We all know plants require four things to grow: sunlight, water, nutrients, and air. However, sometimes those ingredients can go awry and cause your plants to suffer. Luckily, plants are resilient, and often only need a little TLC before they are well on their way to recovery. Now let’s run through some of the symptoms of a dying plant and their solutions, courtesy of ProFlowers.
The trickiest part of raising plants is providing them with the perfect amount of water. Our natural inclination to aid a dying plant is to water more, but this can actually do more harm than good if the plant is overwatered. To recognize an overwatered plant, look out for wilted leaves that are brown or yellow. Cut back on the watering and try repotting it in new soil. On the other hand, underwatered plants will have dry, brown leaves. In either case, give the plant a break from direct sunlight until its roots have fully recovered.
Another common issue with houseplants is receiving the proper amount of sunlight. A plant overwhelmed by sunlight will have light or dark patches on its dried out leaves. Not enough sun will cause small, stunted leaves that appear weak and droopy. To fix these problems, simply go online to double check the amount of sunlight that the plant requires, and relocate it to a better spot in your home.
Finally, plants that look generally weak, discolored, stunted, or deformed are most likely experiencing a nutrient deficiency. Without enough food or fertilizer, plants have no fuel to power their growth. To correct this, repot the plant with freshly fertilized soil in a bigger pot. This gives the roots will have plenty of room to soak up all that love! If you’re unable to repot the plant just yet, be sure to add extra plant food to its current soil.
And just like that, your plants will be happy and healthy in no time. It’s always a frustrating or scary time coming home to a wilting plant, but you hardly need a green thumb to get your greenery back on track. Try one of these fixes next time your houseplants seem a little under the weather.
Infographic by ProFlowers
