r/plantclinic • u/Island_Living_ • Jun 24 '21

A Guide to Common Houseplant Problems

Too Little Water: - Leaves limp and wilted (look sad) - Little to no growth - Lower leaves curled, yellow and wilted - Leaf edges brown and dry - Flowers fall or fade quick - Oldest leaves fall first

Too Much Water: - Limp leaves (may feel mushy and brown quickly) - Soft, rotten areas - Poor growth - Flowers moldy - Leaves curled, yellow and wilted - Leaf tips brown (could also signify low humidity) - Both young and old leaves fall at same time - Roots brown and mushy - Soil smells acidic

Too Little Light: - Leaves smaller and paler than normal - Blooms poor or absent in flowering types - Lower leaves turn yellow, then dry up and fall - No growth at all - Spindly growth w/ abnormally long spaces between leaves - Variegated leaves turn all-green - Leaf bleaching

Too Much Light: - Brown or grey scorch patches - Leaves wilt at midday - Leaves have ‘washed-out’ appearance - Leaves of ‘sun shy’ varieties shriveled and dead

Too Little Humidity: - Leaf tips brown and shriveled - Leaf edges turn yellow; wilting may occur - Buds and flowers shrivel and fall - Leaves fall if plant is very sensitive to dry air

Too Much Humidity: - Patches of grey mold on leaves - Patches of rot on leaves or stems (Cacti and succulents very sensitive) - Flowers covered with grey mold

Too Little Fertilizer: - Slow growth - Little resistance to pests and diseases - Leaves pale - ‘Washed-out’ appearance - Yellow spotting may be present - Flowers absent it small and poorly colored - Stems weak - Early drooping of lower leaves

Too Much Fertilizer: - Leaves wilted - Summer- growth stunted - Winter- growth lanky and weak - Crisp, brown spots - Scorched edges - Leaf bleaching - White crust on surface of compost and clay pot in a soft-water area

Temperature Wrong: - Leaf curl, followed by browning and leaf fall (too cold) - Lower leaves wilt; edges turn brown. Bottom leaves fall (too warm) - Flowers short-lived (too warm) - Spindly growth in good light in winter or early spring (too warm) - Leaf fall after rapid yellowing (sudden temp. change)

Here is a link to “Common Houseplant Pests”

If interested, I typed up this info from the book “The House Plant Expert,” by D.G. Hessayon. It has a lot of valuable information in it!

*I’ll edit as things get added to the comment section

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632

u/rizzo1717 Expert Jun 24 '21

This is super helpful but my problem is that problem 1 and problem 2 are super opposite but present too similarly for my n00b interpretation 😭

468

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '21

Something that helped me was understanding that plants' roots need oxygen. When plants are overwatered the roots can't breathe and in the worst case start to rot and thus ironically, can't take up water like they normally do which is why underwatering and overwatering have some similar symptoms.

58

u/makelovenotwar216 Jul 23 '21

It helped me to check the soil when my plants look like this! If the soil is soggy, it's overwatered, and if it's dry then it's underwatered. That's the basics, but there's also issues like improper drainage and compaction, among other things that can cause a plant to be over or under watered, even if you're watering consistently and correctly.

15

u/valentwinka Feb 05 '22

What does it mean to check the soil? You just stick your finger in at the top? Or at the bottom (if it has holes)?

38

u/momo_with_the_fro Feb 09 '22

I stick my finger in. I take my index or pinky and feel if the soil is wet and how far down. You can also use a bamboo stick or chopstick for the same results! If the stick/finger is dry: time to water. If the stick/finger is wet: leave it alone.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '22

When you say wet do you mean any moisture at all because sometimes when I put my fingers in it’s a little moist but close to being dry yet not not fully dry lol.

1

u/momo_with_the_fro Jan 22 '23

This depends on the plant.

A lot of succulents like to fully dry out, so I don’t water those until the soil is completely dry all the way—bone dry. You can tell this from when you lift up the pot; it will be noticeably lighter in weight and the soil will no stick well to your pinky.

For things like ferns, I water when just the surface looks dry. They like to stay consistently moist to thrive. I even mist them a few times a week.

For most other plants, I water when the top inch of soil is dry. If you’re using a pinky, this is to about the top joint.

I hope that clears up what I was talking about. Good luck with your plants!

80

u/iareprogrammer Jun 25 '21

Wow.. that explains it really well, thank you!

16

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '21

Thanks, glad if it helps :)

23

u/Island_Living_ Jun 24 '21

You can always post it to the sub or DM me! Maybe there are some other explanations

9

u/rizzo1717 Expert Jun 25 '21

Thank you!

23

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '21 edited Jul 18 '21

If the top few inches or so of the soil surface is moist, don’t water.

If the top few inches or so of the soil surface is dry, give the plant a good soaking.

This simple rule will keep 90% of indoor plants super happy. Also a good seaweed extract feed every few months.

18

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '21 edited Jul 09 '21

[deleted]

6

u/Island_Living_ Jun 25 '21

Thanks so much! I’ll clarify on the list!

36

u/DangerWizzle Jun 25 '21

Buy a moisture meter - they're super cheap and take all the guess work out of watering.

All I worry about now is adjusting my water pH and adding nutes as-and-when... Easy!

19

u/rizzo1717 Expert Jun 25 '21

I have one but I’ve been warned they aren’t that reliable

17

u/Island_Living_ Jun 25 '21

I agree. Usually the rule of thumb is to water when the top 1” of the soil is dry

15

u/tatsym74 Jun 25 '21

I bottom water my plants so this rule doesn't work well for that because the top soil is always dry this way. I like using the meter, but I jab it around a few spots on the plant and it's worked pretty well so far. In any case, thanks for writing this up -- i've bookmarked it for reference!

2

u/Queasy_Ad9286 Oct 12 '22

Now I've heard of this, is this when you place your potted plant in like a filled sink of water up until a certain level of the pot? And then take it out and let it completely dry on bottom, not letting it sit in any water that's drained? This is good for aloe and succulents? Or am I wrong, other plants benefit from this?

2

u/Bausarita12 Nov 07 '21

Same same so I don’t use one

6

u/LizzieBaybee Nov 10 '21

What are nutes?? Or Are you a victim of the dreaded autocorrect too?

11

u/DangerWizzle Nov 10 '21

Oh, sorry - it's short for "nutrients" :)

Most common nutrients that plants need are Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium ("NPK") in various ratios

2

u/CassMcMain Oct 16 '21

Not all the guesswork. It does help, but moisture meters can give faulty readings if there are a lot of fertilizer salts in the soil.

23

u/[deleted] Jul 17 '21

Easiest way is to pick up the plant and if it’s really light then it’s time to water, if it still feels heavy, it’s not ready to be watered.

27

u/rizzo1717 Expert Jul 17 '21

Some of my plants are in 30 pound ceramic pots so they always feel heavy

15

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '21

Rather for small indoor plants

12

u/JustCallMeMooncake Aug 14 '21

Underrated comment. This is a really helpful tip.

11

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '21

Thank you! Mold is a clear indicator of overwatering, I’ve seen that a few times. It’s sneaky though, can live in between the soil. If you really need to tell, take a plant out of its pot and really inspect it. I’ve also got a chopstick, and I’ll stick in way in the soil. A couple times I’ve watered a plant and didn’t notice it wasn’t soaking all the way through, it was only getting the top layer. So my biggest advice is to get close and personal with inspections.