5 Things Wrong with Your Houseplant and How You Can Help It

If you have a house full of houseplants or just one prized plant friend, it can be rather disheartening to see one or all of them looking a bit under the weather despite your best efforts.

From wilting leaves and spots to mold or crispy edges, there are a few common culprits that can be reasonably easily identified and rectified.

To make things a little complicated, often the same symptom can be caused by various issues. It is at this point that you have to do some detective work. For example, yellow leaves can be the result of over- and under-watering. Feel the soil and see which one it is!

Take a look at this list of common houseplant complaints and ways to nurse your plant back to good health.

Source: Betsy Begonia/YouTube

1. Leggy, Leaning, and Spindly Plants

If you notice that your plant has grown uncharacteristically tall and spindly and seems to be leaning or reaching, it might be that it is not getting enough light. This unhealthy growth pattern is your plant desperately trying to get more light.

Fortunately, the solution is a pretty simple one. All you have to do is move your plant to a sunnier spot. Another great tip is to rotate your plant every now so that each side of it gets some light.

This will promote strong and evenly distributed growth, preventing you from having a leaning or lopsided plant.

2. Yellowing Leaves

Source: My City Plants/YouTube

This symptom can be the result of several different things. First, make sure that your plant pot is not holding water. Be sure that it has good drainage.

Secondly, be careful not to overwater. This can overwhelm and essentially drown the plant.

As well, make sure that the plant has plenty of room to grow and is not pot-bound. If you find that it is, simply transplant it into a larger pot.

Finally, put your plant in a place that gets enough sun. Plants need sun to produce chlorophyll, the pigment that makes them green!

3. Brown or Burnt Leaves

Unsurprisingly at this point, brown leaves can be a result of all the aforementioned issues- over- and under-watering, not enough light, etc. However, there are a couple of other things that you can look to to try to fix this issue.

Brown, crispy, or scorched-looking leaves can be the result of too much direct sunlight. Try moving your plant to a spot that gets light, but not direct sun.

Another cause can be overfertilization. If you are giving your houseplants some kind of fertilizer, perhaps you can hold off for a while.  Too much fertilizer can burn plants by inhibiting the amount of water they can absorb.

Flushing your soil with distilled water can help to rid the soil of a build-up of fertilizer or salts.

4. Wilting Leaves

Source: Classy Flowers/YouTube

Again, wilting leaves can be the result of too much or too little water. Check the soil and act accordingly. Too much heat can also cause your plant to wilt. This is a built-in self-preservation technique that the plant has and will rectify once it is out of direct heat.

Wilting leaves can also be a root issue. If you have tried everything else, gently pull your plant out of its pot and examine its roots. Check for any signs of rot or disease. If you can cut out any sick-looking roots, do so and replant the plant in fresh soil and a fresh pot.

5. Spots on Leaves

Spots on leaves are usually an indication of disease. Remove all the infected leaves from the plant. Be careful not to cross-contaminate by thoroughly washing your hands and any tools you use before touching another plant.

The plant might also benefit from a little pruning so that it gets better air circulation through its leaves and branches. This can help prevent disease and mildew from incubating and spreading.

Learn About Your Plant

In the end, these are just general things to look out for for any plant. The best thing you can do for your plant is to know exactly what it is and do some research on its individual needs.

Learn about how big it will get so that you can give it an appropriate-sized pot, and know how much water and light it needs. Does it need humidity? Is it prone to mildew or other diseases?

Knowing this information from the get-go can help to prevent problems from arising rather than having to cure them.

Related Content:

• 5 Edible Plants for Hanging Baskets
• 10 Edible Plants That Grow in the Shade
• 10 Drought-Tolerant Edible Plants
• Edible Plants That Thrive in Hot Weather
• 10 Edible Plants That Grow in Abundance Without Any Help
• 6 Beautiful Indoor Plants You Can Eat

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that are raising awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!