Houseplant problem index

Most documented problems

The problems with the most knowledge records, most first.

1. 1 root rot Often on: Succulent, Cactus, Anthurium
2. 2 yellow leaves Often on: Money Tree, Peace Lily, Calathea
3. 3 spider mites Often on: String Of Pearls, Pothos, Fiddle Leaf Fig
4. 4 mealybugs Often on: Cactus, Calathea, Pothos
5. 5 overwatering Often on: Succulent, Pothos, Zz Plant
6. 6 brown tips Often on: Snake Plant, Boston Fern, Calathea
7. 7 drooping Often on: Peace Lily, Dieffenbachia, Zz Plant
8. 8 brown spots Often on: Calathea, Dieffenbachia, Fiddle Leaf Fig
9. 9 sunburn Often on: Cactus, Peace Lily, String Of Pearls
10. 10 underwatering Often on: Succulent, Rubber Plant, Orchid

Symptoms

What you can see on the plant. One symptom can have several causes, so each page lists the causes to check.

• yellow leaves Often on: Money Tree, Peace Lily, Calathea
• brown tips Often on: Snake Plant, Boston Fern, Calathea
• drooping Often on: Peace Lily, Dieffenbachia, Zz Plant
• brown spots Often on: Calathea, Dieffenbachia, Fiddle Leaf Fig
• dropping leaves Often on: Fiddle Leaf Fig, Indoor Citrus, Begonia Maculata
• no new growth Often on: Orchid, Pilea Peperomioides, Zz Plant
• etiolation Often on: Succulent, Echeveria, Cactus
• curling leaves Often on: Calathea, Pilea Peperomioides, Pothos
• leggy growth Often on: String Of Hearts, Rubber Plant, Cactus
• loss of variegation Often on: Zz Plant, Jade Plant, Pothos
• crispy leaves Often on: Calathea, Begonia, Philodendron
• edema Often on: Fiddle Leaf Fig, Rubber Plant, Anthurium
• black stems Often on: Zz Plant, Alocasia, Pothos
• pale leaves Often on: Philodendron, Calathea, African Violet
• leaf scarring Often on: Philodendron, Rubber Plant, Fiddle Leaf Fig
• wilting Often on: Pothos, Monstera Deliciosa, Snake Plant
• stretching Often on: Rubber Plant, Sedum, Succulent
• mushy stems Often on: Snake Plant, Zz Plant

Watering problems

Problems caused by too much water, too little water, or a pot that does not drain.

• root rot Often on: Succulent, Cactus, Anthurium
• overwatering Often on: Succulent, Pothos, Zz Plant
• underwatering Often on: Succulent, Rubber Plant, Orchid
• water quality Often on: Calathea, Monstera Deliciosa, Ferns
• hard water Often on: Tradescantia, Snake Plant

Pests

Insects and mites that feed on houseplants. Check the undersides of leaves, the stems and the soil surface.

• spider mites Often on: String Of Pearls, Pothos, Fiddle Leaf Fig
• mealybugs Often on: Cactus, Calathea, Pothos
• scale Often on: Boston Fern, Cactus, Jade Plant
• thrips Often on: Pothos, Calathea, Monstera Deliciosa
• fungus gnats Often on: Pothos, Boston Fern, String Of Pearls
• aphids Often on: Anthurium, Philodendron, Calathea
• whiteflies Often on: Bird Of Paradise, Peace Lily, Indoor Citrus
• root mealybugs Often on: String Of Pearls, Snake Plant, Universal

Diseases

Fungal, bacterial and other infections. Wet leaves, wet soil and still air make most of them worse.

• root rot Often on: Succulent, Cactus, Anthurium
• fungal infection Often on: Scindapsus Treubii, Dieffenbachia, Cactus
• powdery mildew Often on: Begonia, Rubber Plant, Jade Plant
• leaf spot Often on: Rubber Plant, Philodendron, Pothos
• mosaic virus Often on: Pothos, Monstera Deliciosa
• bacterial infection Often on: Pothos

Rescue steps

Steps for plants in serious decline, such as cutting away rotten roots or restarting from a cutting.

• root surgery Often on: Orchid, Alocasia, Pothos
• hydrogen peroxide drench Often on: Variegated Monstera, Pothos, Bird Of Paradise
• sphagnum moss propagation Often on: Calathea, Bird Of Paradise, Alocasia
• systemic granules Often on: Calathea, Orchid, Inch Plant

Environment

Light, temperature, humidity, drafts and seasonal changes.

• sunburn Often on: Cactus, Peace Lily, String Of Pearls
• cold damage Often on: Anthurium, Calathea, Cactus
• transplant shock Often on: Peace Lily, Philodendron, Boston Fern
• humidity Often on: Boston Fern, Anthurium, Calathea
• fertilizer burn Often on: Calathea, Boston Fern, Orchid
• low light Often on: Fruiting Indoor, Boston Fern, Calathea
• repotting stress Often on: Pothos, Succulent, Aloe Vera
• seasonal dormancy Often on: Succulent, Alocasia, Cactus
• too much light Often on: Cactus, Succulent
• acclimation stress Often on: Alocasia, Fruiting Indoor
• shipping damage Often on: Tradescantia
• AC damage Often on: Air Plant
• ventilation Often on: Fruiting Indoor
• stale air Often on: Air Plant

Soil problems

Problems with the potting mix: drainage, compaction, pH and salt build-up.

• moldy soil Often on: Orchid, Peace Lily, String Of Pearls
• hydrophobic soil Often on: Peace Lily, Begonia Maculata, Cast Iron Plant
• soil too dense Often on: Succulent
• water not absorbing Often on: Succulent

Pot problems

Pot size, material and drainage holes.

• pot too small Often on: Pothos, Succulent, Orchid
• terracotta vs plastic Often on: Succulent, Hoya, African Violet
• wrong pot size Often on: Cactus, Succulent, Blueberry
• pot too big Often on: Succulent, Monstera Deliciosa, Snake Plant
• no drainage Often on: Succulent, Snake Plant
• overpotting Often on: Orchid, Zz Plant
• root rot from pot Often on: African Violet
• nursery pot vs decorative Often on: Boston Fern