It is frustrating to have a plant that isn’t doing as well as it was. It can be very difficult to figure out what’s wrong because the symptoms your plant shows can mean a lot of different things. Luckily, there is a solution.
Our guide includes descriptions of each of the possible symptoms, how they affect your plants, and how to treat them.
Symptoms: What does your plant show?
The symptoms of your plant can be confusing at times. Examine the various causes we have listed to determine how your plant is doing and how you can help it.
We will now discuss the specific symptoms your plants may show!
Yellow leaves
Yellowing leaves on your house plant are the most common sign of trouble. Yellow leaves on your house plant could mean four different things:
- The roots of your plant are rotten.
- There is not enough sunlight for your plant.
- Your plants are nutrient-deficient.
- You have a root-bound plant.
You can expect root rot or improper sunlight to be the most frequent causes of your plant’s distress. Nutrient deficiency or a root-bound plant are less likely causes but could also be causing problems.
Brown tips or edges of leaves
If you notice that your houseplant’s tips are turning brown, it will look like it’s dying. Fortunately, this is not always the case. You can still help your plant recover if you catch the problem early on.
You might notice brown tips or edges on the leaves of your house plant when:
- There is too much heat or dryness in the air.
- The soil contains too much salt.
- Your plant lacks essential nutrients.
- There is root rot on your plant.
When the tips of your plant’s leaves start turning brown, it is usually an indication that the plant needs more water. However, you shouldn’t overwater your plant, as this can also cause the tips to turn brown. Check the location of your plant to see if it is too warm. If not, you can look at your watering habits.
Only bottom leaves turn yellow
It is possible for some or all of the leaves of your plant to turn yellow, but not all. If you notice that some of your plant’s leaves are yellowing or falling off, it might be due to:
- Age is catching up with your plant.
- Your plant lacks nutrients.
- You have a root-bound plant.
It’s normal for plants to lose leaves as they get older since they don’t keep replacing stems and leaves. Plants like Crotons don’t have a problem, and will grow leaves on newer parts of their stems.
Insufficient space or energy could also cause your plant to drop its leaves.
Leaves suddenly fall off
Plants suddenly dropping their leaves is frightening. It often happens after you make some drastic changes to your plant’s environment. Your plant might suddenly drop its leaves because:
- It’s a shock to your plant.
- The roots of your plant are rotten.
It’s possible that your plant is in shock if you’ve recently relocated it. Some plants will handle this without a problem, but some, such as Calatheas, cannot handle change. They need time to adjust before they are capable of thriving again.
Plant starts to wilt
Watering issues are the leading cause of plant wilt. This is an easy symptom to recognize, because it’s all due to inconsistent watering regime. Wilting in leaves are due to:
- The roots are rotten.
- There is not enough water given.
In order to identify which one your house plant has, you just need to check your soil and see if it’s dry. If it’s moist, your plant’s probably got root rot.
Spots on leaves
Several types of fungi can cause spots on your plant’s leaves. These infections can often be recognized by looking for them on leaves. When you observe this, the first thing you want to do is separate this plant from all your other plants since you don’t want it to spread.
After putting your plant in a safe place, you can identify which of these two problems you are facing:
- Fungal infection
- Water spots
There is a lesser chance of water spots and they only appear in a few plants, so look for fungal infections first.
Leaves get yellow speckling
Spider mites can easily be dealt with if your plant shows yellow spots and there are cobwebs in the area. Spider mites are a common pest that affects many types of plants.
Sticky leaves
Another pest, like the spider mite, is Mealy bugs and scale. You can identify the presence of these pests by feeling the leaves. When your plant is infected, its leaves will be sticky and you may see cotton fluff or brown spots on them. It’s important to catch any pest early on, as it might no longer be possible to help your plant recover if it’s left for weeks.
Plant suddenly stops growing
If you’ve been growing plants for a while, you may have seen that some plants suddenly stop growing, but this is totally normal if it’s currently autumn or winter. During spring or summer, your plant may not grow well for several reasons:
- Root rot
- Nutrient deficiency
- Root bound
Root rot is the most common problem, but nutrient deficiencies and inadequate space are also possible. Make sure your plant does not have root rot first, since this could harm your plant. If not, you might need to fertilize or repot your plant.
Smaller than normal leaves
During the spring and summer when your plant is growing well, everything is perfect, but when your plant starts to grow leaves that are small, you might have a problem. When your plant begins to grow leaves that are smaller than normal, it may be as follows:
- The roots of your plant are rotten.
- Your plant lacks nutrients.
- There is not enough sunlight for your plant.
- You have a root-bound plant.
In many cases, your house plant cannot grow bigger because it lacks the energy or the space it needs. When your plant is lacking in space, growth is not promoted, leading to your plant staying small.
Causes: Why is this happening?
The most common symptoms we discussed have been identified. Now we’ll investigate why your plant is showing these symptoms and what can be done to help it.
Root rot
The problem of root rot is a common one when it comes to houseplants. Root rot occurs when your roots don’t get enough oxygen. This occurs when you accidentally overwater your plants for an extended period of time. Your plant can recover if you water it too much once. However, if you consistently water it too much, the soil loses oxygen, and the roots rot. You run the risk of losing your plant.
In any case, as long as you catch the problem early, you can rescue your plant. To put it in dry soil, you can let the soil drain or, in the worst case scenario, repot your plant.
