| Symptoms |
Cause |
Solution |
- New shoots are weak looking.
- Growth is slow.
- New leaves are smaller and turn pale.
- Older leaves may turn yellow and fall.
- Brightly coloured leaves turn green.
- Plant fails to bloom.
|
Lack of light |
- Increase artificial or natural lighting at first signs of weakness.
- Reduce room temperature by about 3°C.
- Water less frequently and do not fertilize.
|
- Leaves exposed to direct sunlight turn pale and develop faded spots that turn dry and brown.
- Affected leaves turn increasingly pale.
|
Too much light |
- Remove plant from direct sunlight in summer or install sheer curtains to filter light.
- Remove badly damaged leaves.
|
- Leaves wilt.
- Growth is slow.
- Brown spots appear on margins of older leaves, which eventually turn yellow and fall.
- Soil is pale, hard and dry on the surface or damp on the surface and dry farther down.
|
Lack of water |
- Water plant.
- If soil does not absorb water, immerse pot in a bucket of water until air bubbles stop
appearing.
- Remove pot from water and allow it to drain.
- Continue watering at normal intervals.
|
- Leaves wilt.
- Growth is slow.
- Brown spots appear on leaf tips.
- New and older leaves eventually turn yellow and fall at the same time.
- Soil is constantly damp or drainage is too slow.
- Roots become spongy, turn brown and rot.
|
Too much water or poor drainage |
- Make sure that no water remains in saucer and place pot on a stack of newspaper for
about one hour.
- Return pot to saucer and allow soil to dry out before next watering.
- Water less frequently.
|
- Stems grow long and lanky (despite proper lighting).
- Older leaves wilt (despite proper watering), turn brown around margins and fall.
|
Too much heat |
- Remove plant from direct sunlight in summer or heat sources in winter.
- Check to see whether plant requires a rest period.
- Remove badly damaged leaves to avoid disease.
|
- Leaves are covered in white spots or turn yellow and drop a few hours after a sudden change in temperature.
|
Drop in temperature |
- Few indoor plants tolerate temperatures lower than 10°C.
- Keep an eye on plants kept outdoors in summer and protect plants transported outdoors
in winter.
|
- Young shoots are weak, smaller and paler (although not yellow) than rest of plant.
- Flowers are faded or plant fails to bloom.
- Plant is in an artificial potting mix and was not fertilized during the growing period.
|
Lack of fertilizer |
- Fertilize as recommended.
- Transfer to a larger pot and add new soil, as necessary.
|
- Leaves turn brown and fall.
- Plant stops growing, young shoots are sometimes deformed and blackened.
- White crust forms on soil surface or pot rim.
|
Too much fertilizer |
- Leach excess fertilizer salts from soil by flushing with water several times.
- Fertilize less frequently and in smaller doses.
|
- Leaf margins (especially on broad-leafed plants) or tips (especially on narrow-leafed
plants) turn brown and fall.
- White crust forms on soil surface or pot rim.
|
Salts accumulating in potting soil because of alkaline water |
- Let tap water sit for 24 hours before watering plants.
- Mist aerial parts regularly.
|
- Leaf tips turn brown.
- Leaf margins turn yellow.
- Flower buds dry out and fall.
|
Lack of humidity |
- Use a humidifier.
- Mist plants regularly.
- Remove them from heat sources.
|
- Small pale brown spots appear on leaves.
|
Water used for watering is too cold |
- Some plants are very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature.
- Use tepid water when watering.
- Cold water may spot the leaves and slow the growth of some tropical plants.
|
- New leaves are smaller.
- Older leaves turn yellow and fall.
- Plant wilts quickly between waterings.
- Roots grow out of drainage holes or show near soil surface.
|
Pot too small |
- Confirm diagnosis by removing plant from pot.
- Repot if roots form a tight ball.
|
