Plant Care 101

Check your soil; is it damp or muddy?

Hold off on watering for a bit. Roots need space to "breathe" and if the soil stays wet too long, it compacts around roots and suffocates or rots them. If you notice your leaves are turning bright yellow, your soil is wet and maybe you see little fungus gnats buzzing around the soil, that's a sign of overwatering. Let your soil dry out or stage a rescue mission repot with fresh, dry soil. Make sure your pot has drainage holes and look for soil mixes with lava rock, peat, etc.

Does your soil feel dry and you can't remember the last time you watered?

Thoroughly water your plant. Your plant might be losing leaves to try to conserve energy. Other under-watering symptoms look like your leaves curling inwards and older leaves falling off.

A much less common problem involves PH imbalance in your soil.

Your plant finds its nutrients in the soil and sometimes we need to add it extras like nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, iron or sulfur. If you notice irregular yellowing on your leaves and deformed leaves, double check for pests first but your second step is to repot your plant with fresh potting soil and some nutrients. If you're unsure, come in and talk to our plant experts!

Are your older leaves turning yellow but you still see lots of new growth?

That's your plant shedding naturally. You're doing great and your plant is probably pretty happy!

Are your leaves turned brown on the edges first and it's working inwards?

Overwatering might be the problem. Instead of relying on a watering schedule, create a schedule to check in on your plants and water as needed instead. The key is to only water your plant when the soil is dried out. Wait to your plant when the top 2-3 inches (or more depending on your plant type) is completely dried out. Use your finger or a moisture meter to check your soil. If your soil is dry, water your plant again. If your soil is damp, wait another few days before watering. If your soil has been mud-like for a week or more, stage a rescue mission and get your plant into new, dry soil. Make sure you choose a pot that has plenty of drainage so your plant isn't ever sitting in water. The browning won't heal but your plant will grow new leaves as you change up your watering schedule.

Do your leaves have brown spots and crunchy leaf edges?

That's a sign of sunburn. As much as our plants love light, just like us, they can get sunburns if they get too much direct light. Some plants can't handle direct light at all. Some plants thrive in direct light. If you notice your plant looks sunburnt, move it into a shadier spot or a few feet back from the light source. You can either let your sunburnt leaves fall off naturally (the top leaves might be providing shade for the lower leaves) or cut off the dead leaves.

Are your leaves have brown spots and crunchy leaf edges?

That's a sign of sunburn. As much as our plants love light, just like us, they can get sunburns if they get too much direct light. Some plants can't handle direct light ever. Some plants thrive in direct light. If you notice your plant looks sunburnt, move it into a shadier spot or a few feet back from the light source. You can either let your sunburnt leaves fall off naturally (the top leaves might be providing shade for the lower leaves) or cut off the dead leaves.

Do you see black spots on the underside of your leaves or white, powdery spots?

You might be dealing with fungus. You'll notice you leaves look sick and wilted - like the life is draining from them all over. You'll need to isolate your plant away from your other plants to keep the fungus from spreading and then come in for advice on fungal treatment products.

Does your plant have small white/yellow spots along with webs between your leaf stems or moving red spots on leaves?

That points to pests like spider-mites or mealybugs. Isolate your plant asap and check any other plants in that room. Pests are lightweight and spread easily. You'll also need a treatment product (neem oil is a good natural option). You'll thoroughly spray down all your leaves, the top layer of soil and wipe away any webs and pests you see. Leave your plant in an isolated space for a few days to a week and do the whole process again to catch any tricky hidden pests and/or babies that hatched. Keep cycling through isolation and treatment until no more spots appear and you don't see any mites on the underside of leaves for a week or more.

Does your plant has red spots that don't move?

That might mean your plant is missing nutrients and/or their watering schedule is stressing them out - commonly seen in Fiddle Leaf Figs who like a structured watering schedule and are a bit finicky about how much water you give them. If you can, pick up a moisture measuring tool (typically run between $10-30) to make sure you're giving them proper water amounts. You can also switch to filtered water for plants who don't like the chemicals found in tap water. If you want to try adding nutrients into your soil, come and with a picture of your plant and we'll help you pick out a good nutrient to add into your soil.

If you're still struggling, bring in a photo of your plant and we'll help you identify the problem and tips tot take care of it.

Are your leaves are crunchy, curled inwards and have brown spots?

