Spring Back to Life: How to Revive Dying House Plants
Even the most seasoned plant parents deal with struggling house plants– drooping yellow leaves, crispy brown stems, and dropping leaves come with the territory for plant lovers. The winter months can be especially rough for your house plants, but as we move into spring and summer, you may be looking to breathe life back into your house plants. Here are a few tips on reviving struggling house plants this spring.
Every house plant has its own, unique environmental requirements and care routines– some need more light, less watering, more humidity, or more space for roots to grow– it’s wise to research the conditions a plant needs to thrive when considering bringing it home, but they’ll also tell you exactly what they need, you just have to know what to look for.
The first step? Diagnosis.
Yellow, wilted leaves and muddy soil: How to save an overwatered house plant
A tell-tale sign of overwatering is yellow, wilted leaves. But be weary, a couple of yellow leaves are normal if there’s new growth on the plant– house plants sometimes drop older leaves to make room for new growth. However, if you haven’t seen any new growth and yellow, wilted leaves persist, you may need to rethink your watering schedule, lighting, soil, or drainage.
Roots: Too frequent watering and/or no drainage in your pot can lead to root rot. Take the plant out of its pot and check the roots. Healthy roots will be white but rotted ones will be brown and mushy.
Repot: If you see unhealthy roots, gently remove them, rinse away any mold or muddy soil, and repot the healthy roots in fresh soil. Plants require oxygen for their roots to thrive. Soil additives such as bark, peat moss, or perlite can improve aeration and protect your plant against overwatering in the future.
Revive: If most of the roots are healthy, you don’t necessarily need to repot unless your soil lacks air pockets or your pot has no drainage holes. Stop watering your plant if you suspect you’ve overwatered it. Once you’ve ensured that your roots have room to breathe, let the soil dry out completely– you can check the moisture level by sticking your index finger two knuckles deep into the soil.
Cut away any yellow, wilted leaves so your plant can focus on the healthy ones.
Once the soil has dried out completely you can resume watering, but be sure to check the soil moisture level. You can research what soil moisture level your plant prefers– some plants, such as cacti, like to be bone dry in between waterings while water-loving plants like philodendrons like to remain moist.
Brown, crispy leaves and hardened soil: How to save an underwatered house plant
When a plant is parched, your soil can become hard and struggle to retain moisture. If your plant is begging for some water, place the pot in a bucket of water, let it soak all the water it needs, and prune away any brown leaves. Bottom watering can be an easy fix if you struggle to consistently water your plants.
Bottom watering: Place your plant in a tray an inch or so wider than its pot and fill the tray with water. Your plant will self-water as needed.
Consider refreshing the soil when your plant is back in good health.
A combination of wilted yellow, dried brown leaves, and brown spots: How to save a sunburned plant
If you notice the leaves on the side of your plant that’s facing direct light becoming dried in certain areas and brown, the cause of struggle might be too much harsh sunlight– yes, your plant can get sunburned… even aloe vera plants, oh the irony!
Prune off any affected leaves and relocate your plant to an area with less harsh light.
Pale, yellowing, and dropping leaves: How to let the light in
Pale and dropping leaves happen when your plant isn’t getting enough sunlight. Place your plant closer to direct sunlight, near a window, or in a room with south-facing windows. If you don’t get great sunlight in your home, grow lights may be the way to go!
Still stumped by what’s got your plants feeling down? Reach out to us for a consultation!
Happy Planting!