911±¬ÁÏ

Plants don’t naturally live indoors and houseplants are simply tender, often tropical, plants that we grow inside. Yet our homes can be quite challenging environments for them, with dry air, limited natural light and often irregular watering. So, it’s no wonder that most of us will have had a poorly houseplant at one time or another.

Before buying a houseplant, find out the growing conditions it needs and consider if you have a suitable space for it. Also, only buy from reputable suppliers. 

In the vast majority of cases, problems with our houseplants can be resolved by simply tweaking the growing environment and the care we give them. To do this, it’s important to understand why a plant isn’t thriving by taking a closer look.

What you’ll need to give your plant a health check:

• Gloves
• Secateurs
• Hand lens or magnifying glass
• For reference: the plant’s label, 911±¬ÁÏ Find a Plant or a good houseplant book

Work out what’s wrong with your plant in ten easy steps:

• Check there’s enough light Weak, spindly growth, pale leaves and poor flowering are all signs that a plant isn’t getting enough light. You might also see lower leaves turning yellow and falling. Variegated
  Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white. plants kept in a shady spot might revert to green.
  
  Bear in mind that over winter, when sunlight is weaker, many houseplants benefit from being moved closer to south- or west-facing windows. Wiping dust off leaves allows more sunlight to reach the leaf surface.

• Check for too much light Strong, direct sunlight, such as from a south-facing window in summer, can cause brown scorched patches on leaves and give them a washed-out appearance.
  
  Shrivelled leaves on shade-loving plants are also a sign that the position is too sunny. On variegated leaves, sun scorch is more likely on the paler sections of leaf.

• Check there’s enough water Wilted leaves, brown and crispy leaf edges and flowers that fade or fall quickly are all signs that a plant isn’t getting enough water. Unlike with overwatering (below), older leaves at the base of a dry plant will often yellow and fall first.
  
  Insert your finger into the growing medium to check how moist it is a few centimetres down. If it is very dry, water your plant. Rather than watering regularly at set intervals, it is good practice to check the moisture levels and only water when necessary. 

• Check for too much water Overwatering can also cause wilting, and it’s easy to mistake this for a lack of water and drown a plant, especially over winter when growth slows. Lift your plant out of its pot to see if water has collected in the base, tipping away any excess. Choosing a peat-free compost
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. , or mixing your own, to match your plant’s needs will help avoid issues caused by watering. For example, a peat-free cacti and succulent mix will contain sand and/or grit to improve drainage.
  
  Other signs of overwatering include old and new leaves yellowing and dropping at the same time, browning in the middle of leaves, mouldy patches on leaves and flowers, stem rot and dark, mushy roots. Regular overwatering can lead to oedema and whole plant collapse.

• Check the temperature Consult the plant’s label, 911±¬ÁÏ Find a Plant or a good houseplant book to check the specific temperature requirements of your plant, and consider if that’s what it’s getting.
  
  Leaves wilting, rolling, bleaching and going crispy suggest a plant is suffering from heat stress – common in very hot rooms like conservatories in mid-summer. Blackened leaves, leaf droop and whole plant collapse are symptoms of cold damage – commonly seen in unheated rooms, like porches, over winter.

• Check humidity
  The concentration of water vapour in the atmosphere. This affects the rate at which plants transpire (lose water from their leaf pores), which in turn affects how much water their roots absorb from the soil. If air humidity is low, plants transpire quickly and become at risk of wilting if water is lost from the leaves faster than it can be absorbed by the roots. Different plants require different levels of humidity to thrive. Many tropical houseplants need high humidity and are best grown in a steamy bathroom, misted regularly or placed on a saucer of damp pebbles. In a greenhouse, humidity can be raised in hot weather by damping down (wetting) the floor or overhead misting. Low air humidity (dry air) is a common cause of problems on foliage houseplants, especially over winter when the heating is on. You might see shrivelled, crispy leaves with brown tips and edges, plus early dropping of leaves, buds
  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers. and flowers. Kitchens and bathrooms generally have higher humidity than other rooms. Humidity levels around a plant can be increased by grouping plants together or placing them on trays of damp pebbles. 
• Grey mould on leaves and flowers, and stem rots on cacti and succulents, are signs the air is too moist, which is common in bathrooms.

