Find out what is wrong with your houseplant, and what to do next
PlantGrail is a free-to-download iPhone app plus a library of sourced houseplant care guides. Photograph a struggling plant and the app names the likely problem and the one thing to check or do next.
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- Problems
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- Care records
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Counted from the PlantGrail knowledge base as of .
What is wrong with my houseplant?
Most struggling houseplants have a watering or root problem, not a disease. Yellow lower leaves with soil that stays wet usually mean overwatering or root rot. Crisp brown edges with dry soil point to underwatering or very dry air. Pale, stretched growth means too little light. Fine webbing, sticky leaves or specks under the leaves mean pests such as spider mites or scale. Check first: push a finger an inch into the soil, look for brown, mushy roots, and turn a leaf over. Change one thing at a time, then give the plant a week.
Common houseplant problems
All plant problemsOn the leaves
- Yellow leaves Diagnose yellow houseplant leaves by leaf age, soil moisture, root condition, pattern, light, pests, and recent care changes before watering or fertilizing.
- Brown spots on leaves Diagnose brown leaf spots by location, texture, halo, spread, moisture, pest evidence, and recent changes before cutting or spraying your plant.
- Curling, crispy or wrinkled leaves Use leaf texture, soil moisture, pest evidence, and damage location to distinguish curling, crispy edges, and wrinkled leaves before changing care.
- Blisters and corky spots (edema) Learn what plant edema looks like, how to distinguish it from pests and disease, why it happens, and which watering and environment changes stop new blisters.
In the soil and roots
- Overwatered or underwatered? Distinguish overwatering from underwatering using pot weight, root-zone moisture, root texture, leaf pattern, and recovery response instead of guessing from wilt.
- Root rot Diagnose houseplant root rot using root and substrate evidence, distinguish it from drought stress, and follow a measured recovery protocol without false guarantees.
- Mold on the soil Distinguish fuzzy soil mold from mineral crust, mycelium, fungus gnat conditions, and root rot, then correct the moisture and drainage problem safely.
- Fungus gnats How to confirm fungus gnats, why they breed in houseplant potting mix, and how to break the life cycle by drying the surface, trapping adults with yellow sticky cards and treating larvae with Bti. Includes what does not work, from UC IPM, Colorado State, Maryland, Iowa State and Clemson.
Bugs and the whole plant
- Spider mites Identify spider mites by stippling, leaf-underside checks, and webbing, then isolate, wash, treat, and monitor houseplants without unsafe homemade sprays.
- Reviving a dying plant A triage order for a declining houseplant. Check the roots and mix, watering, light, pests and temperature, fix one cause at a time, then decide whether to nurse it, propagate a healthy piece or start again. From UC IPM, Maryland, Iowa State, Clemson and RHS guidance.
Autumn care,
Slow down before winter
Seasons as in the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator, read the spring advice instead.
Read the full seasonal guide- Bring in plants that spent summer outdoors before nights fall below about 10 °C (50 °F), and check them for pests first.
- Water less as growth slows. Feel the soil before every watering.
- Cut back fertilizer, and stop it by late autumn.
- Move plants closer to the window as the days get shorter.
How the PlantGrail app works
The app is for the moment you notice something is off and want a likely answer before you change the watering, repot or reach for a spray.
More about the app-
Choose what you want to know: something looks wrong, which plant this is, or a weekly check-in.
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Take one photo of the part that worries you: the leaf, the stem or the soil.
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Read the likely cause and the one thing to do now, then check in again after a week.
Care guides by plant
All plants-
Pothos Epipremnum aureum -
Snake plant Dracaena trifasciata -
Philodendron Philodendron -
Monstera deliciosa Monstera deliciosa -
Calathea Goeppertia -
Anthurium Anthurium andraeanum -
Spider plant Chlorophytum comosum -
Orchid Phalaenopsis
Photos from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay contributors. Photo credits
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