The most common houseplant problems — how to spot them, what causes them and how to fix them.
🦠Powdery mildew
Disease
A white powdery film on the upper leaf surface that wipes off. It spreads gradually, then the leaf yellows and drops.
🦠Root rot
Leaves yellow and droop even though the soil is wet. Lower leaves drop. A musty smell comes from the pot. Roots are brown or black and mushy instead of firm and white.
🐛Fungus gnats
Pest
Small black flies around the pot, especially when you touch the soil. Translucent larvae in the substrate. The plant usually is not harmed, but the flies are a nuisance and multiply.
🐛Mealybugs
White cottony clumps in leaf joints and on stems. A sticky film on the leaves below them. The plant weakens and new growth is deformed.
🐛Scale insects
Brown or beige bumps on stems and leaf undersides that will not wipe off and look like part of the plant. Sticky leaves, sometimes a black coating.
🐛Spider mites
Tiny pale dots on the leaves, as if pricked with a needle. Fine webbing on the leaf undersides and in the joints. Leaves gradually go grey and dry out. The mites are nearly invisible — use a magnifier or zoom in on a photo.
💧Brown leaf tips
Care mistake
Leaf tips dry to brown, often with a thin yellow border. The rest of the leaf stays healthy.
💧Bud drop
The plant sets buds, but they yellow and drop before opening.
💧Leggy growth
Long bare stems with wide gaps between leaves. New leaves are smaller. The plant leans towards the window.
💧Root bound
Roots poke out of the drainage hole or circle the surface. Water runs straight through. The plant dries out much faster than before and has stopped growing.
💧Sunburn
Bleached white or brown dry patches in the middle of leaves, on the side facing the window. Sharply defined and not spreading.
💧Underwatering
Leaves droop and feel dry and brittle rather than soft. Edges crisp up. The soil has pulled away from the pot walls and water runs straight through.
💧Yellowing leaves
Leaves yellow gradually, the lower ones first. They may be soft and drooping, or dry and brittle — that difference tells you the cause.
🍂Nutrient deficiency
Deficiency
New leaves are smaller and paler than old ones. Growth has slowed or stopped. Veins stay green while the tissue between them yellows (chlorosis).