What your plant's leaves are telling you

A quick guide to four common symptoms, their likely cause and what to do in each case.

These four signs are the most common. The likely cause and the fix come from our technical maintenance guide.

Yellow leaves and wet soil
Likely cause: overwatering. What to do: stop watering until the soil dries out and check that the pot drains well.
Brown, crispy tips
Likely cause: air humidity too low; it's common in calatheas and ferns. What to do: keep it away from dry drafts and raise the humidity around it.
Long, weak stems
Likely cause: not enough light (etiolation). What to do: move it to a brighter spot.
White, cottony spots
Likely cause: mealybugs. What to do: wipe the leaves with cotton dipped in diluted alcohol or with potassium soap.

Before watering, check the care sheet

Watering varies a lot from one plant to another. The ZZ plant needs watering every 2 to 3 weeks, while the Boston fern needs its soil always moist. Every care sheet in the catalog shows that plant's light and watering.