It is quite discouraging to a plant enthusiast when a previously well-adjusted houseplant starts wilting, turning yellow and dying. But there is no need to despair. What appears to be a dying plant, has a good chance of living up again. You can bring it back to life, with a little detective, and care work.
It is guided with step by step procedure through which you will realize the solution to what is ailing your moribund house plant as well as what you need to do in an effort to bring it back to life.
Step 1: Diagnose the Problem (Be a Plant Detective)
You should find out what creates the problem before attempting to fix it. The vast majority of houseplant problems can be reduced to a small number of offenders. Watch out to see these signs.
- Overwatering (The #1 Killer): The most likely way to kill a house plant is by over doing it with the water. One of the symptoms is yellowing of the leaves (both the old and the new ones), mushy stems, as well as the foul odor, which is emitted by the soil. There will also be a persistent wetness in the soil. The issue with overwatering is root rot where the roots lose their oxygen and can neither content with water nor with nutrients.
- Underwatering: A dehydrated plant will have dry, crispy brown leaves mainly at the edges. The leaves will also be droop and the soil will also be very dry and even the soil may have wriggled off the sides of the pot.
- Incorrect Lighting:
- Excess of Light: The leaves will appear burnt, bleached, or even have brown, crispy spots.
- Insufficient Light: The plant also may grow with long spindly stems (referred to as legginess) in a lengthy stretch to reach the light. There will be minimal new growth and leaves can become yellow, and fall off.
- Pests: These are small insects such as spider mite, mealybug or aphid and are capable of destroying a plant. Search for web-like strands, the sticky resin on the leaves or possibly visible insects on the undersides of leaves or the stems.
- Nutrient Problems or Rootbound: When a plant was kept in the same pot on a prolonged basis, there are possibilities that the plant may have used up the nutrients in the potting mixture. Symptoms are low growth rate, turning of leaves yellow, and development of roots at the drainage outlets of the pot.
Step 2: Do It Now
When you have a diagnosis, then it is acted upon. The key to successful recovery is done through early intervention.
- In Case You Over watered:
- Do not water.
- Open the pot and carefully take the plant out of it. When the roots are black or mushy or the roots have bad smell, then you have root rot.
- It will be necessary to trim off decayed roots very carefully with clean scissors. You should also lop off the unhealthy leaves and stems to make the plant save energy.
- Transplant the plant into new well-drained soil and in a clean pot that drains well. Do not water it until the ground has gone dry.
- In case You Underwatered:
- The most simple repair! Cover the whole pot with lukewarm water filled in a sink or bucket.
- Squeeze it a little and then put it aside to soak in water 20-30 minutes, or when fully rehydrated. The top soil should be wet to know that it is ready.
- Take out the plant and allow all the excessive water to come out.
- To prevent this, develop a strategy to monitor soil moisture in your plant on a more frequent basis in the future.
Step 3: Clear Dead and Damaged Material
Irrespective of the issue, a failing plant must concentrate on generating energy to get new growth, rather than using energy to preserve the dying sections.
- Nevertheless, Prune Ruthlessly: Wipe a clean, sharped pair of surgical scissors or pruning shears to cut away (and dispose of) all brown, yellow or dead plant material (leaves and stems).
- Prune the Stems: Prune back the stems to the place where healthy creating green tissue is visible. When a stem is all brown or black, it has died, and should be cut away. Worry not, this pruning makes the plant invest its energies in fresh healthy growth.
Step 4: Deal with the Environment
After addressing the problem at hand, it is important to review the environment of the plant and evaluate how to make it healthier in the long-term perspective.
- Adjust Light: Relocate the plant to the right spot in terms of lighting conditions of that particular plant species. It is important that when a plant has been in a dark room, it is brought up slowly into a light position or it would shock the plant.
- Humidify: Humidity is enjoyed by many house plants and it makes the plants thrive. When the tips of the leaves are to crackly, then your plant may be suffering dry air. Combine it with other plants, put it in a soaked pebble tray or even have a humidifier.
- Look for Drafts: Plants should not be exposed to cold drafts caused by a window or a door and they should never be positioned too close to a heating vent that has the potential to dry them out.
Step 5: Repot (See Necessary)
Repotting could provide your plant with a new life, should it be affected by root rot, have very tight roots that just do not loosen up, or be anchored in long-established, congested soil.
- Select the right pot: Pick a pot that is just a bit bigger (1-2 inch in diameter) in size than the existing one so that there is no risk of the plant getting waterlogged.
- Take Fresh Potting Mix: A fine draining potting mix, which is fitting to the type of plant.
Step 6: Wait and Wait
The renewal will not occur in one day. Once you have made all precautions, patience and sticking to care is the best thing that you can do.
- Fertilizer: No fertilizer should be given to a worried plant. Fertilizer is not chicken soup; it has the capability of burning the roots of a weak plant. Do not begin to fertilize again until new growth has been noticed, and until you are satisfied that the plant is emphatically out of the woods.
- Pay extra care: Upping the watchful eye of the soil moisture and light conditions. After taking a few minutes and some regular attention your plant will soon start to show some signs of life, and this goes to show that even a dead plant can be revived.
