problem is inconsistent watering.... problem solved

they really need to be repotted into a bigger pot, and that will solve the problem!

Crispy edges could also be from low humidity indoors. Then the sogginess is from overwatering. (leaves of overwatered plants can get crispy eventually when they're dead, but usually they turn soggy first and then crispy, so I suspect the crispy edges are due to your indoor conditions)

I've grown pineapple sage outdoors in my no summer rain climate, and while it does need a bit more water than some of the more drought tolerant sages, I think if it's indoors and you're keeping it moist all the time that could be too much for it. I'd try backing off on the water for a little and see if the sogginess stops.

Sounds reasonable. I'll back off on water and try to raise the surrounding humidity with a pebble tray. Thanks!