What is wrong with my plant?
Four ways in, depending on how much you already know. If all you know is that something is wrong, start at the top.
What this will and will not tell you
GrowingHQ will not name your problem from a photograph or a paragraph. What it does is narrow the possibilities and then tell you the one observation that separates what is left — which is the step most guidance skips, and the only step that turns a list of causes into an answer. Where two causes genuinely cannot be told apart by eye, it says so rather than picking the likelier one.
Work through it question by question
The best starting point if you are not sure what you are looking at. It asks whichever question would narrow things down fastest, and stops as soon as another answer would not help.
Diagnose a plantCovers 23 of the 23 signs below. Nothing you answer is stored or sent anywhere — the answers live in the address bar and nowhere else.
Start from what you can see
Grouped by where the sign shows, because that is the first thing you can be certain of. Each page lists the possible causes and how to tell them apart.
Whole plant
Leaves
Stems
Flowers
Fruit
Guides for a particular plant
Where GrowingHQ holds enough that is specific to one plant to be worth reading on its own. Most plants do not have one, and a page that only repeated the general answer would not be worth your time.
Houseplants
- Aglaonema: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Alocasia: silvery or mottled leaf surface — 2 candidates
- Alocasia: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Aloe vera: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Boston fern: growth has stalled — 2 candidates
- Boston fern: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Calathea: brown, crisp leaf tips — 2 candidates
- Calathea: spreading brown or black patches on leaves and stems — 2 candidates
- Calathea: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Christmas cactus: sudden leaf drop — 2 candidates
- Christmas cactus: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 2 candidates
- Christmas cactus: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Echeveria: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Jade plant: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Kentia palm: brown, crisp leaf tips — 2 candidates
- Monstera: brown, crisp leaf tips — 2 candidates
- Monstera: sticky leaves, or a sticky surface below the plant — 2 candidates
- Monstera: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Moth orchid: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 2 candidates
- Moth orchid: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Peace lily: brown, crisp leaf tips — 3 candidates
- Peace lily: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 2 candidates
- Peace lily: lower leaves turning yellow — 3 candidates
- Pothos: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Rubber plant: sudden leaf drop — 3 candidates
- Rubber plant: lower leaves turning yellow — 3 candidates
- Spider plant: brown, crisp leaf tips — 2 candidates
- Spider plant: lower leaves turning yellow — 3 candidates
- Bird of paradise: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
- Swiss cheese vine: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Syngonium: brown, crisp leaf tips — 2 candidates
- ZZ plant: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
Vegetables
- Aubergine: sticky leaves, or a sticky surface below the plant — 2 candidates
- Beetroot: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Broad bean: new growth twisted, puckered or distorted — 2 candidates
- Broccoli: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
- Broccoli: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Brussels sprouts: holes eaten in leaves — 3 candidates
- Cabbage: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Chard: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Chilli pepper: dark sunken patch at the bottom of a fruit — 3 candidates
- Chilli pepper: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Chilli pepper: leaves rolling or curling inwards — 3 candidates
- Chilli pepper: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Courgette: dark sunken patch at the bottom of a fruit — 2 candidates
- Courgette: new growth twisted, puckered or distorted — 2 candidates
- Courgette: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Courgette: white powdery coating on leaves — 2 candidates
- Courgette: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 3 candidates
- Cucumber: new growth twisted, puckered or distorted — 3 candidates
- Cucumber: white powdery coating on leaves — 2 candidates
- Cucumber: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 4 candidates
- Cucumber: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Garlic: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Garlic: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Kale: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Kale: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Land cress: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
- Lettuce: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
- Lettuce: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Onion: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 3 candidates
- Onion: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Pak choi: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Pea: white powdery coating on leaves — 2 candidates
- Potato: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
- Potato: leaves rolling or curling inwards — 2 candidates
- Pumpkin: white powdery coating on leaves — 2 candidates
- Radish: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Rocket: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Runner bean: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Spinach: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Tomato: dark sunken patch at the bottom of a fruit — 2 candidates
- Tomato: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 3 candidates
- Tomato: leaves rolling or curling inwards — 4 candidates
- Tomato: sticky leaves, or a sticky surface below the plant — 3 candidates
- Tomato: lower leaves turning yellow — 3 candidates
Fruit
- Apple: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 3 candidates
- Apple: healthy growth but no flowers — 3 candidates
- Apple: fruit splitting or cracking — 3 candidates
- Apple: growth has stalled — 2 candidates
- Apple: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Apricot: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Apricot: fruit splitting or cracking — 2 candidates