That's a sign of sunburn. As much as our plants love light, just like us, they can get sunburns if they get too much direct light. Some plants can't handle direct light ever. Some plants thrive in direct light. If you notice your plant looks sunburnt, move it into a shadier spot or a few feet back from the light source. You can either let your sunburnt leaves fall off naturally (the top leaves might be providing shade for the lower leaves) or cut off the dead leaves.

Are your leaves stretching out and look like they’re reaching for something?

Chances are, they're reaching towards a light source and need to be moved closer to that light source. You can also turn your plant occasionally to help it balance itself out from reaching towards the light.

Are your leaves green but curling inwards and drooping?

Your plant probably needs water. Always test the top 1-2 inch of soil with a finger before watering, it should be pretty dry at least an inch or two down before you water your plant.

Are your leaves curled and yellowing?

That can mean lack of sunlight or temperature extremes. Look up your plant to see what kind of sunlight is recommended and move your plant closer or further away from a window based on that recommendation. If your plant is by a drafty window in the summer/winter, it might suffer and you'll need to move it to a more temperature controlled spot in the house.

If you're still struggling, bring in a photo of your plant and we'll help you identify the problem and tips tot take care of it.

Has your plant experiences dramatic and sudden temperature changes?

If your plant was left outside and our midwestern temperatures drop or rise suddenly, that can shock your leaves and cause drooping. Move your plant into a shady spot or bring it in from the chill and allow it to recover. It might take a bit of time to bounce back but let it do its thing. Resist the temptation to make it up to your plant with extra water - your plant can't process as much water as normal when it's recovering from shock so extra water actually hurts more than it helps in this case.

Are your leaves curling and drooping?

Your plant might need water. Always test the top 1-2 inch of soil with a finger or a wooden chopstick (it should come out "clean" and dry before you add water) before watering, it should be pretty dry at least an inch or two down before you add more water.

If your plant hasn't been in extreme temperatures and you've check it's water, it might be time to dig in and check your plant's roots.

Gently remove your plant from it's pot and brush soil off the roots so you can see them better. Any roots that are mushy are rotted and need to be cut off. If your plant looks like it's shoved all it's roots into a pot that's too small for it, upgrade it's pot to one that leaves 1-2 inches all the way around the roots - the same way you'd leave room for growth when buying kids' shoes.

Are only the older, mature leaves falling off but you still see lots of new growth?

That's your plant shedding naturally. You're doing great and your plant is probably pretty happy!

First, look at your plant closely to identify your pest so you can get rid of it!

Do you see webs, moving black spots on the underside of your leaves and/or little yellow/white spots on your leaves?

Isolate your infected plant first to protect your healthy plants. You're most likely dealing with spider-mites and they are notorious for spreading. Spider-mites bite and suck the energy out of your leaves until your plant doesn't have enough to keep itself alive. You can use either man-made or natural-based products but Neem oil is a popular starting point. Start by wiping down all the leaves to get off any webbing then spray your plant, focusing on the undersides of leaves, where your leaves meet the stems and on the soil. Keep your plant away from other plants for a week. Repeat spraying your plant with Neem oil every few days until you no longer see new damage and you don't see any moving black spots.

Do you see small cotton-like masses on the underside of your leaves (especially towards the base of leaves)?

Those are likely mealybugs. First, immediately isolate your plant so those bugs don't infect your other plants. Then wash and remove all the visible cotton-like masses with a q-tip. Once your leaves are cleaned off, spray your plant down with pesticides or insecticidal soap. Leave your plants isolated for a week or two and check in on it. repeat these steps if you see more mealybugs (often times it takes 1-3 rounds to make sure you get all the hidden bugs and their eggs.

Do you have gnats flying around the base of your plant?

You're dealing with Fungus Gnats. These little gnats love damp soil and are drawn to moist environments. Let your soil dry out before giving your plant a drink and put out sticky traps to kill the gnats. The dry soil will create a less desirable home for gnats so make sure your plant's pot has plenty of drainage holes and don't water until at least the top 1-3 inches of your soil is dry to the touch.

Do you see black spots on your leaves (that don’t move)?

You might be dealing with fungus. First, isolate your plant away from your healthy plants. Cut off any of the infected leaves on your plant and prevent any future fungus growth with an anti-fungal spray.