Fan flower: Diseases and Remedies (2-minute Read)

NOTE: The terms Fan flower and Scaevola aemula are identical in this text; in reality, Scaevola aemula is Fan flower’s biological word.

The fan flower is a warm-weather perennial or small shrub that is often grown as an annual flower. It is an excellent plant to grow in warm summers.

The dark blue fan-shaped flowers of the Scaevola plant can be seen from early summer right up to the frost in a hot humid climate.

Gardeners looking for a heat tolerant plant for their summer containers can look to scevola plants, which have thick stems and are able to tolerate full sun locations.

Why does my Scaevola aemula roots have rot?

If left untreated, root rot on your Fan flower (Scaevola aemula) can be fatal. For this reason, if the symptoms appear, we highly advise that you adhere to our recommendations to keep your plant alive: Blackened and softened roots.
Fan

Why does my Fan flower have gray mold spots?

Gray mold spots are a type of fungus that is found a lot in flowers, and spreads quite rapidly. If you notice brown (or gray) spots, it is probably this fungus. Don’t ignore these symptoms, as they may end up killing your plant.

Our Solution

The solution is quite logical when you know the cause of the problem. Most of the time, it is due to overwater of the Scaevola aemula. We advise you to remove the infected parts of the plant, cut off the infected roots and leaves, then repot your plant using sterile potting soil and a clean pot.

Why does my Fan flower have leaf spots?

Leaf We provide you with all the information you need to identify and save your plants if they display signs like leaves that suddenly change color or wilt/droop. This sort of sickness is one of the most aggravating for Fan flower owners.

Why are my Fan flower leaves turning yellow?

In the world of horticulture, yellowing leaves are undoubtedly the most common problem. The two main causes of this problem are overwatering and a lack of nutrition.

Reduce your watering frequency when you fear your plants are being overwatered, and follow these steps to determine whether they may be lacking in nutrients:

Each deficiency produces a different yellowing on the Scaevola aemula in question, here’s how to spot them:

  • The first symptom of a magnesium deficiency is yellow patches between leaf veins on elder leaves. The leaf’s core turns yellow while the veins stay green. The edges of the leaf yellow last.
  • Iron deficiency also shows as yellowing between leaf veins, but it hits young leaves on plant tops and branch tips first.
  • Sulfur shortage first affects the youngest leaves, turning them entirely yellow.
  • Insufficient potassium causes the leaf edges to turn brilliant yellow while the interior of the leaf stays green. Older leaves show the symptoms initially, and the leaf edges quickly darken.
  • Nitrogen deficiency shows up as a general yellowing. Older, inner leaves turn yellow first. As it progresses, yellowing moves outward, eventually reaching young leaves, too.

Our Solution

According to the symptoms mentioned above, you just have to act accordingly. You can reduce your watering frequency, or fix a deficiency in Potassium, or Nitrogen, for that, you just have to buy a special soil for your deficiency, a consultant in a gardening store will know perfectly well how to inform you.

Is my Fan flower sunburned?

It is simple to determine whether your Fan flower (your Scaevola aemula) has sunburn. Your plant will change color in this instance, beginning to turn yellow or white, much like it does on us.

Sunburned

As we saw above, the leaves of your Fan flower can also change color if it receives too much water or insufficient light.

However, there is a way to tell if it is sunburn; look at the bottom of the yellow leaves, the ones that have a shaded area closer to the root, if this area stays greener, it is probably sunburned, not something else.

Why are my Fan flower leaves turning brown?

A plant’s browning leaves are typically a symptom that it has been sunburned and has been exposed to excessive amounts of direct sunlight. Don’t worry; your plant probably won’t perish as a result, but its growth will be negatively impacted.

Should I leave my Scaevola aemula in direct sunlight?

No! If your Scaevola aemula (or Fan flower) has the symptoms described above, don’t leave it in direct sunlight, that’s the reason why your Fan flower is in such a state!

Our Solution

As stated in the paragraph above, the cure is straightforward: simply position your plant’s Fan flower so that it is out of direct sunlight. With proper watering and this method, your plant should quickly come back to life.

Why are my Scaevola aemula leaves drooping or wilting ?

This typically occurs when your Scaevola aemula gets dehydrated. Large plants are more at risk since they naturally require more water than smaller plants.

Drooping

An easy way to know if your Scaevola aemula is lacking water is to under-weigh its pot, if it looks light, it means that the soil and the roots are probably quite dry, and therefore need water!

Our Solution

If the soil in your plant’s pot is completely dry, you will need to start by moistening it so that the roots will also benefit from the water. A common mistake is to drown the Fan flower right after a dry period thinking that it needs a lot of water.

This is true, but the easiest way to end it is to give too much water at once. Instead, you should water the soil properly, returning to a peaceful watering rhythm.

Caring Tips for Scaevola aemula

Water Occasionally

Water is necessary for your plant to live, but timing and amount of watering must be balanced. Overwatering could have disastrous effects on your own name, as we already mentioned.

The best way to know if your plant needs water or not is to touch the soil, if you feel it is still wet, it is probably a good idea to wait a few more days.

Always keep temperatures stable

It’s also a good idea to keep your Scaevola aemula at a constant temperature, especially if it’s kept indoors. In general, at GreenShack, we suggest booking a temperature between 65 and 85 degrees F. Of course, keep your Scaevola aemula away from radiators, air conditioners, and other sources of hot or cold air.

Keep your Fan flower Dust-Free

This one relates to indoor plants. Just like your furniture, dust collects on the leaves of your indoor plants. The issue is that this can block the photosynthesis process from starting, which would cause the plants to gradually lose their color.

This would also make the pests happy, a real descent into hell for your Fan flower.

Take a microfiber cloth and gently massage the plant’s leaves to get rid of the dust. Use a damp cloth to make dust removal easier, but avoid using corrosive materials like rubbing alcohol!

Keep drainage in mind

If you tend to overwater, you need to pay attention to your drainage, and we advise choosing a saucer and a pot with drainage holes if they are not already there.

If your pots don’t already have holes in them, you can add volcanic rocks (or any other pebbles with holes) to the bottom of your pot in the meantime. This will assist in creating a channel and keep the water from pooling there for an extended period of time, protecting the roots from decay.