Indoor plants can add a wonderful dimension to your life, offering soothing soft greens, bold colors and intriguing forms. This is especially welcome during the long winter months in our climate. Unfortunately, sometimes our busy lives keep us from providing their basic needs and we end up with plant problems. If your plants are showing signs of distress take a few minutes and play detective. Ask yourself a few simple questions. What looks wrong? Has anything changed for the plant lately, such as care or light exposure?  Ideally, what conditions are best for the plant? It is important you try to determine what might be causing your plant problems so you can take the right steps to help it recover.

Here are several common signs of trouble in indoor plants and tips on how to help them. Keep in mind that your plant’s symptoms may be the result of more than one problem. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that a problem might be from a variety of causes, just look for the most likely and start there. Some problems can be resolved simply, without affecting the plants. Others might require some grooming to clean up the damage. If you aren’t sure about your diagnosis, stop by and see if we can help you. When possible, place a sample of the plant in a zip-lock bag and bring it with you. And don’t be hard on yourself if you aren’t able to rescue the plant… take it as a learning experience and look for a suitable replacement.

While lack of water might be the most common cause, wilting can also be an indication of too much water or too much sun or heat. Check the soil first. If you can press on the surface of the soil and still feel moisture, the wilting is not due to lack of water. If the problem is lack of water, plants usually recover quickly when watered. When the wilting seems to be the result of the soil staying too moist, simply allow the plant to get drier between watering and avoid letting water stand in the saucer for more than an hour. Sun and heat can also cause wilting, especially in plants that aren’t accustomed to those conditions. If you suspect sun or heat to be the cause, move the plant to a different location.

This can be a difficult problem to diagnose since these symptoms can be caused by over or under watering, too much sun/heat, too much fertilizer, a build-up of salt, not enough humidity, a draft or…even more confusing… a combination of factors. All you can do is resolve the most obvious cause first and if that doesn’t stop browning, look for another likely factor. Browned tips and edges will not repair themselves and the affected leaves may have to be removed.

First, look for critters causing the discoloring and deal with them accordingly. Yellowing can also indicate too little or too much light or fertilizer. In plants like tropical hibiscus, yellowing can be triggered by any sudden change of light or water levels or cold shock. Indoor plants such as cyclamen can only stay actively growing for a given length of time before their leaves begin to discolor and die as the plant goes dormant. Once again, find out the ideal conditions for the plant and work with the most likely cause first.

Look at the plant to determine if there is a pattern to the leaves dropping off. If it seems to be happening on one side of the plant, look for a draft or too much sun or heat. If most of the falling leaves seem to be coming from the bottom or deep inside the plant, check to see if it is getting enough light. If the leaf drop is generalized, look for over or under watering, too much fertilizer or too little humidity.

Some varieties of indoor plants seem to bloom on and on (such as African Violets, mini-roses or Begonias), while others go through periods of bloom (such as Azaleas, Cyclamen and Kalanchoes). Those that cycle in and out of bloom often require a resting period for a couple months with lots of light and not very much fertilizer to initiate bud set. If a variety that normally blooms on and on stops blooming, check to see if it is receiving adequate light and fertilizer.

This one is easy! Your plant isn’t getting enough light. Give the plant as much indirect and artificial light as you can and, when possible, increase the natural light.  Also, use a good fertilizer such as Osmocote for overall plant health.  

When stems become soft and begin to rot, too much water is almost always the cause (although occasionally the initial cause may have been an injury). Let the plant dry out more and be sure it doesn’t sit in a saucer full of water any longer than an hour after watering. Usually, when the problem develops to where you notice it, too much damage has already been done to help that stem. When only part of the plant is affected, cut out the damaged stems, treat with a broad-spectrum fungicide, increase air circulation and keep the plant on the dry side while it heals.

While over watering is the most obvious cause of this problem, it can also be complicated by poor drainage or poor quality potting soil. Ease the plant out of the pot, look and sniff. If the soil and the roots look dark, replace as much of the soil as possible with a good quality potting mix. Check the container for an adequate (unplugged) drainage  hole. Covering drainage holes with horticultural charcoal or broken pieces of an old clay pot will help to keep the drain holes from becoming clogged.

Close inspection of your plants may reveal pests that you wouldn’t casually notice. Most commonly, you will find aphids, spider mites, whitefly, scale or mealy bugs. Plants infested with bugs tend to have an unhealthy appearance and some discoloring or distortion of the foliage. Insects can be somewhat difficult to detect, so feel free to bring in your plant, and let us identify the problem for you. We can also advise you on appropriate treatment.  Damaged foliage may need to be removed and treatment repeated. Check nearby plants for infestation.

The most common disease problems on indoor plants are powdery mildew, stem, crown or root rots, molds and leaf spot. It is important to identify the disease so that it can be properly treated and controlled.

     Quick Tip Problem Solver

*Always check label for proper use on your particular plant for  its particular problem.