6 Most Common Houseplant Problems & How to Treat Them

Here is a symptom-wise guide to monitoring your plant's health and keeping it healthy

Ketaki Godbole Randiwe 20 August 2020

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Many of us bring home houseplants with much enthusiasm, because we love the way they brighten and enliven our living spaces. But more often than not, we find our houseplants struggling to thrive and wonder what we did wrong. How can you diagnose an unhealthy plant’s problem in time to cure it? There are a lot of different symptoms that plants show, overlapping with each other but ultimately letting us know that a plant needs our help in some way or the other. Here is what you need to know to piece together the puzzle and diagnose the problem. Read on to know more…

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Just because they can’t talk, does not mean that your plants can’t communicate their needs to you. In their own way, plants are constantly trying to tell you how they feel, whether they are happy or distressed. Do they look slightly off colour? A little yellow? Do they seem to be stretching or leaning towards the light? These are tell-tale signs that your plants aren’t getting what they need to flourish.

Here are some of the most common signs of trouble to look for and what to do about them.

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Symptom A: Leaves are turning yellow, the soil is moist, and you can see fungus growing at the base.

Diagnosis
You are probably over-watering.

Treatment

Keep cacti and succulents in the sun, which bakes them dry very fast – that’s what they like. Give these plants a dry rest, maybe a week, and then water them.
Shade plants such as ferns want their soil to be moist for a little while. Let them approach dryness – but then water them right away.
If soil is too dry, water the plants well; they should recover within 24 hours.

Prevention
No plant likes its roots submerged in water, which is why the pot needs good drainage – make sure that your pot or container has a hole in the bottom and a layer of rocks or recycled terracotta shards (they’re porous, so they absorb excess water and slowly release it) above it. The rocks or terracotta shards help ensure that the soil does not drain away with the water.

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Symptom B: Leaves look droopy, or are brown and crunchy, and are falling off. The plant has stopped growing new leaves completely.

Diagnosis
Your plant is thirsty. You are probably under-watering.

Treatment
The goal is to saturate the soil so it’s evenly moist, and then let it dry out before watering again. Most indoor plants are tropical, and they like warm water, not hot or cold.

Here are two basic watering techniques you should know about:

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Gradual watering: Pour a little water into the centre of the pot, let it sink in, pour a little more, and keep doing that until the soil is saturated. How much water in all? A good rule of thumb is about a quarter to a third of the pot’s volume.
Soaking: Put the potted plant in a sink or bowl and pour water slowly onto the top of the soil. Keep going until the water has gone through the pot and about half an inch has collected in the sink or bowl. Then let the plant soak there – maybe even for a full day. Take it out and let it drip dry before putting it back in its planter or plate. (This method only works when the pot has a drainage hole in the bottom – it can even be plastic.)

Prevention
Sometimes people just dump water into the pot and it immediately flows through and comes out at the bottom. Your plant has not been watered – if you stick your finger into the soil you’ll see that the centre of the root ball is still bone dry. That’s why gradual watering and soaking are important.

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Symptom C: The leaves have become very crisp.

Diagnosis
Your plant needs more humidity.

Treatment
Keep plants well away from vents, heaters, radiators, and air conditioners. To combat low humidity, get the largest humidifier you can; it’s great for human health as well. If you only have a dinky one, put it right next to the plants.

Prevention
Misting can help if it’s done regularly, but as soon as the mist dries, the effect is gone. You can also group plants with similar needs to create a micro-climate – but note that if you get pests, every plant will be infested.

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Symptom D: The leaves look burnt or blanched. They are wilting (drying out).

Diagnosis
Your plant is getting more sunlight than it needs. The plant has temporarily shut down to minimise moisture loss.

Wait to see if the plants recover in the evening when temperatures cool. If they do, that means they are getting more sunlight than they need.

Treatment
Place the plants in a shaded area. Then rehydrate them, as described next.

Set wilted container plants with dry soil in a sink or tray filled with water. Remove the container when the soil expands and looks moist.

Poke several holes in the surface of the soil, if the plant is in the ground or you can’t put it in a tray of water; the holes allow water to penetrate the surface of the soil. Give water until the soil feels moist, or for container plants, until the water runs out the drainage holes. Wait for 30 minutes to one hour. Water the plant again if the soil still feels dry. Repeat the process until the soil feels moist and fluffy.
Spray the plant’s foliage with water; misting can help rejuvenate the plant quickly.

Provide protection from strong sun and heavy winds while the plant recovers. Do not return the plant to a windy spot, as strong winds dry out the plant faster.

Prevention
Move your plants to a sheltered location as summer sets in. Rig shade and fencing (with materials such as shade nets or a trellis) to shelter the ones that cannot be moved.

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Symptom E: Plants are becoming spindly and stretched out or start dropping leaves.
Plant is leaning towards a particular direction that has more light.

Diagnosis
Your plant needs more sunlight and it is currently not getting enough.

Treatment
Put your plants outdoors for 4–5 hours, so that their light needs are met.

Prevention
If the natural light in your home is really low, artificial light can make plants happier. No bulb offers the full spectrum of light that plants need – not even the ones designed as grow lights. But using a more intense bulb will iimprove the effect. An LED or a CFL (compact fluorescent) bulb (screw-in, not tubes) of around 1000 lumens or more is recommended. You can go for either a warm white (the colour of sunlight) or a cool white, both work fine.

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Symptom F: Plants are getting crispy edges (called salt burn), and the leaves are turning brown or black. The plant has stopped thriving inspite of fertilising.

Diagnosis
You are probably over-fertilising your plant. But too little fertiliser may cause a plant to stop thriving.

Tip: Fertiliser is important for longevity. When a plant grows in nature, the soil is infinite, the roots can keep stretching out to find new nutrients. But in a pot, their universe is limited and you’re essentially their god. Only you can make sure they are getting all the nutrients they need, in the right amounts.

Treatment
Add fertiliser to provide nutrients – it’s literally a multivitamin for the plant – but do not overfertilise.

Prevention
Use liquid fertiliser that can be applied directly to the leaves, not at the roots, and is easy to regulate, or slow-release fertiliser pellets in the soil. The latter are specially designed to release small, steady amount of nutrients over a course of time, and therefore do not over-fertilise the plant by releasing a large amount of nutrients, nor are they leeched out of the soil due to watering.

Read more:
5 Mosquito-Repelling Plants for Your Balcony
Expert Tips: How to Display & Style Indoor Plants
5 Plants Best Suited for Indian Homes

Tell us:
What symptoms have you seen in your houseplants? Write to us in the Comments section. Join the conversation!