Find solutions for wilting, yellowing leaves, and other worrying symptoms on your houseplants.
If your indoor greenery has you wondering, “What’s wrong with my plants?”
What’s Wrong with My Plant?
Credit:Jason Donnelly
Questions and Answers
1.
Why Is My Houseplant Stretching?
Jason Donnelly
Answer: Light is Needed.
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
Move it closer to a window or switch it to another window that gets more light.
Why does my houseplant have curling leaves?
Answer: Insects or disease.
Credit:Denny Schrock
Unusual growth patterns are acommon sign of disease or insect presence.
You may see curling or distorted leaves and wonder, “What’s wrong with my plant?”
Look closeryou may find other signs of insects or the insects themselves.
If you find black spots or fuzzy white spots, it’s probably a disease.
Why does my houseplant have brown leaf tips?
Answer: Water, salt, or humidity.
Instead, be sure to only water when a plant needs it.
Too much salt:This can happen from overfertilizing or salts from treated tap water.
Flush the soil with water until it drains clear, orrepot your plantintofresh potting mix.
Then, go easy on the fertilizer and try watering it with distilled water.
Low humidity:Many houseplants are tropical natives.
If the air in your house or apartment is dry, place a humidifier nearby.
Why are the leaves on my houseplant yellow?
Answer: Possibly overwatering.
Anexcessive amount of yellow leaves, however, could be a sign of a more significant issue.
Overwatering kills houseplants just as often as (if not more than) underwatering.
And mosthouseplants shouldn’t sit in waterbecause constantly wet soil leads to root rot.
To avoid this problem, only use containers with drainage holes and empty water from saucers beneath them.
Yellowish leaves all over the plant may also indicate too little light.
Try moving the plant to a brighter spot.
Why is my houseplant dropping leaves?
Answer: Low light or location.
Are you constantly having to pick up leaves from the floor when you walk by your plant?
If you haven’t moved your plant recently, leaf drop may also indicate low light.
Why are the leaves on my houseplant pale or burnt-looking?
Dean Schoeppner
Answer: Too much sun or fertilizer
Like humans,your plant can get sunburned.
Pale or white leaves are usually a result of too much light.
Why are my houseplant’s leaves wilting?
Answer: It’s difficult to say.
If your plant starts to wilt and you wonder, “What’s wrong with my plant?”
it may be hard to figure out.
Wilt can be challenging to diagnose; sometimes, it can be too late to preserve your plant.
Why are there spots on my houseplant’s leaves?
Denny Schrock
Answer: Disease
Spots on leaves are oftencaused by plant disease.
Throw away any diseased plant material so it doesn’t spread to other plants.
How do I get rid of powdery mildew on my houseplant?
Solution: Increase air flow.
Powdery mildew is a fungal infectionthat affects many plants.
Remove the severely infected foliage when working on controlling the issue.
Why isn’t my plant absorbing water?
