Plant ER (Emergency Room)
🚑 Fix It Now!
Section titled “🚑 Fix It Now!”Something is wrong, and you need fast answers. This section is organized by symptoms (yellow leaves, droopy stems, brown spots) and common causes (root rot, pests, overwatering).
All Articles in This Category:
Section titled “All Articles in This Category:”Broke a plant pot? Emergency repotting steps, checking roots for damage, temporary pot solutions, and whether you can glue terra cotta back together.
Cat peed in your plant? How to flush the soil, assess root damage, prevent repeat offenses, and whether your plant can survive the nitrogen burn.
Fertilizer burn symptoms: brown leaf edges from salt buildup, white crust on soil, how to flush excess nutrients, and the less-is-more approach to feeding.
Freeze damage on houseplants: what cold damage looks like, can the plant recover, how to treat frostbitten leaves, and preventing damage near cold windows.
Girdling roots in houseplants: why circling roots are dangerous, how to spot them when repotting, proper root pruning technique, and preventing rootbound problems.
Water running straight through your pot? Your soil is hydrophobic. Fix it with bottom watering, wetting agents, or soil refresh—here's how to rehydrate dried-out potting mix.
Plant fell over? What to do right away: checking for broken stems, repotting properly, treating transplant shock, and stabilizing tall plants.
Houseplant sunburn: what scorched leaves look like, which plants can't handle direct sun, how to acclimate plants to brighter light, and recovery tips.
The death plug problem: what it is, why nurseries use it, how it causes root rot, and how to remove it when repotting new plants to save their lives.
When to throw away a dying plant: signs it's truly dead vs salvageable, treating persistent pests, and why it's okay to give up on some plants.