Growth has stalled

What causes it, and how to tell them apart

Work down the list making the observation under each heading. GrowingHQ will not guess which one you have — the observation is the answer.

1. Pot-boundcommon

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Potting on

   Checked 2026-08-13

   How to tell

   Slide the plant out of its pot. Roots circling the outside of the root ball with very little compost visible, or emerging from the drainage holes, means it has run out of room and cannot take up enough of anything.

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Potting on

   Checked 2026-08-13

   If it is this, do first

   Pot on one size, teasing out the circling roots.

   ·source

   Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Potting on

   Checked 2026-08-13

2. Nitrogen deficiencycommon

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Nitrogen deficiency

   Checked 2026-08-13

   How to tell

   Stalled growth with the OLDEST leaves yellowing uniformly. Feeding is itself the test: a nitrogen-short plant responds visibly within one to two weeks in the growing season, and no response means the cause is elsewhere.

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Nitrogen deficiency

   Checked 2026-08-13

   If it is this, do first

   Apply a balanced liquid feed at the stated rate. Do not double it — excess fertiliser scorches roots and causes the same stunting.

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Feeding plants

   Checked 2026-08-13

3. Not enough lightcommon

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Houseplants — light

   Checked 2026-08-13

   How to tell

   Compare the spacing between leaves on new growth with older growth. Wider gaps, smaller and paler leaves, and a lean towards the window mean the plant is stretching for light rather than starving of food.

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Houseplants — light

   Checked 2026-08-13

   If it is this, do first

   Move it nearer a window before reaching for fertiliser.

   ·source

   Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Houseplants — light

   Checked 2026-08-13

4. Aphidsoccasional

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Aphids

   Checked 2026-08-13

   How to tell

   Look on the undersides of the newest leaves and along the growing tips. Aphid damage comes with visible insects, sticky honeydew, and distorted new growth — stunting without any of those is not aphids.

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Aphids

   Checked 2026-08-13

   If it is this, do first

   Rub the colonies off or dislodge them with a jet of water.

   ·source

   Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Aphids

   Checked 2026-08-13

5. Slugs and snailsoccasional

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Slugs and snails

   Checked 2026-08-13

   How to tell

   Outdoors only, and on young plants: growth that is being removed as fast as it is made looks like stunting from a distance. Go out with a torch after dark, which is the only time the culprits are present.

   ·source

   Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Slugs and snails

   Checked 2026-08-13

   If it is this, do first

   Check the plant after dark with a torch before treating anything.

   ·source

   Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Slugs and snails

   Checked 2026-08-13

6. Powdery mildewuncommon

   ·source

   Sourced guidancehigh confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Powdery mildew

   Checked 2026-08-13

   How to tell

   A white powdery film on the leaves accompanying the stall. Mildew reduces photosynthesis enough to slow a plant noticeably when it is severe, though it rarely stops one outright.

   ·source

   Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Powdery mildew

   Checked 2026-08-13

   If it is this, do first

   Improve air movement and keep the roots from drying out, which is when mildew is worst.

   ·source

   Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

   • Royal Horticultural Society: Powdery mildew

   Checked 2026-08-13

Where GrowingHQ holds more for one plant

This page lists the causes across every plant. The plants below are the ones where something about that plant changes the answer — different candidates, or a different observation that separates them.