A warm, comfortable home may seem to be a perfect place for growing home plants. However, many of the problems affecting plants are caused by just these surroundings. Watch for signs of trouble and you may be able to correct the situation before irreparable damage has been done to the plant. A majority of house plant problems are cultural. Some of the common house plant trouble signs and their probable causes are listed below.

Sudden wilting is generally caused by soil conditions. If the soil is dry, water more often or more thoroughly; if moist, wilting may be caused by excessive fertilizers or salts in the soil. Leach the soil to remove this excess. If the soil is wet, over watering or poor drainage may be the cause. Check the plant roots, if rotting has occurred remove the decayed roots and repot.

Sudden yellowing of all leaves is normally due to excessive soil moisture. If the drainage hole in the pot is plugged, or if the plant is kept too wet, the soil becomes waterlogged and will lack sufficient oxygen for plant growth. Excessive soil moisture may lead to the destruction of the roots by root rot and the yellowing of plant leaves. Severe infestation of spider mites, mealy bugs or aphids may also cause the leaves to yellow.

Sudden loss of leaves is frequently caused by insufficient light, soil too wet or too dry or by cold drafts. Plants will not grow as well in a certain spot during the winter as they did during the summer. You may have to move your plants to a spot which has more light.

Pale green or Yellow leaves can be caused by insufficient light, lack of fertilizer or temperatures which are too warm.

Unnaturally small leaves are most generally the result of insufficient light. This is especially common when outdoor plants are brought indoors. A lack or an excessive amount of fertilizer will also cause new leaves to be small.

Brown leaf tips are caused by low humidity, a lack of moisture or by a fertilizer or salt build up in the soil. Frequent misting will aid in increasing the humidity around the plant. Certain water sources have a high salt content and cause a salt build up. Leaching the soil will help remove these salts.

Brown spots on the leaves may be caused by excessive moisture or by direct sunlight burning plants, which require shade. Certain diseases also cause spots on the leaves.

Yellowing and death of lower leaves is usually caused by a lack of nitrogen or by plants becoming pot bound. Rubber plants, dracaena, dieffenbachia and other large plants are especially prone to this problem. Apply a house plant food when this symptom is first noticed.

This page was last updated April 2003

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