If your lavender is turning brown or gray, the usual first reaction is to water it more. That is almost always the wrong move. Lavender is a Mediterranean plant built for lean, fast-draining soil, and most browning comes from roots that stay too wet, not from thirst. This page walks through the usual causes in … Read more
If your coleus has dropped leaves or flopped over, the usual first reaction is to soak it. Sometimes that is right, because coleus are thirsty plants that wilt dramatically when dry. But the same droop can come from soggy roots, cold, or too little light, and extra water in those cases makes things worse. This … Read more
If the lower leaves on your geranium have turned yellow, the first instinct is usually to water more or to feed it. For zonal geraniums (Pelargonium), that reaction often makes things worse, because these plants are built for sun, dry spells, and fast-draining soil. This page walks through the usual causes in the order worth … Read more
If your rosemary is turning brown, with needles going crisp from the tips or whole branches fading to gray, the plant is not always beyond saving. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, long sold as Rosmarinus officinalis) is a Mediterranean shrub, and indoors it is one of the herbs that struggles most. The usual first reaction is to … Read more
If your hibiscus is dropping buds before they open, or the leaves are turning yellow and falling at the same time, the plant is not necessarily dying. Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) is a tropical shrub that reacts quickly to changes in light, temperature, and moisture, and shedding buds and leaves is its standard response. The usual … Read more
If a lucky bamboo stalk or its leaves have gone yellow, the first instinct is usually to add more water or a splash of fertilizer. That is often the wrong move. Lucky bamboo is not bamboo at all but a Dracaena (Dracaena sanderiana), and it tends to turn yellow for a short list of reasons: … Read more
If your gardenia is covered in fat green buds that turn yellow, go soft, and fall off before they open, the plant is not broken. It is reacting to something in its surroundings. The usual first reaction is to water more or to feed it, and both can make the problem worse. Gardenias are well … Read more
If your Nepenthes keeps producing leaves with a bare, curling tendril at the tip, or the pitchers that do appear shrivel before they open, the plant looks healthy but is not doing the one thing it is grown for. The usual first reaction is to feed it, or to pour fertilizer into the pitchers. That … Read more
If a houseplant looks wrong, the leaves are usually the first place it shows. Yellow, brown, curled, drooping or dropping leaves can each come from several different causes, and the same symptom on two different plants does not always mean the same thing. This page is a map of the 67 troubleshooting guides on Wiltwatch, … Read more
An amaryllis bulb that produced a spectacular display last winter can sit through the next one with nothing but leaves, or send up a short, weak stalk that never opens. The usual first reaction is to feed it more or water it harder. Neither is likely to help. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) bloom on a yearly cycle, … Read more