Houseplant Problem Solver
Work through yellow leaves, drooping, brown tips, or leaf damage using soil moisture and pest observations. Get practical next checks and relevant guides.
A symptom is a clue, not a diagnosis. Start with what you can observe, then make one change at a time.
Choose your inputs and use the button above to get a result.
What this tool can tell you
The problem solver uses an explainable checklist. Wet soil and drooping trigger a drainage and root check; dry soil and drooping trigger a check that the root ball actually absorbs water. Pest observations point you toward inspection guides. It does not assign a disease from leaf color or recommend pesticide doses.
Push a clean wooden skewer into the root zone or lift the pot to compare its weight. A dry surface can hide a wet center. Inspect the underside of several leaves in good light. Note whether damage is spreading, confined to one old leaf, or appearing on new growth. Record those facts in the care journal.
When to act promptly
Soft stems, a foul-smelling root ball, or spreading collapse deserve a root inspection rather than another watering. Isolate a plant with likely pests while you inspect nearby plants. If an animal has chewed a potentially toxic plant, contact a veterinarian and bring the plant label; this checklist cannot assess an exposure.
For a complete sequence, open the houseplant troubleshooting hub. The rescue guide explains how to separate urgent damage from normal leaf aging.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a disease diagnosis?
No. It suggests observations and next checks based on your inputs. Many unrelated causes produce the same leaf symptom.
Should I change watering, light and fertilizer together?
Usually change one factor at a time after checking the roots and pests. Otherwise it becomes difficult to learn which change helped.