8 Common Houseplant Problems and What to Do About Them
From root rot to temperature shifts, we get to the bottom of your houseplant woes with some simple troubleshooting.
Despite your best efforts to maintain a little greenery around the house, foliage and florals can have a way of wilting, drooping, and drying out with seemingly little explanation. But before you totally renounce your green thumb, try getting to the bottom of your houseplant troubles with some simple troubleshooting. To help you out, we've rounded up a few of the most common problems when it comes to keeping houseplants healthy and thriving, including everything from how to spot each issue to how to fix it.
Related: 14 Easy Houseplants Anyone Can Grow
The Problem: Root Rot
When you find your houseplants starting to look wilted, worn, and discolored, it might be time to check up on your roots. Without proper drainage, houseplants can quickly begin to experience root rot, which is, as the name suggests, the rotting of a plant's roots. To see if your plant is experiencing root rot, try gently taking your plant out of the soil and having a look at its roots. While healthy roots will be sturdy and pliable, rotting roots tend to be mushy and fragile.
The Fix: Rinse, Trim, and Repot
If you are seeing the latter, you can try to remedy the problem by gently rinsing off the roots and trimming away those that are affected. If you need to trim a significant amount of roots, you might want to prune a few of the plant's actual leaves, as well, which can help to promote the growth of new roots in the plant. Once you're finished, repot the plant in fresh soil and a container with plenty of drainage holes.
The Problem: Overwatering
While it's important to stay on top of watering your houseplants in order to help them stay in good shape, there is such a thing as giving them too much water. In fact, overwatering is one of the most common problems people have with their plants. Wilting and brown spots appearing on plant leaves may serve as a "red flag" to let you know that you should go a little easier on the watering. Left unchecked, overwatering will eventually contribute to root rot, making it essential to see the warning signs early.
The Fix: Know Your Plant
The key to getting your watering routine right is familiarizing yourself with the general water requirements for your plant variety. One quick way to check your plant's thirst is to stick your finger one inch into the soil. If it feels dry, it could probably use some water. When the top looks dry but the soil below is moist—hold back on watering.
Some plants, like hibiscus, need frequent watering, while others, like salvia, are fine with less frequent watering. Once you know each plant's preference, set a watering schedule from there.
The Problem: Not Enough Sun
It's no secret that sunlight, or any light, is essential to healthy plant life. And while, generally speaking, basic shrubs and foliage don't necessarily need quite as much sun as flowering plants, when it comes to determining how much sunlight your houseplant actually needs, the answer typically comes on a case-by-case basis.
The Fix: Look at the Leaves
If leaves start yellowing and newer leaves fail to grow to their full size, it could be a sign that your plant is in need of more direct light. Try moving your plant closer to a window for increased exposure to the sun. However, be careful about moving plants next to cold wintry windows—see Temperature Fluctuations below.
The Problem: Nutrient Deficiency
When leaves start to look slightly discolored, this could be a sign that your houseplant is lacking in nutrients, particularly when it comes to three of the most essential plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
The Fix: Fertilize It
In the case of a nutrient deficiency, it's easy enough to address the problem by adding in some nutrient-rich fertilizer. You can also try different organic solutions, like adding coffee grounds to your houseplants' soil to boost nitrogen content.
The Problem: Dry Air
While different plants have different requirements for things like water and temperature, most are pretty similar in that they don't really thrive in dry air. Rather, plants prefer moist, slightly humid environments, which isn't usually the condition of the air indoors. If you notice that plant leaves are browning and slightly drying out, this might be a sign that your houseplant is craving a little bit more moisture in the air.
The Fix: Set a Spritzing Schedule
Alleviate the problem by first making sure that your plant isn't placed near sources of heat, like a radiator or heater. Then, offer your plant an occasional mist of water to keep it from drying out. Another option, if you're not sure you can keep up with spritzing your houseplant regularly, is to place a tray with pebbles and water under your potted houseplant. That water, which can't be absorbed by the roots, will eventually evaporate and help make the air directly surrounding the plant just a bit more humid.
The Problem: Temperature Fluctuations
When plants are exposed to too many different temperature ranges, they're not likely to have the best reaction to the constant shifts. If your plant is looking droopy, changing temperatures might be the reason.
The Fix: Stick to One Room
One way to make sure that you're not causing too much temperature fluctuation for your indoor foliage is to avoid moving potted plants between different rooms. Each individual room in your home is, in a sense, its own different environment and even the slightest shifts in temperature between rooms can be bad news for houseplants. One time that a shift in temperature may actually work wonders on plant health, though? In the evening. To mimic the conditions plants are accustomed to in nature, it might be a good idea to try cranking down the thermostat just a smidge at night.
The Problem: Mealybugs
Even though your plants may live inside, they are still susceptible to unwanted pests, like mealybugs. You can see whether your plant has mealybugs by checking for a white, waxy coating growing on the plant's leaves. A mealybug infestation is often the result of overwatered or overly fertilized plants. If you think you have a mealybug infestation, be sure to treat it right away because it can cause stunted growth, yellowing leaves, and plant death.
The Fix: Clean Your Plant
There are a few different methods for getting rid of mealybugs.
Wipe the plant's leaves with rubbing alcohol where you see mealybugs—just be sure to test out a section of the plant first to ensure the alcohol doesn't inadvertently burn the plant.
Use a neem oil spray on the entire plant, including underneath the leaves. Neem oil is a vegetable oil that is effective for ridding plants of mealybugs.
Spray your plant with an insecticidal spray, paying close attention to underneath the leaves where mealybugs like to congregate.
Make a DIY spray out of a bulb of garlic, a small onion, and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Blend these ingredients together until they form a paste. Then, add 1 quart of water and let it sit for up to an hour. When it's done steeping, strain it through cheesecloth and add a tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Pour it into a spray bottle and spray your plant down, taking particular care to spray the signs of infestation.
Related: 8 Houseplants That Thrive in Low Light
The Problem: Moldy Soil
If your plants are not thriving indoors, moldy soil may be the cause. While it's always harmful to the health of your plant, mold on or in your plant's soil can zap it of key nutrients, reducing growth and leaving it susceptible to disease. Mold can look differently depending on the type, but if you see something fuzzy, powdery, or slimy looking, it's likely mold growth.
The Fix: Scrape or Replace Soil
Getting rid of mold in your houseplant is actually an easy fix. All you have to do is scrape away the mats of mold and throw it away. You can also opt to replace all of the soil in your houseplant if you're concerned there's mold growth inside and not just on top.
Some ways to prevent mold are to improve soil drainage, improve air circulation, and expose your plant's soil to plenty of sunshine.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart.