Botany 911 First Aid For Ailing Houseplants

How can I help a dying potted plant?

Try these six steps to revive your plant.

Repot your plant. Use a high-quality indoor plant potting mix to revitalise your plant, and choose a pot that's wider than the last one. ...
Trim your plant. If there's damage to the roots, trim back the leaves. ...
Move your plant. ...
Water your plant. ...
Feed your plant. ...
Wipe your plant.

How do you treat indoor plants?

How do you care for indoor plants?

Keep potting soil moist- It's important to make sure soil is not too wet nor too dry.
Make sure the plant pot has drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.
Place your plant near a light source, whether it's natural or artificial.

How do you keep houseplants from dying?

Water a plant less often, but when you do, soak it thoroughly in the sink or with a pitcher. The wet-dry cycle encourages stronger roots and prevents root rot. << If the soil gets so dry it won't absorb water, set the pot in the sink and put the faucet on a slow trickle for 15 minutes.

How do you get rid of brown tips on houseplants?

Use sharp scissors to cut away the dead, brown areas. Just follow the leaf's natural shape. You'll still have a thin brown line along the cut, but the rest of the leaf will stay green and healthy as your plant moves ahead.

Why are my potted plants dying?

Improper watering is often the reason for sudden dying of plants. ... Almost all plants are healthiest if the soil is allowed to dry between watering. Water the plant deeply until it drips through the drainage hole, then let the pot drain completely before returning it to the drainage saucer.

How often should indoor plants be watered?

Most houseplants need watered every 1-3 weeks. You should monitor your houseplants and water when they need it, rather than on a schedule. Frequency of watering will depend on the size and type of plant, size and type of pot, temperature, humidity and rate of growth.

Should I spray my indoor plants with water?

Misting houseplants is a very simple and effective way to boost humidity. "Misting is also an easy solution to the risk of overwatering your plants," he adds, instructing to, "pay attention to the color and texture of the leaves on your plant. Plants with brown or dry leaf tips will benefit from regular misting."

What's the best plant food for indoor plants?

Best all-purpose fertilizers

Jack's Classic 20-20-20 All Purpose Fertilizer. ...
Dyna-Gro Liquid Grow Plant Food 7-9-5. ...
Maxsea Plant Food 16-16-16. ...
Jack's Classic Blossom Booster Fertilizer 10-30-20. ...
FoxFarm Bushdoctor Flowers Kiss Spray. ...
Grow More Cactus Juice 1-7-6. ...
Espoma Company Organic Indoor Plant Food 2-2-2.

How can I make my indoor plants grow faster?

Thriving in summer, they are subjected to low light levels, short days, dry heated air, and a chilly house in winter.
...
7 Indoor Gardening Tips for Thriving Houseplants

Less H2O. ...
Hold the fertilizer. ...
Let in light and keep plants clean. ...
Increase humidity. ...
Prepare for spring. ...
Cut away old growth. ...
Refresh the soil.

Why is my plant dying after repotting?

If you find your plant wilting after repotting, it may be due to a lack of water. This can be due to a lack of water in the soil, or that the roots are temporarily unable to absorb water to meet the requirement sof the plant. I normally advise waterng your plants thoroughly a few days before repotting.

Do you keep indoor plants in plastic pots?

The solution: Keep your houseplants in their plastic nursery pots for at least the first year. You can still use your pretty pot, Lawrence and Gutierrez say. ... Most houseplants grow slowly and like to fit tight in their pots, Lawrence said, but when the pot is more roots than soil, it's time to transplant.

Should I cut the brown tips off my plant?

When you see dead leaves, dormant stems, or brown parts of leaves, cut them away. It's fine to pluck dead leaves or stems with your hands when possible, just don't pull too hard or you may damage the healthy part of your plant. For tougher stems or to remove brown leaf tips and edges, use scissors or pruning shears.

How do you tell if Underwatering vs overwatering?

If the soil is wet, it's overwatered - if it's dry, it's underwatered. Browning edges: Another symptom that can go both ways. Determine which by feeling the leaf showing browning: if it feels crispy and light, it is underwatered. If it feels soft and limp, it is overwatered.

How do you know if you are overwatering your plants?

Are You Sure that Plant Needs Water? 5 Signs of Overwatering

Wet and Wilting. It looks wilted, but the soil is wet. ...
Brown Leaves. If the leaves turn brown and wilt, there is the possibility that you have been overwatering. ...
Edema. The third sign that your plant has been overwatered is edema. ...
Yellow Falling Leaves. ...
Root Rot.

Can yellow leaves turn green again?

Your plant is not necessarily dying. But this does need to be said: A yellow leaf on a house plant is unlikely to turn green again UNLESS the yellowing is caused by a nutritional deficiency, which if rectified, could cause the green colour to return. Usually though, say goodbye to the green.

Can plants recover from overwatering?

There is never a guarantee that your plant can bounce back from overwatering. ... At this point, you can move your plant back to its original location and resume watering it as normal. It's important to water your plants properly from the start and to make sure they have plenty of drainage.

How do you dry out a potted plant?

Carefully re-stand the pot up when completed there should be small air pockets between the pot wall and around the soil ball. This will allow the soil to dry quicker and at the same time bring oxygen to the root zone.

Can you save a plant from dying?

The answer is yes! First and foremost, the dying plant's roots must be alive to have any chance of coming back to life. ... It's even better if your plant stems still show signs of green. To get started, trim back any dead leaves and some foliage, especially if the majority of the roots are damaged.

What is the best way to water indoor plants?

With most plants, you should water when the soil feels dry to the touch. You can gently stick your finger (up to the knuckle or so) in the soil to see how dry it is. For water lovers, water when the surface is dry; for succulents and drier plants, water when most of the soil feels dry.

Does indoor plants need sunlight?

We can mostly remedy a lack of natural light with lamps and other lights, but many houseplants need direct sunlight to survive. ... Low-light houseplants are great for spots in a room that need touches of green, but might not have enough direct sunlight for most plants to survive.

Should I water plants everyday?

Usually when the first inch (2.5 cm.) or so of soil is dry, it's a good indication that watering is needed. In summer, watering outdoor potted plants is necessary daily (and even twice a day) for most species, especially when temperatures reach over 85 degrees F.