Not enough sunlight
The leaves of many plants, especially those that are brightly colored and have interesting patterns like orchids, turn pale or yellow when they don’t get enough sunlight. This indicates your plant needs a brighter place to thrive.
Plants generally handle changes quite well, but there are a few that require a little time to adjust. So when you move your plant to a brighter spot, make sure to do this gradually. Some plants need a little time to settle in, so you should move it slowly.
Occasionally, yellow and pale leaves do not return to their original color. If this happens, you can trim these leaves and wait for new ones to grow. These new leaves should return to their original color if your plant is receiving enough sunlight.
Too little water
Water-stressed plants often not only droop and deteriorate, but their leaves also start to turn yellow. This is usually not harmful until the plants start to wilt, at which point it is too late. It takes a matter of hours for your plant to recover by watering it. They’ll look like nothing happened and will look the same as before.
Nutrient deficiency
The soil should provide enough energy to your plant to grow big. If it does not receive enough energy from the soil, it will turn pale. When this happens, you will need to provide extra nutrients to the plant to make it strong and healthy.
The best way to accomplish this is to fertilize your plant to give it the crucial nutrients it needs to grow and heal from any damage. Once you fertilize your plant, it should return to normal within a few days.
Plant is root bound
The roots of your house plant will become too big for the pot if you don’t repot it in time. Some plants grow rapidly, while others take a bit longer. You should repot your house plant often to allow it to continue growing.
If the roots of your plants begin to circle the bottom of the pot or it appears that the roots are growing more than the soil, it’s time to repot. Repot your plant in a pot that’s about 5 cm (2 inches) bigger than it’s currently in. In that way you avoid putting your plants in pots that are too large because if the pots are too large, it’s easy to overwater your plants and cause root rot.
Hot or dry air
Some plants thrive in hot or dry air, while others don’t; tropical plants, in particular, need humidity to thrive, while dry air turns their foliage brown and crispy. Plants such as Calathea require humidity to thrive, while hot air will turn their leaves brown and crispy.
If this occurs, there are several steps you can take to fix it. Try moving your plant out of direct sunlight so it doesn’t get exposed to too much hot air.
A humidifier may be used, or your house plant can be placed on a pebble tray to raise humidity in the air. There are many amazing ways to raise humidity for your house plant.
Too much salt in the soil
It’s possible you have heard or read somewhere that you shouldn’t use tap water to water your plants. While it’s true that you should avoid tap water when watering your plants, it also exposes your plants to calcium in your water lines. This is not a problem if you do it just once, but if you do it consistently, your soil will become saturated with calcium every time you water your plant. The salt builds up like a thin white crust in the soil.
It is possible to prevent this from happening by only watering your plants with distilled water. While this may not be an option for you, a second way is also available. Tap water can be used, but make sure that you let it sit in your watering can for 24 hours before watering your plant. This will allow the salts in the tap water to dissolve at the bottom of the container, preventing your plant from being exposed to them.
In case the soil has too much salt, it’s easy to remove the excess by giving your plant extra water and allowing it to drain out of the bottom of the pot.
Your plant is in shock
Adding sudden changes to your plants’ environment can put them in shock. For instance: moving them from a dark place to a bright one. Not all plants can work with such a sudden change, and they will need a few weeks to adjust. When your plants are trying to settle in, they will do whatever they can to keep from dying, including dropping leaves and stems to conserve their energy.
This condition can be prevented by slowly changing the environment of your plant. If your plant is currently in shock, leave them alone. Your plant will adjust on its own schedule. You risk losing it if you move it again. This is a terrifying prospect for anyone who loves plants, whether they’re beginners or seasoned plant owners alike.
Fungal infection
Unlike bacteria and viruses, fungal diseases are more likely to occur in plants you have just recently bought. This is why it’s important to separate your new plants from your other plants for the first few weeks in order to avoid the spread of any disease to your other plants.
You can avoid fungus infections on your plant by keeping the leaf tissue dry. Fungi, like all organisms, require moisture to develop, so when you do not provide it, it cannot develop. If the leaves on your plant have black spots, cut them off to prevent them from spreading.
Water spots
It’s not very common for house plants to develop water spots. Water spots are caused by cold water touching certain types of plants’ leaves.
By ensuring that water never touches the leaves of your plant, you can prevent water spots from appearing. If your plant has already developed water spots, you can trim the leaves.
Spider mites
There are a lot of house plants that are at risk for spider mite infestations. When your plant has spider mites, its leaves will often show yellow spots, as well as cobwebs.
Spider mites can be eradicated by drowning them with soapy water. You can also kill them using a neem oil mixture. Neem oil will kill them in a matter of days and will also prevent them from coming back soon.
Mealy bugs or scale
Those creepy bugs look like cotton balls on your plants and can infect them quickly. Often they show up through new plants, or they may come from outdoors or even from some fruit.
Keeping your plants away from any fruit, not allowing them to be brought outside, and separating new plants from your collection for a few weeks will help prevent mealybugs from getting to your plants. Mealybugs can be treated by using rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab, which you should then touch the mealybugs with, and they will die immediately.
Using Neem oil is also a way to kill mealybugs. Prepare a solution of Neem oil, water, soap, and spray generously on the plant. This will eliminate the mealybugs in a few days.