Drooping parsley can be a reaction to intense heat, drought, saturated soil, a lack of regular pruning, too much fertilizer or parsley can wilt as a sign of stress due to a sudden contrast in conditions when cultivated indoors to then being planted outdoors.
Parsley requires moist, well draining soil to grow properly and it is one of the first herbs in a herb garden to wilt due to drought.
However if you have bought parsley as a young plant from a garden center or grown from seed indoors then the contrast in temperature and soil conditions can cause parsley to droop temporarily as it adjusts to the new environment.
Often drooping parsley is easily revived, depending on the cause.
Keep reading to understand what has caused your parsley to droop and what you can do to save it…
Save Parsley Wilting or Drooping in Pots
The reasons for potted parsley drooping is because:
The pot is too small and therefore dries out too quickly which causes the parsley to wilt.
Parsley can droop because of water stress and root rot caused by a lack of drainage holes in the base of the pot.
To prevent parsley from wilting ensure that it is planted in a pot or container that is around 12 inches across.
If the pot or container is too small there is less capacity for soil and therefore less capacity for moisture available for the roots of the parsley which causes drooping.
Smaller pots and containers also heat up much quicker in the sun compared with larger pots, which increases evaporation from the soil and the parsley droops as a sign of stress.
How to solve it:
If your potted parsley is consistently wilting despite frequent watering then transplant the parsley to a larger pot with lots of compost to help retain moisture.
With frequent watering and some protection from the intense heat of midday sun the parsley should perk up again after a few days.
Whilst parsley can droop as a result of a lack of water, it can also wilt (and turn yellow) as a sign of stress due to water logged roots.
A common mistake when growing parsley is to plant it in a pot without proper drainage holes in the base, or to place the pot in a saucer or a tray which prevents excess water from escaping.
If excess water cannot drain away from the pot after watering your parsley then the soil quickly becomes saturated which promotes the conditions for root rot and other fungal diseases causing your parsley to droop.
(To learn more, read my article about how to save parsley that has turned yellow).
Transplant your parsley to a pot or container with drainage holes as an urgent priority and leave the soil to dry out somewhat before watering again.
The parsley can recover from a wilted state if it is suffering from water sensitivity in a few days, however if there is significant root rot or fungal disease and the leaves have all turned yellow then I would recommend discarding the plant as they can be difficult to save.
Parsley Wilting on Hot Days (Despite Being Well Watered)
It can be frustrating if your parsley is persistently drooping in Summer even through it is well watered and growing in good conditions.
The parsley usually perks up again as the temperature cools or if you protect it from direct sun.
This temporary drooping due to hot weather does not harm the plant as such but if it is drooping every day in response to intense heat and light then I recommend protecting it from midday sun by moving the pot to shade for a few hours.
Parsley is a great herb to grow as you can trim it regularly for culinary use and it responds by growing more abundantly then before.
If you do not prune parsley regularly then it can grow leggy and subsequently droop.
During Spring and summer you may need to prune your parsley as frequently as once every 3 weeks to maintain a nice even shape and prevent it from drooping under its own weight.
Pruning parsley promotes more growth and a bushier plant so that you have a good supply of parsley for cooking throughout the Spring and Summer.
Once parsley has exceeded 8 inches in height, it is a good time to prune it to prevent drooping.
Watch this YouTube video for a good visual guide to pruning parsley:
Excess Fertilizer Causes Parsley to Droop
A common cause of a drooping parsley plant is because of high nitrogen fertilizers or because of the use of soil amendments such as poultry manure (which is particularly high in nitrogen).
The nitrogen in fertilizer promotes lots of foliage growth which can cause the stems of your parsley to become soft and sappy which makes it more prone to drooping and vulnerable to insect pests such as aphids.
Parsley planted in good compost does not necessarily require any fertilizer to thrive, however if you are intent on maximizing the harvest then a half strength all purpose fertilizer helps to promote more growth.
Always follow the manufacturers guidelines when applying fertilizer to ensure that you do not apply too much fertilizer to avoid drooping parsley.
Too much nitrogen can change the flavour and aroma of parsley so I recommend to trim back any excessively drooping growth and the parsley should grow back in 2 or 3 weeks in favourable conditions.
Parsley Drooping After Planting (Transplant Shock)
Transplant shock can cause your parsley plant to droop as a sign of stress because of the contrast in conditions such as light, soil, watering frequency and temperature in which it was grown to the conditions in which it has been transplanted.
The roots also have to adjust to new soil conditions with a different structure, nutrient profile and drainage conditions.
After transplanting parsley there is at a greater risk of drought as the roots are not established yet and the abundant leaves can lose a lot of water (through transpiration) on hot, sunny days which causes parsley to droop.
So if you bought a parsley plant from the store or perhaps you have grown parsley from seed and you are transplanting it outside you should try to mitigate transplant shock.
