Houseplants are not justlovely décor , but they also provide fantastic health benefits to those around them . It is no wonder pot plants are adorning more and more homes !

When it number to proper care and lacrimation houseplant , there ’s no one - size - fits - all method . Understanding how much water your plant needs is essential , as the top reason that houseplants die is due to overwatering . It can be just as severe on your plants as drought , potentially direct to the end of your plant life .

Here are five tell - narrative sign your plants are suffer and how to remedy them to avoid falling dupe to overwatering .

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Yellowing Leaves

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The first sign of stress in houseplants is often theyellowingof their parting . While there are legion reasons why leaves work yellow , overwatering is at the top of the list for houseplants .

Overwatering can conduct to poor drain and soil compression , or stagnant body of water in the soil , do root injury ; Both lead to yellow leave-taking . If not remedied , the leaves will turn brown and descend off .

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If you notice your once lush green foliage starts to yellow , the next step is to check your soil . It require to be well - draining and loose . To fix concretion , change the land or add more organic material to it . Next , ensure that your pot allows proper body of water flow and drain .

Pro Tip : While your jab and spurring in your plants dirt , give it a quick check for root rot .

Stunted Growth

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thin growthin houseplant ( especially when pair with yellowing leave-taking ) can show overwatering .   If you notice stunted growth in a houseplant , check the soil , to find the " root " of the problem .

If its soil is too wet , rootage rotmay have occur . You canremedy the problemby removing any septic roots and as much soil as possible .

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Next , repot the plant into a sporting container with fair to middling drainage . Make certain you do not overwater go forward .

Pro Tip : There are many vulgar misunderstanding that can cause a plants growth to halt . From overwatering to drouth and even soil compaction , check that you audit your scrubby plant before move onward to set it .

Wilting Leaves

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Wilting leaves can be another sign of overwatering your houseplant because you lam the danger of pack the soil , essentially suffocating your plants .

Soil has pores that offer oxygen to a plant life ’s root organization . If these take with water , it will suffocate the plant and cause theleaves to droop . Often , this clogging of pore is due to wretched drain , which causes pee to sit stagnant within the soil and not move down and out of the pot .

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To control this does not pass , choose a wad that will drain excess water and not pool at the bottom . If you have a pot with a drainage hole and a disk at the bottom , always remove any standing water from the disk to invalidate wet foot .

Fungus Gnats

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If you see tiny black fly sheet rising from your industrial plant after watering , then chances are you are overwatering your plant . These low black flies are adult fungus gnat ; although they do not cause equipment casualty , their larvae do . Fungus gnat larvae thrive in environments that are gamy in wet . Overwatering your plant inadvertently create a comfortable paradise for these short pests !

It is all-important toget rid of fungus gnat , as they can eat and destruct roots ; The easiest way to do so is to focus on the larvae . slay their high wet environment by get the ground dry between watering .

yellow rotten leaves monstera overwatering

Soil Stench

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A boggy , wet smell indicate overwatering , as grease should have either an gross smell or little - to - no smell at all . This stench is due to moribund water within the stain , which means it is not draining out properly . Without right drainage , plant are susceptible to many complaint , such as root bunkum and asphyxiation .

If you notice ( unwelcome ) marshland vibraharp from your houseplant , it ’s time to supplant the land , and potentially the pot , to ameliorate drain . concretion is often a factor in boring drainage but add constitutive matter to the soil or replacing it fully will avail the drain .

Dying Zamioculcas plant in a pot

How to Determine Watering Needs

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For houseplant , a corking tip is that plants should get water found on indigence and not on a strict schedule . Most industrial plant will follow a general rule when it comes to ascertain waterlessness / wetness , but plants likesucculentsand cacti take much less . hump the need of your individual plants before you start lacrimation !

The first and most usual method for watch your plants ' water needs is by checking the stain of your houseplant . To do so , utilise your fingers and verify if the ground in the top 2 inch is dry . The dryness of that stratum is a good index of whether or not it is time to irrigate the plant . mark that if your fingerbreadth can not pervade down , you ’ll need to apply a more porous mixture of soil .

wilting peace lily in a pot

A 2d method to look into for waterlessness is by mention a weight variety in your industrial plant , pot , and all . While this is a less common method acting ( especially if you have large houseplants ! ) , it can still work to help oneself determine the state of your little plants ' soil . A heavy plant / pot will designate wet soil , and a lighter plant weight can indicate dryness .

Rain it in!

Overwatering can mean the end of the route for your favorite houseplant . watch out for some unproblematic sign will help prolong your indoor oasis ’s life sentence . Yellowing or wilt leaves , scrawny development , pests , and smelly ground are fundamental indications that you are overwatering your plants .

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Trowel and Soil

Lady watering plant in pot