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Plant problem diagnosis: what is wrong with my plant?

Pick what you see, the plant if you know it, and whether the potting mix is wet or dry: the tool ranks the likely causes from the problem tables of our plant guides and gives the fix for each.

  1. Overwatering43% of matches

    Likely why: Roots rotting in a dense or waterlogged mix

    What to do: Remove yellow leaves, water only when the top inch is dry, and repot into a fresh, airy bark mix if roots are soft.

    Documented on: Anthurium, Boston fern, Chinese evergreen, Fiddle-leaf fig, Fittonia, Jasmine and 10 more

  2. Hungry plant (nutrients)16% of matches

    Likely why: Nitrogen deficiency, which UF/IFAS identifies as the cause of golden petioles on potted areca palms

    What to do: Feed with a palm fertilizer containing nitrogen and micronutrients in spring and summer; new fronds will come in green.

    Documented on: Areca palm, Gardenia, Meyer lemon tree, Peace lily, Pothos, Sago palm

  3. Normal aging of old leaves14% of matches

    Likely why: The parent dies after blooming once; this is the plant's life cycle

    What to do: Keep caring for it until the pups at the base are large enough to separate, then cut the old rosette away.

    Documented on: Bromeliads, Gardenia, Ponytail palm, Rubber plant, Staghorn fern

  4. Cold or chill5% of matches

    Likely why: A few hours at 32 to 37°F, the chilling injury described by UF/IFAS

    What to do: Keep the plant above 60°F, even in transport; banded leaves stay marked, but new growth comes in clean.

    Documented on: Dracaena, Hibiscus

Ranked from the problem tables of our plant guides, each sourced on its page. A ranking of likely causes, not a certainty.

Most houseplant trouble is not disease. Clemson HGIC notes that houseplants develop many problems, but most have environmental or cultural causes, and diseases are uncommon indoors because conditions do not favor pathogens.That is good news: if the cause is water, light, air or pests, you can fix it yourself. This tool draws on the 486 symptom, cause and remedy entries recorded in our 80 plant guides, each one written from extension sources and the ASPCA for that plant. When you choose a plant, its own entries count three times as much as the others; when you say the mix is wet or dry, causes that fit your answer move up. The ranking shows how often each cause explains your symptom across the guides, not a lab diagnosis.

The most common cause behind each symptom

Across all our guides, here is the cause recorded most often for the eight most documented symptoms. The table recalculates every time a plant guide is added.

Most frequent cause by symptom
SymptomMost frequent causeEntries
Brown spots or patchesFungal or bacterial disease21 of 53
Leggy, stretched growthToo little light42 of 45
White cottony spotsPests41 of 41
Fine webbingPests34 of 35
Yellow leavesOverwatering16 of 37
Brown, smelly rootsOverwatering20 of 29
Crispy, dry edgesDry air12 of 28
Soft, mushy stem or baseOverwatering26 of 27

Before you trust the answer

Check the roots when a ranking points at water. Slide the plant out of its pot: firm, light-colored roots mean the problem is above ground; brown, soft roots that smell sour mean rot, and Clemson HGIC advises cutting out infected roots and repotting in sterile mix when only a few are affected, or discarding the plant when most are dark and dead. Then look under the leaves with a magnifying lens, where Clemson says most pests hide; fine webbing, cottony tufts or sticky residue change the picture entirely.

Think about what changed recently. A plant moved from a greenhouse to your living room, repotted, or set near a heating vent often drops leaves for a few weeks. Clemson notes that leaf drop after a significant change in environment should only last about three weeks. If it goes on longer, run the diagnosis again with the plant's current conditions.

How the ranking works

Every problem entry in our plant guides carries a symptom key and a cause key from fixed lists, so “yellow leaves” on a peace lily and on a pothos land in the same bucket. The tool counts, for your symptom, how many guides attribute it to each cause, weights the plant you chose, adjusts for the state of the mix, and shows each cause's share of the total. The fix it displays is the one written for your plant when available, otherwise the first guide that records that cause. Symptoms no guide documents yet do not appear in the list: the tool never invents a cause. Browse the plant guides for the full tables, such as the snake plant rot and pest entries.

Questions people ask

Can the plant problem diagnosis tool tell overwatering from underwatering?

It narrows it down. Both show up as drooping and yellowing, which is why Clemson HGIC says their symptoms are similar. Set the potting mix field to wet or bone dry: wet doubles the weight of overwatering and drainage causes and cuts drought causes, dry does the opposite. For a closer look, use the over or under check in our overwatering guide.

Why does my plant show two problems at once?

Because one cause often triggers another. Roots damaged by soggy mix cannot take up water, so the plant wilts as if thirsty, and a weakened plant attracts pests. Treat the cause the tool ranks first, then recheck after two weeks. If new leaves come in healthy, the old damage will not reverse, but the problem is solved.

Should I cut off yellow or brown leaves after fixing the problem?

Yes, once you are sure of the cause. A leaf that has turned fully yellow will not green up again, and removing it lets the plant put its energy into new growth. Partly damaged leaves can stay while they still have green tissue. Cut at the base of the leaf stalk with clean scissors.

What if my symptom is not in the list?

The list only shows symptoms documented in at least one of our plant guides, so it grows as guides are added. For anything else, check the undersides of the leaves with a magnifier for pests, compare the problem tables in our guides, or take a photo and a sample to your county Cooperative Extension office, whose Master Gardener volunteers answer plant questions.

Related plants, guides and tools

Yellow leaves

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Brown leaf tips

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Overwatering vs underwatering

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Pests

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Watering calculator

Get the interval right

Sources

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Care ranges 2026, last checked on