Tips For Sickly House Plants
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
Here are tips for sickly house plants. If you follow these tips, you may be able to save your house plant before it’s too late to salvage it.
It’s disappointing when you bring a beautiful and lush plant home and suddenly it begins looking droopy or dies.
Before you get frustrated and toss it, try the following tips for house plants that look sickly.
A Few Things To Check For:
- Yellowing leaves
- Scorched leaves
- Spindly plant
- Brown leaf tips
Yellowing leaves: This could indicate over-watering or insufficient light. Cold temperatures, nutrient deficiencies, and infections can also cause your plant’s leaves to turn yellow.
Scorched leaves typically indicate that the plant is receiving too much sunlight. This occurs when the plant lacks sufficient water and becomes dehydrated.
A spindly plant: It could mean the plant isn’t getting enough light.
Brown leaf tips: This may indicate that the plant was dry for too long or that the temperature is too low. It might need to be in a more humid environment.
When To Water Your Plant:
The best way to tell if your plants need water is to stick your finger about an inch into the potting soil.
If the soil is dry, water the plant. However, if you feel dampness, wait a day or so and recheck.
Ensure the pot has drainage when watering it. Don’t let the plant sit in water. If no drainage holes exist, add holes to the pot or repot the plant in a pot with drainage holes.
I ordered a gadget that you stick into the plant’s soil to see if it needs water. It was under $10. I tend to over-water my plants, so it was probably a good investment.
When Plants Are Too Wet:
Roots growing in waterlogged soil may die because they cannot absorb the oxygen needed to function normally.
The longer the air is cut off, the greater the damage to the roots. Then, the dying roots decay and are unable to supply the plants with nutrients and water.
When Plants Are Too Dry:
Signs of underwatering include browning of leaf tips, dropping of leaves, and wilting of the plant and its leaves. The leaves might curl or become thin and crispy.
If the soil is hard and dry, you are probably under-watering the plant. Or if there’s a gap between the soil and the pot the plant is in, you may be under-watering.
If you’re wondering how warm it needs to be inside for house plants, the ideal range is 70 to 80 degrees during the day and 60 to 68 degrees at night. However, most plants are adaptable.
Just because a plant looks unhealthy or has lost its leaves doesn’t mean it’s dead or dying. Plants can regrow after enduring trauma.
You might want to give it a little more time before giving up on it.
How To Bring A Dying Plant Back To Life:
- Dead leaves, stems, and branches must go. Take a pair of scissors and trim away any dead leaves.
- Place a humidifier nearby if the air is too dry.
- You don’t want bright sunlight to directly contact your plant. Check the proper light conditions for your plant online.
- Fertilize your houseplant with a homemade fertilizer or purchase a ready-made one at the store.
- You might try repotting the plant. Repot with fresh, not reused, potting mix.
Fun Plant Facts:
Did you know that an English ivy plant can remove about 78% of airborne mold in 12 hours? Other houseplants that can help remove airborne mold include the Boston Fern, Snake Plant, and Aloe vera.
Thanks for sharing a lot of information! It helps a lot.
Brenda, thanks for all the info on plants! So interesting! ?
Brenda, do you still have Jade, the tree?
To Kimberly, I am sorry about your husband’s health issues and hope and pray that all goes well for you and your family. On the subject of plants, I seem to do better with outside plants. Well, I think the problem is, I don’t like fussing with things in pots, and wondering if they need a bigger pot, and so on. So these tips are interesting to know. Right now I have a sanseveria, a plant I like because it looks interesting and needs little attention. And I have three Christmas cactuses, which don’t want to make blooms and I never remember to figure out what kind of light and heat they need to get them to make some blooms. Oh well. they have a nice structure to them, even without flowers.
Omg Kimberly, that’s terrible!
I will keep ur husband, kids, and you in my thoughts and prayers!
If you need to talk to us, we are here for you! Right Brenda!
Meant to add: I’ve never had Croton before; are they finicky? I’m not used to losing plants…. going through major stress with my wonderful Husband in hospital–he could have died this week because insurance was blocking tests he needed!! So every little stressor feels bigger! Trying to keep it together for our kids.
Dear Kimberly, I hope you will have some good news for your husband. Can’t imagine the worry you must be having. Hang in there and you are all in my prayers.xx
Very helpful___thank you so much! I know a lot about houseplants, but you’ve taught me more that I need to know. 🙂
Do you or anyone else have advice for my dying Croton, please? Bought it on Clearance, and it may have been doomed from its beginning. I can’t find tips on doing anything differently than I am. Thank you!
Thanks Brenda! I already killed the prayer plant and the jade plant isn’t doing too well. These tips, I hope will save the jade. I need furbaby pictures please!
Carol and Molly
xoxoxo
Interesting tip about the matches, Brenda. Most of my plants are doing pretty well right now but I don’t have any blooms on the African Violets. I got a new broad spectrum plant light a few weeks ago so I’m hoping that will help.
Hope you and the “kids” are doing great. Stay warm and cozy in your “cozy little house.”
To Carol and Molly: I have a Jade plant and it is happiest when it gets lots of light. It like the sun and doesn’t like too much watering but if it doesn’t get enough it’s little sprouts will start dropping off. It is a succulent but depending on the light it gets it could need a fair amount of watering. If you are worried about it croaking just pinch off some of the little leaf shoots and root them in water and plant or stick them directly into the soil and keep watered and they will give you a baby plant. Even just one leaf stuck in water or soil will root and grow a new plant. Hope this is helpful and that your Jade will pep up and grow wildly!
That’s a cool tip about the matches, that’s new to me!! I just had to toss a basil plant I brought in from the herb boxes in the fall, it didn’t make it indoors, so sad. My mom brought me a bunch of plants when she left for Florida and one of them is not doing well – I just moved it this morning to a spot with more light, and I bought some plant food – I jotted a note this morning to remind myself to feed all my plants this weekend! I bet you miss your houseplants since you had to give them away….but little Ivy makes up for it!
Cannot wait to try the matches. Thanks for the great tips; I do have several houseplants that definitely need some TLC.
Take care and have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you for the information on using matches. Never heard of that before and definitely am going to try it. Have a great day.