Troubleshooting Your Plants

Houseplant Troubleshooting Guide

Please select from the possible plant symptoms:

Dying plants or seedlings
Weak-looking, stunted, pale plants
Weak-looking, straggly plants
Fading, wilting plants
Slow plant growth
White crust on soil
Lower leaves turn yellow, but remain on plant
Base of stem is soft or mushy
Collapse of plant
Brown-edged leaves
Brown patches on stems and leaves
Powdery mold on leaf surface
Reddish-brown, powdery marks on leaf surfaces
Speckled leaves
Sudden loss of leaves
Bronzed or abnormally reddened leaves
Dry and brittle leaves
Leaf drop
Brown or yellow leaves
Yellow or white ring and spots on leaves
Swellings on leaves, corky ridges, water-soaked spots that turn red or brown
Yellowing between veins of young leaves, or older leaves less severely affected
Healthy leaves but no blooms
Bud drop

Symptoms	Possible Problem	Suggested Treatments
Dying plants or seedlings	Too much fertilizer	Water thoroughly to flush excess fertilizer. Halt or severely reduce feeding program.
Dying plants or seedlings	Water-logged plants	Improve drainage. Halt or severely reduce watering. Repot.
Weak-looking, stunted, pale plants	Insect attack	Isolate plant. Try to identify insects. Remove insects; wash with soapy water.
	Water-logged plants	Improve drainage. Halt or severely reduce watering. Repot.
	Under-nourished plants	Feed regularly with complete fertilizer or specialized plant food.
Weak-looking, straggly plants	Not enough light	Move gradually into a position with better light. Provide artificial lighting if necessary.
	Overcrowded	Divide plants. Repot.
	Too much nitrogen	Reduce or halt feeding. Use a low- or no-nitrogen fertilizer.
	Water-logged plants	Improve drainage. Halt or severely reduce watering. Repot
Fading, wilting plants	Not enough warmth	Check recommended temperature range for plant.
	Not enough moisture	Water, if badly wilted. Immerse in water for quick recovery. Check for causes of excessive drying such as heaters, air-conditioning vents, or drafts.
	Too much moisture	Improve drainage. Halt or severely reduce watering.
Slow plant growth	Not enough light	Move gradually into a position with better light. Provide artificial lighting if necessary.
	Too little water	Check plant's watering needs. Follow correct watering procedure.
	Too little fertilizer	Add liquid fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.
	Roots pot-bound	Repot.
	Natural dormancy in winter	Be patient. Wait for Spring.
White crust on soil	Build-up of fertilizer salts	Remove crust, leaching salts by flushing with pure water.
Lower leaves turn yellow, but remain on plant	Too little fertilizer, particularly nitrogen	Add high-nitrogen fertilizer.
Base of stem is soft or mushy	Too much water, particularly in cold weather	Let soil surface dry out between watering. Improve drainage. Repot if necessary. Add coarse sand to container mix to improve drainage.
Base of stem is soft or mushy	Fungal attack in damp, cold conditions	Isolate plant. Move to warmer situation. Allow it to dry. Repot if necessary.
Collapse of plant	Extreme heat or cold	Check for cause of change, such as window left open. Move to position with more moderate temperature.
Collapse of plant	Gas fumes	Check for source of fumes. Remove carefully.
Brown-edged leaves	Too hot, too dry	Check recommended temperature range for plant. Immerse in a bucket of water and place out of direct sunlight.
	Container mix saturated with chemical salts	Water repeatedly to flush excess salts from container mix.
	Leaves have been splashed with strong chemicals or fertilizer.	Rinse leaves with water. Take care that leaves are not splashed with unwanted chemicals.
Brown patches on stems and leaves	Die-back, fungal disease or other infection	Isolate plant. Remove affected leaves and stems and destroy. Check for other symptoms to diagnose infection.
Powdery mold on leaf surface	Powdery mildew	Remove affected parts and destroy. Move plant to airier position. For severe infestations, use a systemic insecticide.
Reddish-brown, powdery marks on leaf surfaces	Rust	Isolate plant, cut off affected areas and destroy. For severe infestations, use a systemic insecticide
Speckled leaves	Virus infection	Destroy infected plants.
Sudden loss of leaves	Rapid temperature or light change	Check recommended temperature range for the plant. If necessary, restore previous temperature or light conditions.
Bronzed or abnormally reddened leaves	Not enough heat	Check recommended temperature range for the plant. If necessary, move to a warmer, more sheltered position.
Bronzed or abnormally reddened leaves	Not enough phosphorus or potassium	Use higher phosphorus or potassium fertilizer.
Dry and brittle leaves	Too little water or low humidity	Follow the proper procedure for watering houseplants. Increase humidity.
Leaf drop	Too much sun	Move to a location with less light.
	Too much fertilizer	Halt fertilizer for 3 to 4 weeks.
	Too much water	Follow the proper procedure for watering your houseplants.
	Too little water	Follow the proper procedure for watering your houseplants.
	Exposure to cold or draft	Check the temperature. Control cold source.
Brown or yellow leaves	Occasional yellowing of lower, older leaves is natural	No treatment necessary.
Yellow or white ring and spots on leaves	Splashing cold water on foliage while watering	Water more carefully. Do not splash foliage.
Swellings on leaves, corky ridges, water-soaked spots that turn red or brown	Too much moisture absorbed from warm, moist soil and cool, moist air	Increase warmth. Lower humidity. Place pot where soil will not get warmer than surrounding air.
Yellowing between veins of young leaves, older leaves less severely affected	Too little iron or magnesium	Boost with trace element fertilizer.
Healthy leaves but no blooms	Not enough light	Move to a position with more light.
	Not enough warmth	Check recommended temperature range for plant. If necessary, move to a warmer position.
	Too much nitrogen	Reduce or half feeding. Use a low-or no-nitrogen fertilizer.
	Plant is too young or a late-flowering variety	Some plants take years to flower and some varieties bloom much later than others. Be patient.
Bud drop	Too much heat or cold	Check for cause of change such as window left open. Move to position with more moderate temperature.
	Shock from moving from greenhouse to home	Check plant's growing requirements. Adjust growing conditions to restore previous conditions, if possible.
	Poor humidity	Increase humidity.
	Draft shock	Control source of draft, or move plant to another location.

Table created from the Encyclopedia of Container Gardening

Did this solve your problem?

Try the page on Household Pests

Return to Greenhouse Main Page

Go to Biology Department Home

Questions, suggestions, improvements, changes about the website? Send an E-mail to me.
E-mail webmaster.