I want to say it was over watered causing root rot.
this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2026
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Do you have an idea of how much root mass there is? Too few roots and too much plant can lead to very harsh transplant shock, and the plant will abandon leaves and stem to rebalance itself. Best practice is to remove top growth when dividing to prevent the plant from going through enough shock to kill it (I run a small plant nursery and do lots of divisions).
I'd recommend removing it from the pot and substrate to place in water for a day or two - leave it somewhere without direct sunlight to help promote root growth over shoot growth. This will also give you an opportunity to gauge how much root mass there is compared to the rest of the plant. If they seem about even, don't worry about cutting the stem back. If there's more shoot than root, cut the stem back just above one of the leaf nodes.
Not to go overboard (too late?) but "moisture control" can apply to potting mixes that are high porosity (fast draining, low moisture holding) or those that have chemical wetting agents that hold water long after you've last applied any. If the moisture control stuff you got is from miracle gro I'd recommend taking some aside, placing it in a pot, and testing how long a given amount of water keeps it wet while you're rehabilitating your plant. This will give you better information to set your watering routine once your plant is happier. If it holds too much water you can increase the porosity and draining potential by mixing in some all purpose sand (not playground sand, it's too fine)
Thanks for the in-depth reply. I put it in some water and out of the direct sunlight. How can you tell if there is root rot? I’m guessing the moisture control soil must be the kind that retains, because I havent watered it for a few days but it feels slightly damp.
How can I tell if there is enough root to support the plant? And if I trim it back to a leaf node, do I include a leaf?
Here are some pictures of the root and leaf node: https://i.postimg.cc/CLKyzxD2/IMG-3572.jpg
How recently did you transplant it? If it's just a couple days, it might just be recovering.
A few days ago. I’m trying not to do too much at once but I don’t want to wait if it needs a change. The person I got it from said to just try the roots in a glass of water for a few days and then transfer to soil with not too much water if it looks better.
It definitely gives me over watered vibes, but I am just a hobbyist, no expert knowledge. If it's freshly transplanted, I'd give it a few days and see how it adapts. I don't know what moisture control potting soil contains (I assume some kind of plant-friendly dessicant?), but it could be reacting to that? I wouldn't move it around too much more without giving it time to recover after transplanting, tho.
Sleepy vine.