To mitigate transplant shock and therefore limit the amount your parsely droops or wilts it is important to:
Water the parsley every 2 to 3 days to ensure that the soil is consistently moist so the roots can draw up water quicker then they lose it through their leaves.
Plant parsley in a potting mix of compost and leaf mould as these materials have an exceptional capacity for retaining moisture and they are rich in nutrients.
Protect parsley from intense midday sun which can increase soil evaporation and transpiration from the leaves.
As long as you are growing parsley in the right conditions the parsley should adjust to its new surrounding and recover from its drooping appearance in about a week.
Drought Causes Parsley to Droop
Parsley requires moist yet well drained soil and tends to droop quickly due to drought and dry soil.
Parsley is native to central and eastern Mediterranean countries but it is far less drought tolerant then a lot of other Mediterranean herbs such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano due to its abundant leaves that have a large surface area which results in more transpiration (water loss from the leaves).
To prevent parsely from drooping due to drought, water your parsley as frequently as required to keep the soil moist.
In the height of Summer, potted parsley should be watered around once every 2 or 3 days and perhaps every day in exceptionally high temperatures.
If they weather has been somewhat overcast or there has been plenty of rainfall then watering once per week is usually enough to prevent parsley from drooping or wilting.
Key Takeaways:
The most common reasons for drooping parsley are because of drought, a lack of regularly pruning or parsley may temporarily droop to help conserve moisture on exceptionally hot days.
Potted parsley often droops due to poor draining, or because of small pots that dry out too quickly in the sun which causes drought.
High nitrogen fertilizer causes the parsley to grow quickly but with weaker stems that can droop under their own weight.
Transplanting parsley from indoors to outdoors can cause parsley to droop.
Parsley should be pruned once it exceeds 8 inches in height which stimulates more growth and prevents the plant from drooping.
Treating the parsley much like a bunch of flowers will keep it fresh longer. Trim the stems slightly, and without washing place the bundle in a container filled with about 1 inch of water.Cover the container loosely with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator.
Parsley needs moist but well-drained soil and quickly droops due to drought and dry soil. Solution – To prevent Parsley from drooping due to drought, water your Parsley frequently as needed to keep the soil moist.
Indoor parsley care is easy. Keep the soil lightly moist and empty the saucer under the pot after every watering so that the roots don't sit in water. Feed the plants every two weeks with fish emulsion or half-strength liquid fertilizer. You can grow other herbs in the container with parsley, if desired.
If the leaves are drooping and the soil is very dry, start by watering, or even showering your plant. It should perk back up within just a couple of hours but may take a few days to recover fully.
Can your wilted plant be saved? It depends on why your plant is wilting. Different causes require different responses. If you've under watered your plant or have extremely low humidity, you can add water more and/or raise the humidity level around the plant.
As with most herbs, parsley does best in a sunny area that receives direct light for six to eight hours a day. It can tolerate some light shade. Sow seeds directly in the ground where you will grow the plants, after danger of spring frosts has passed.
Put chopped parsley on everything: Don't chop it too finely — bigger pieces are prettier and have more flavor. Throw it with abandon on top of grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, a cold green-bean salad, stews, soups, pasta, hot or cold grain dishes like couscous or quinoa or tabbouleh or …
Parsley. Parsley that is grown outdoors requires a thorough watering once or twice each week. The soil should be damp to a depth of around two inches. Allow the soil to mostly dry before you water in abundance again.
Parsley really love water and do not like to dry up! It might even be hard to overwater it, but still, even a water-loving plant can get overwatered. Always feel the soil before watering - it should feel damp but not wet.
Seeds should be planted only about 1/4 inch deep and between 6 and 10 inches apart. Make sure to mark the spot to remember where your seeds are to avoid disrupting them, as parsley is slow to germinate. A support structure won't be necessary.
If you have ever bought a live pot of herbs from the supermarket, you will have found that you must use all the herbs in a short period, as they often do not last very long sitting on the shelf in your kitchen. There are several reasons for this: Such herbs are not intended to last more than 1-2 weeks.
Once a plant reaches full size, parsley needs 1 to 2 inches of rain or supplemental water per week to continue growing well. Water is the crucial element for keeping parsley happy. If you let the soil go too dry, the plant withers and dies. But don't go overboard with the water or the roots will rot.
Staking a plant means driving upright stakes into the ground and fastening plants to them using plant ties. The stakes provide strength and support, and they permit plants to continue pushing skyward when they'd otherwise be overcome by rain, high winds, or the weight of their fruit or flowers.
If your plant is wilting, try giving it some water and see if it perks up. Sometimes it's as easy as that. Most plants leaves will begin to wilt when they need watered. As long as the leaves have not become crunchy, they will perk up within a few hours.