• Check for nutrient deficiencies Houseplants are often grown in the same pot for years and will quickly use up all the nutrients
  To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key nutrients usually taken up from the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants also need carbon, oxygen and hydrogen to make carbohydrates — their main energy source. Carbon and oxygen come from the air as carbon dioxide, while hydrogen is drawn from water absorbed by the roots. Other important soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough of these nutrients to support healthy plant growth. in their peat-free compost. If growth seems lacklustre and flowering is poor, your plant may benefit from being repotted into fresh peat-free compost. Growth can also be given a boost by applying a suitable organic, liquid feed during the growing season. Watering with tap water if you live in a hard water area can lead to nutrient deficiencies. When possible, water with room-temperature rainwater.
  
  See our guide to nutrient deficiencies for more help.

• Check for insects Visible to the naked eye but more easily seen with a hand lens or magnifying glass, sap
  Sap is a fluid that circulates through a plant's vascular system, in a similar way to blood moving through our veins. Phloem sap carries the sugars produced in the leaves by photosynthesis down to roots and other storage organs, as well as carrying minerals and hormones. Xylem sap is watery and transports nutrients absorbed by the roots upwards to the rest of the plant. Some plants leak sap from wounds or pruning cuts, and this is known as bleeding. -sucking insects can affect a plant’s appearance and vigour. Small numbers are usually easy to pick or wipe off, so check plants regularly, especially newly bought plants. 911±¬ÁÏ advice pages on mealybugs, scale, glasshouse thrips and glasshouse red spider mite contain information on managing these insects, including biological controls. 

• Check for disease Houseplants can suffer from various diseases that affect their leaves, especially where ventilation
  The introduction of outdoor air into a space, for example, a greenhouse. This airflow can reduce temperature, replenish the gases absorbed by plants and keep down fungal diseases like grey moulds. is poor. A fuzzy, grey-brown covering on stems, leaves or flowers suggests grey mould is the problem. A white dusting on leaves suggests powdery mildew, and dark spots with yellow margins suggests a fungal leaf spot. Improving ventilation, spacing and growing conditions will help avoid and control many fungal diseases. Using fungicides on houseplants is not recommended.  Houseplants can also suffer from viruses.

• Consider the growing environment Plants kept near direct sources of heat, like radiators, often suffer scorched leaves, while draughts can cause leaf yellowing and dry leaf edges. If curtains are drawn on cold nights, plants on windowsills can suffer due to cold air being trapped between the window and curtain.
  
  Pale spots are commonly caused by cleaning products and aerosols landing on leaves, while overhead watering with (hard) tap water can leave noticeable calcium deposits.

Once you have identified the problem, make adjustments to your care regime.

This might include increasing or decreasing watering, moving your plant to a sunnier, shadier, warmer or cooler spot, increasing humidity

The concentration of water vapour in the atmosphere. This affects the rate at which plants transpire (lose water from their leaf pores), which in turn affects how much water their roots absorb from the soil. If air humidity is low, plants transpire quickly and become at risk of wilting if water is lost from the leaves faster than it can be absorbed by the roots. Different plants require different levels of humidity to thrive. Many tropical houseplants need high humidity and are best grown in a steamy bathroom, misted regularly or placed on a saucer of damp pebbles. In a greenhouse, humidity can be raised in hot weather by damping down (wetting) the floor or overhead misting. , repotting, feeding or treating a pest or disease problem. Sometimes it takes a combination of these to see a positive change. See our guide to growing houseplants for further advice.

Cut off any mouldy, shrivelled, completely brown or completely yellow leaves with secateurs, as these won’t recover. Retain leaves  that are predominantly green until the plant has produced a fresh flush of leaves, or you could delay recovery.

Healthy houseplants rely on the right conditions rather than routine treatments, so focus on providing sufficient light, correct watering and suitable peat-free compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. before adding feeds or controls. Our Houseplant 101 video series is a great place to get practical guidance on caring for your houseplants.

The 911±¬ÁÏ doesn’t support the use of pesticides

Pesticides are substances designed to kill or control the growth and behaviour of living organisms. They are also known as plant protection products and include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and molluscicides. The 911±¬ÁÏ doesn’t support the use of pesticides and recommends that gardeners use non-chemical control options whenever needed. . Pest and disease issues can be avoided by good cultivation methods and suitable plant selection. If control measures are needed, non-chemical and biological controls should be used.