Why is my plant dying?
What is your plant doing?
Pick what you noticed first. A few questions about the soil, the window and the watering separate the likely causes, and the answer says when they do not.
Common problems
- Yellow leaves17 possible answers to tell apart
- Drooping or wilting8 possible answers to tell apart
- Brown tips and edges6 possible answers to tell apart
- Spots on leaves8 possible answers to tell apart
- Leaves falling off9 possible answers to tell apart
- Soft or mushy stem5 possible answers to tell apart
- Insects and residue6 possible answers to tell apart
- Leggy, leaning growth4 possible answers to tell apart
- No flowers, dropped buds8 possible answers to tell apart
- Growth on the soil5 possible answers to tell apart
Plants people ask about most
PothosBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Snake plantBlades hang and feel thin between the fingers
- No photograph yetZZ plantLeaves soften and curl inward
Spider plantEdges of the blades brown while the middle stays sound
Aloe veraMushy tissue at the base of the aloe vera
Jade plantPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
HoyaDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
MonsteraBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Rubber plantCrisp margins that appear in winter
Peace lilyBrown tips on the newest leaves first
Heartleaf philodendronA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
DracaenaBrown tips on the newest blades first
Areca palmA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
BougainvilleaCrisp margins that appear in winter
Moth orchidCrisp margins that appear in winter
Peacock plantLeaf tips go crisp and brown
Fiddle-leaf figEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
AlocasiaBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Maidenhair fernBrown tips on the newest fronds first
Boston fernA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Where the figures come from
Every care figure here names the published source it came from and the date it was read. Where two sources disagree, the page shows both and says so.
What this does not cover
Nothing here measures your room, and the things that decide most outcomes, such as how far the plant stands from the glass, what the pot is made of, and whether the radiator is under the windowsill, are not in any source and could not be.