Why Does an Indoor Podocarpus Droop

Hello, I’m just going to start with this site is amazing! Thanks you so much for being here. I’m so excited to have discovered it!
I just purchased a podocarpus two weeks ago and since bringing it home the top leafs have been “wilting/dropping” (see photo attached).
At first I thought maybe I under watered it so I watered it a bit more a few days latter but now I’m wondering if I over watered it? The soil doesn’t feel too wet and its sitting on pots inside a larger pot to elevate it so it shouldn’t be sitting in any water.
I did also treat the plant a couple days ago for wax scale with some neem oil. Maybe the wax scales are the culprit? There wasn’t too many of them and I assume they came with the plant. The plant looked healthy in the shop…I’m at a loss. Any advice would help. I’m just not sure if I should be worried.

Thanks You!

Hi,

The first thing that could be causing the problem is that this plant droops when the temperature is too warm. It prefers cool temperatures between 50°-75°F (10°-23.9°C). If the top of the plant is very close to the ceiling (where the heat in a home congregates) moving the plant to a cooler area is one solution. You can also reduce the height of the plant by getting it off of the pots it is sitting on. Just set the plant in a deep plastic saucer and water until the water start to come out the drip holes in the bottom of the pot.

A podocarpus requires very bright light. Keep the soil moist but not soggy; allow the top two inches to dry out before watering. When you do water, water well enough so that the excess water comes out the drip holes in the bottom of the pot. This insures that the roots are getting enough water.

Why does an Indoor Podocarpus Droop

You can read all my care tips in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/podocarpus-buddhist-pine-how-to-grow-care-tips