A deficiency can come from one or multiple areas (let's hope it is just one). The primary areas a plant receives nutrition from are: light (photon energy), atmosphere (CO2 and O2) and medium (H2O and mineral nutrients). Wilting/ drooping leaves are most commonly a sign of problems with water and/or nutrients.
If your plant's leaves are looking wilted and yellow, the problem is likely overwatering. Overwatered leaves will have a very soft, floppy look, because they're waterlogged.
Preventing plant damage requires either handpicking the pests and dropping them in a bucket of soapy water or dusting the plant with rotenone dust. Once a plant is limp and wilted, it probably can't be saved and should be removed.
Parsley has a long taproot and does best in containers at least 8 inches deep. Parsley grown in containers benefits from a liquid organic fertilizer application each month during the growing season.
Trimming parsley increases the yield of the plant. If it is not occasionally thinned, it loses vigor. Cutting it back will also prevent it from taking over and choking out other plants or herbs. Also, parsley flowers should be routinely cut back or pinched.
How do you harvest parsley without killing the plant? Simple—just take what you need each time you harvest. Don't cut the plant all the way back, and don't pull the plant—just snip off a stem or two or three, and your plant will keep producing parsley all season long.
Apply a 5-10-5 vegetable garden fertilizer, using 1.5 ounces of fertilizer for every 5 feet of the garden bed. Spread the fertilizer in a strip a few inches away from the row of parsley, and immediately water to help carry the fertilizer's nutrients to the parsley's roots.
Parsley doesn't need much room to grow, however it will get much bushier if you give it plenty of space. So space your seeds or seedlings about 6-8 inches apart when you plant them into the garden.
This is the number one cause why parsley leaves turn yellow. The plant is largely grown indoors, and if you do not give it enough sunlight, it will suffer from its lack. To discover more about this problem, place your parsley outdoors under a bright summer sun for a day or two.
If a plant is overwatered, it will likely develop yellow or brown limp, droopy leaves as opposed to dry, crispy leaves (which are a sign of too little water). Wilting leaves combined with wet soil usually mean that root rot has set in and the roots can no longer absorb water.
How Long for Plants to Recover from Overwatering? Depending on the circ*mstances and severity of over-watering your roots may need more time for recovery than others! The good news is that most plants will bounce back between 7-14 days if they're given proper care (which includes rehydration).
Parsley likes consistent moisture but cannot tolerate boggy soil. Keeping the soil evenly moist will make for happy plants, but too much or too little water can cause wilting. Full sun locations in the summer may also see limp leaves and stems appearing during the middle of the day.
Hardy only to about 10 degrees F, though winter mulches or cloches can enhance cold tolerance. Where winters are mild, parsley can be sown in fall and grown through winter.
Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.Remove any bruised or blackened leaves, and then submerge the wilted herbs, stems and all, into the ice bath. The cold water will shock the herbs back to life.
Leaves turn yellow and brown followed by stems and the entire plant discoloring and dying. Roots will blacken and decay and new shoots will not form. Leaf Spot – Another of the common problems with parsley plants is leaf spot, caused by the Septoria fungus.
Just as with other herbs, parsley likes to be snipped, which encourages additional growth. Bunch the stems and leaves together and snip them off at ground level with kitchen shears. You can also just take a sprig or two starting with the outside stalks first. Be sure to cut at ground level though.
Like many herbs, parsley needs a sunny spot and consistent water. That's about it. It doesn't need a lot of room, which makes it perfect for container gardens.
No matter the variety you choose, parsley grows the same way. You can grow all three types in containers indoors, any time of the year. But, you'll have to control and maintain the temperature because these herbs don't like extreme cold or hot environments.
How long does a parsley plant last? Parsley plants will only last for two years before they reach the end of their natural growing cycle. They are a biennial, which means they put on leafy foliage the first year, and then bolt (go to flower and set seed) in the second.
Just as with other herbs, parsley likes to be snipped, which encourages additional growth. Bunch the stems and leaves together and snip them off at ground level with kitchen shears. You can also just take a sprig or two starting with the outside stalks first. Be sure to cut at ground level though.
You can also take cuttings from a friend or neighbour's parsley. Cut a 7cm (2.7 inch) snippet with a few leaves on top and place immediately in a vase of water. Place on a windowsill and in a few weeks the cutting will form a white network of roots. Transfer into soil as soon as you can and grow on.
If they pots heat up too much in the sun they this increases evaporation from the soil and can cause parsley to turn yellow. Plant parsley in a good size pot or container with lots of compost and water regularly and your yellow parsley can start to recover from dehydration over the next few days.
Sun: Parsley does well in both full-sun and part-sun environments. If you're planting parsley indoors, be sure to grow it near a sunny window. Water: Although parsley grows its best in moist soil, it is relatively drought-tolerant.
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