PetalPalPlant doctor
Yellow or brown leaves, dropping leaves, root rot, no flowers, pests — find the likely cause by symptom and how to fix it.
Yellow leaves
5 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1Too much water / rotten roots
Signs
The soil stays wet, the yellow leaves are soft, and the pot bottom smells
What to do
Stop watering right away and give it air. If it's bad, take it out, cut off the black, soft roots, let it dry, and use fresh soil.
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2Not enough light
Signs
The whole plant looks pale, and the new leaves are small and yellow
What to do
Move it somewhere brighter. Don't take it straight from a dark spot into harsh sun.
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3Short on iron (the soil is too alkaline)
Signs
New leaves yellow, but the veins stay green. Jasmine and gardenia do this most.
What to do
Once a month, water with diluted iron sulfate (1:1000)
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4Not enough water
Signs
Leaves dry, yellow, and curling. The soil is hard and dry.
What to do
Soak the whole pot for 15 minutes so it drinks through. After that, water on time.
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5Normal aging
Signs
Only the bottom one or two old leaves are yellow. The new ones look fine.
What to do
Don't worry. Just cut them off.
Crispy tips
3 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1The air is too dry
Signs
Most common in a northern winter once the heat is on. Tips turn brown and brittle.
What to do
Mist around the leaves often, or set out a bowl of water, or run a humidifier
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2Too much fertilizer / salts building up
Signs
It shows up after feeding. White crystals on the soil surface.
What to do
Stop feeding. Flush the pot several times with plenty of clean water.
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3Sunburn
Signs
The brown patches are on the side that faces the sun
What to do
Move it into indirect light, or draw a sheer curtain
Dropping leaves
3 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1A sudden change of place
Signs
Just brought home, or just moved. Fiddle-leaf figs and money trees are the most sensitive.
What to do
Pick one bright spot and stop moving it. It settles in a week or two.
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2Cold / a cold draft
Signs
In winter, against the window, or in front of an air conditioner or an open vent
What to do
Get it off the cold glass and out of the draft. Keep it above 10°C.
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3Watering that's off
Signs
Too dry or too wet can both drop leaves. Feel the soil.
What to do
Water when it dries, then water it through: when the top of the soil is dry, water until it runs out.
Soft stems
2 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1Too much water, and no air
Signs
The base of the stem is black and soft. Press it and it collapses. Money trees, snake plants, and succulents do this often.
What to do
Stop watering right away. Take it out, cut off the rotten parts, let the wound dry 1-2 days, and pot it again in a gritty mix and a pot with a hole.
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2Cold and damp in winter
Signs
It shows up after a winter watering
What to do
In winter, cut the water in half. Water at midday on a sunny day, with room-temperature water.
No flowers
4 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1Not enough light
Signs
Bougainvillea, roses, and jasmine sitting in a dim room
What to do
Move it to the sunniest spot on the balcony. At least 4-6 hours of direct sun a day.
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2Too much nitrogen
Signs
Lots of green leaves, and no flowers
What to do
Stop the nitrogen. Switch to phosphorus and potassium (such as monopotassium phosphate).
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3Watered too often
Signs
Bougainvillea is the classic case
What to do
Hold back water. Wait until the leaves go slightly soft, then water. That pushes it to flower.
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4The day length is wrong
Signs
A kalanchoe in fall, left in a room with the lights on at night
What to do
In fall, give it at least 12 hours of darkness a day
Buds dropping
4 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1A sudden change of place
Signs
Buds drop within a few days of coming home. Moth orchids and gardenias do this often.
What to do
Move it less. Keep the temperature and the light steady.
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2Too cold
Signs
A moth orchid drops buds most easily below 15°C
What to do
Put it somewhere warm. At night, keep it off the windowsill.
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3Swinging from dry to wet
Signs
Sometimes you forget, sometimes you pour on a lot
What to do
Keep the soil evenly moist
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4Too close to fruit
Signs
Apples or bananas sitting next to the flowers
What to do
Fruit gives off ethylene, which ages flowers early. Keep them apart.
Leggy growth
1 possible cause-
1Not enough light (stretching)
Signs
Stems thin and long, wider gaps between leaves, paler color. Succulents show it most.
What to do
Move it somewhere sunnier. If it's already grown crooked, cut it and root the cutting.
Bugs
4 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1Aphids
Signs
A crowd of little green or black insects on new shoots and buds
What to do
Rinse them off with water, or spray diluted soapy water. If it's bad, use imidacloprid.
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2Spider mites
Signs
Fine webbing on the undersides, and lots of little yellow dots on top. They flare up when it's hot and dry.
What to do
Mist the undersides often to raise the humidity. If it's bad, use a miticide.
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3Scale
Signs
White cottony fluff, or little brown shells, on stems and leaves
What to do
Brush them off with an old toothbrush, or wipe them with a cotton pad and alcohol
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4Fungus gnats
Signs
Little black flies over the soil
What to do
The soil is too wet. Hold back water until the top dries out, and stick in a yellow sticky trap.
Cut flowers wilt
4 possible causesCompare the signs below, find the one that matches your plant, then follow the fix.
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1Air got into the stem
Signs
Roses and gerberas droop a day or two after you bring them home
What to do
Cut off 3-5 cm, wrap the bunch tight in newspaper, and soak it in deep water for 2-3 hours
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2The water went dirty
Signs
Cloudy water, a smell, and slimy stem ends
What to do
Change the water and wash the vase every 1-2 days. Strip any leaves that sit in the water.
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3Too hot, too much sun
Signs
Sitting in the sun, or next to a heater
What to do
Move them somewhere cool. At night, somewhere cooler still.
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4Fruit nearby
Signs
Sitting with fruit
What to do
Fruit gives off ethylene, which ages the flowers faster. Keep them apart.
Reminders and a care diary live in the app
Get a nudge when it’s time to water or change the vase water, and keep a diary for each plant, in the PetalPal app. Search “PetalPal” on the App Store or Google Play.