- Blackberry: growth has stalled — 2 candidates
- Blackcurrant: new growth twisted, puckered or distorted — 2 candidates
- Blackcurrant: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
- Blackcurrant: sticky leaves, or a sticky surface below the plant — 2 candidates
- Blueberry: growth has stalled — 2 candidates
- Blueberry: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Cherry: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Cherry: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
- Cherry: fruit splitting or cracking — 2 candidates
- Gooseberry: new growth twisted, puckered or distorted — 2 candidates
- Gooseberry: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
- Gooseberry: growth has stalled — 2 candidates
- Grape: fruit splitting or cracking — 2 candidates
- Grape: white powdery coating on leaves — 2 candidates
- Melon: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Melon: white powdery coating on leaves — 2 candidates
- Peach: new growth twisted, puckered or distorted — 2 candidates
- Peach: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Peach: leaves rolling or curling inwards — 2 candidates
- Pear: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Plum: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 3 candidates
- Plum: fruit splitting or cracking — 2 candidates
- Plum: lower leaves turning yellow — 3 candidates
- Raspberry: growth has stalled — 3 candidates
- Raspberry: lower leaves turning yellow — 3 candidates
- Rhubarb: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Strawberry: spreading brown or black patches on leaves and stems — 2 candidates
- Strawberry: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
Herbs
- Basil: dark or black spots on leaves — 2 candidates
- Basil: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 2 candidates
- Basil: lower leaves turning yellow — 3 candidates
- Bay: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Chives: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Coriander: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Dill: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Fennel: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Lemongrass: brown, crisp leaf tips — 2 candidates
- Mint: dark or black spots on leaves — 2 candidates
- Mint: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Parsley: plant running up to flower before it is ready to eat — 2 candidates
- Parsley: growth has stalled — 2 candidates
- Parsley: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Rosemary: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 2 candidates
- Rosemary: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Sage: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
Ornamentals
- Agapanthus: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
- Ornamental allium: leaves yellowing and flopping after flowering — 2 candidates
- Bearded iris: leaves yellowing and flopping after flowering — 2 candidates
- Brunnera: crisp brown edges around the leaf margin — 2 candidates
- Camellia: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
- Camellia: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Clematis: plant wilting although the soil is moist — 2 candidates
- Crocus: leaves yellowing and flopping after flowering — 3 candidates
- Dahlia: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
- Forsythia: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
- Fuchsia: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
- Hosta: holes eaten in leaves — 3 candidates
- Hydrangea: holes eaten in leaves — 3 candidates
- Hydrangea: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Lily: leaves yellowing and flopping after flowering — 3 candidates
- Nerine: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
- Peony: healthy growth but no flowers — 3 candidates
- Rhododendron: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Rose: dark or black spots on leaves — 2 candidates
- Rose: new growth twisted, puckered or distorted — 3 candidates
- Rose: holes eaten in leaves — 2 candidates
- Rose: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Skimmia: lower leaves turning yellow — 2 candidates
- Wisteria: healthy growth but no flowers — 2 candidates
Trees and shrubs
- Japanese maple: crisp brown edges around the leaf margin — 2 candidates
- Magnolia: flowers dropping without setting fruit — 2 candidates
Go straight to a cause
For when you already know what you are dealing with, or want to know what a plot is likely to face before it happens.
Pest
- Aphids
- Asparagus beetle
- Bay sucker
- Berberis sawfly
- Bird damage ·
- Cabbage root fly
- Cabbage white caterpillars
- Capsid bug
- Carrot fly
- Codling moth
- Currant blister aphid
- Dock beetle
- Flea beetle
- Fungus gnats ·
- Gooseberry sawfly
- Lace bug
- Leaf miner
- Leaf-cutter bee
- Lily beetle
- Mealybug
- Mint leaf beetle
- Pea and bean weevil
- Red spider mite
- Rosemary beetle
- Scale insect
- Slugs and snails
- Spittlebug
- Thrips
- Viburnum beetle
- Vine weevil
- Whitefly
Disease
- Allium white rot ·
- Apple and pear scab
- Bacterial canker ·
- Brown rot
- Celery leaf spot ·
- Clematis wilt
- Clubroot ·
- Damping off
- Downy mildew
- Escallonia leaf spot ·
- Grey mould
- Hellebore leaf spot
- Heuchera rust
- Iris rhizome rot
- Late blight ·
- Parsnip canker
- Peach leaf curl ·
- Peony wilt
- Powdery mildew
- Pyracantha scab
- Raspberry cane blight
- Root rot ·
- Rose black spot
- Rust
- Silver leaf ·
- Strawberry leaf spot ·
Nutrient deficiency
Physiological disorder
- Alternate bearing
- Blossom drop ·
- Blossom end rot
- Bolting
- Bulb foliage dying back after flowering
- Bulb ripening
- Etiolation
- Foliage that is meant to look like that
- Fruit splitting
- Leaf scorch
- Natural fruit colouring
- Natural fruit drop
- Natural summer dormancy
- Normal autumn leaf fall
- Normal biennial cycle
- Normal end of an annual's life
- Normal leaf ageing
- Normal winter rest
- Not enough light
- Not old enough to flower
- Overwatering
- Physiological leaf roll
- Poor fruit set
- Pot-bound
- Scape formation in hardneck garlic
- Seasonal dieback
- The plant's own resin
- Transplant shock
- Underwatering
Environmental stress
· marks a problem with no effective home remedy. Saying so is more useful than listing things that do not work.
Or search for it
Naming both the plant and the sign gets you the specific guide where one exists — “peace lily brown tips” rather than “brown tips”.
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