The most common reason for your calibrachoa to be dying is due to root rot. This happens because of overwatering, which causes the roots to rot from lack of oxygen and fresh nutrients. With that said – there are many possibilities. I will now go through the most likely reasons and what you can do to prevent your calibrachoa from dying.

Not enough fertilizer

If the leaves on your calibrachoa are yellow, then there is a good chance that it’s suffering from a lack of nutrients. Calibrachoa needs fertilizer to thrive, so make sure that you are adding organic fertilizer to the soil. Miracle Grow (Amazon link) is fantastic for this. This fertilizer includes every nutrient needed for the calibrachoa to thrive, while simultaneously not giving too much nitrogen, which could burn the calibrachoa’s leaves.

Insects

Check closely for any bugs around your plant – if there is some kind of bug infestation on your plants, then be sure and get a pesticide as soon as possible! I like using this neem oil from Amazon. The most commons insects are aphids, thrips, and mites. Wash your plant, and then apply the neem oil consistently.

Not enough light

Your calibrachoa requires a lot of sunlight to grow. Keep in mind that your plants need four hours of sunlight each day (even on cloudy days). If your plant is wilting and dying because it’s not getting enough light, you should move the pot closer to a window or invest in some grow lights. Here are my favorite grow lights for calibrachoa plants (Amazon link).

Too much water – root rot

Watering your plant too much will lead to root rot. I recommend only adding more water when the top few inches of the soil are completely dry. Generally, you will water your calibrachoa once a week. Remember that these plants are native to the arid lands in Mexico, so are fine spending a few days in dry soil.

Severe root rot is hard to fix. In fact, it could even be too late for your calibrachoa plant. This is why prevention is always the best answer.

You can revive a plant with root rot by cutting off all the brown or mushy stems. Remove any leaves that are wilting and leaving a few healthy ones above the soil line to help feed your plant until it is strong enough to grow on its own again.

However, if you find roots with black tips or those that have turned into a sludgy consistency, these plants may not be able to recover and should be replaced with new calibrachoa plants for better growth in your garden. Remember to:

*Allow excess water to drain from the plant, which means removing any drip trays or plastic membranes in the bottom of hanging baskets.

*Stop watering the calibrachoa for at least one week.

*Place the plant in sunlight or use a grow light.

*Remove any dead leaves with a pair of sterilized scissors.

*Consider changing the potting mix and adding Perlite to the new mix.

Poor drainage in potting mix

 Plants need to be able to breathe. The potting mix should be well-drained and not waterlogged. If the plant is sitting in a pot of wet soil, it will drown from poor drainage! To help drainage, you should use a pot with holes at the bottom, along with adding some Perlite (Amazon link) to the mix.

Too little water

The calibrachoa needs water to survive. Calibrachoa need an even balance – too much wetness can cause them to wilt or die from mold or fungus growth. It’s better if they get watered once a week, rather than one heavy session every few days. If your plant starts to wilt, you can also water it with a spray bottle.

Cold weather

As a plant native to South America, the calibrachoa thrives in warm conditions, not frost. This means your plant should always be kept in warm places that have a consistent temperature of 60 degrees or higher. You will need to bring your plant inside if the temperature drops below what is required.

Leaf spot

Most plants are vulnerable to leaf spots. This is a fungal disease that causes black spots to form on the leaves of your calibrachoa. The best way to get rid of leaf spot on a calibrachoa is by using a fungicide like this one on Amazon.

Too much fertilizer

Too much nitrogen in the soil will cause plants to grow quickly, but also very weakly. Make sure you’ve been feeding your plant with at least a balanced nutrient formula and that it has time to recover between feedings. If you have been using coffee grounds for your plant, you may want to stop.