Plant Detective: Find out what makes your plants tick
Join me on the Plant care for Beginners "podcast" as we explore the art of houseplant care. Discover practical tips, personal experiences, and troubleshooting advice to help your plants thrive. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced plant enthusiast, find inspiration and guidance for your green journey!
Recording
Below, you'll find the recording and transcription of this "podcast". I like to call this an audio guide instead, but most of you will know what a podcast is, so that seems to be the easiest term.
Transcription
Welcome to Plant care for Beginners, where we dive into the world of houseplants! I'm Roelof Jan, and today, I want to share something that Iām truly passionate about: understanding what makes our plants tick. If youāve ever struggled with a houseplant that just doesnāt seem to thrive, youāre not alone. Today, Iāll be sharing my journey with a ficus lyrata, or fiddle-leaf fig, and some key lessons I learned along the way.
At the end, I'll share my personal troubleshooting checklist that helps me find out what's wrong with my plants.
My most recent plant mystery
So, letās get started. A while back, I had a ficus lyrata that was really struggling. It was losing leaves, not growing, and I was convinced it had root rot. I checked for the obvious signs: a funky smell, overly wet soilā¦ but to my surprise, it was actually too dry! This plant didn't show any signs that are commonly known for dry plants, like drooping leaves or crispy brown edges. Instead the leaves started turning brown at the base. This was a real surprise for me, because this looked more like root rot.
Misconceptions about the Ficus Lyrata
Now, letās talk about misconceptions. Many of us think that a plant will droop when it needs water. But this ficus? It doesnāt really droop! So, itās important to recognize that different plants can have responses to stress. When your plant isnāt happy, you'll need to look for signs such as yellowing leaves, no new growth, or dropping leaves. Once youāre aware of these signs, you know something is wrong and you can start troubleshooting with a specific checklist.
How to look up plant care advice
This actually leads me to my next tip: when you're researching plant care tips for your new plant, always use the scientific name of your plant. Common names can be misleading. For example, āzebra plantā can refer to multiple species with very different care requirements. If youāre unsure of your plantās scientific name, match its common name to pictures online for identification.
The troubleshooting checklist
Now, hereās my simple checklist for troubleshooting any plant issues:
- Watering Issues: Check if itās too much or too little water.
- Sunlight Issues: Consider whether itās getting too much or too little light.
- Soil and Root Issues: Is the pot too small or too big? Is the soil compacted?
- Pests and Diseases: Look for any unwanted visitors or signs of illness.
- Fertilizer: Are you giving it too much or too little nourishment?
Following this checklist, one step after the other, can really help you find the problem. And remember, patience is key. Donāt be too quick to throw that plant away! Thereās usually something you can try to help it recover. Just be mindful not to change your care routine too often, as this can stress your plant even more. Sometimes, recovery can take weeks.
Watering issues
Getting back to the checklist! When you're looking at watering issues, the first thing you'll want to do is to stick your finger in the soil. This will help you feel if the soil is wet or dry. If it's wet, you can typically also see the soil shine. If it's dry, any soil that sticks to your finger will easily fall off when you wipe it off.
Sunlight issues
Now let's look at number 2, sunlight issues. When your plant gets too much sunlight, its leaves will fade to light green or turn yellow. If the temperature is also high, it can also dry out the leaves, causing the leaves to turn brown.
If your plant isn't getting enough sunlight, you'll notice that it's growing towards the light. It'll look warped and grows to one side. When this happens, you could rotate your plant, but I recommend to just move it close to a window for some extra sunlight.
Soil and root issues
Let's move onto the number 3, soil and root issues. In this step, I first check if my plant is root bound. A plant that's root bound, will want to drop leaves, and it won't grow, as there is no space for its roots to go anywhere.
On the other hand, if the pot is far too large, the soil will hold onto too much moisture and could easily overwater your plant. So make sure to pick a pot that is just a little bigger than the root ball of your plant. This way it has space to grow, but it's not drowning in the pot.
Pests and diseases
Only after all of these steps, will I look for pests and diseases. The reason is quite simple. Pests and diseases only show up on your plant if your plant is already stressed. A stressed plant is an easy target.
When I look for pests or diseases, I take my time. Most pests are small and can be hard to spot, so make sure to check the stems and also look at the bottom of the leaves.
Fertilizer
And last, but not least, is fertilizer. This is, in my experience, rarely the problem. But if you've forgotten to fertilize your plant for a year, it will stop growing. So make sure to regularly fertilize your plant by sticking to the instructions of your fertilizer. Don't fertilizer more than the instructions say, as this will cause root burn. This is not what we want.
Conclusion
I hope this checklist helps you find out what's wrong with your plant. I hope to see you back for the next podcast, or audio guide!
Thank you for reading this post! I hope it helps you to keep your plants healthy and beautiful! If you're looking for more guides on specific plants, you can always request a plant guide to get a guide for the plant you have trouble with.
Test your plant care knowledge
Quiz completed!
Want to learn more? Sign up for my newsletter to receive free tips in your inbox!
Sign up now!
