Most plant problems come down to water, light or the pot. Here's what we tell people at the Plant Doctor table.
Overwatering kills more houseplants than anything else. Before you water, push a finger into the soil. If the top couple of centimetres are dry, water until it runs out the bottom. If it's still damp, wait.
Plants drink less in winter when the days are short. Water less often then.
"Bright, indirect light" means near a window where the plant can see a lot of sky but the sun isn't beating on its leaves all afternoon.
If a plant is leaning hard toward the window or growing long and stretched out, it wants more light. If leaves are bleached or have crispy brown patches, it's getting too much direct sun.
Every container needs a way for extra water to escape. Without a hole, water pools at the bottom and the roots rot. That's the first thing we do to every rescued container.
You can grow cuttings and seedlings in almost anything that holds soil. Here's how we turn a coffee pod into a planter.
Cut a pop bottle in half. Flip the top half upside down into the bottom half, so the neck points down. Thread a strip of cotton cloth or string through the neck as a wick, fill the top with soil and the bottom with water. The plant drinks from below as it needs to.
Repot when roots circle the bottom or poke out the drainage hole, or when water runs straight through without soaking in. Go up only one size, about 2–5 cm wider. A pot that's too big holds too much wet soil.
