What to Do When Office Plants Have Problems? Causes and Solutions Are All Here

Symptom 1: Leaves turn yellow and drop, and the plant is on the verge of death.

Diagnosis: This may be caused by the following three reasons: the plant is placed in a spot that is too dark and lacks even the most basic light; watering is too frequent, causing root rot; the soil has not been changed for years and lacks the necessary nutrients.

Solution: Change the placement location, move it to a windowsill or a sunny spot, and let it receive light for a period of time; stop watering until the potting soil dries out completely before watering again; buy a small bottle of green-leaf fertilizer from a flower market and apply it to the soil.

Symptom 2: Newly grown stems and young leaves are very sparse.

Diagnosis: Because of a severe lack of light, the old leaves wither while the new leaves are thin, weak and sparse. In horticulture there is a specific term for this called "etiolation" (legy growth).

Solution: Choose shade-tolerant plants suitable for growing in the office, or you can choose a dedicated ultraviolet lamp to supplement light for the plants (this lamp is not recommended for beginners).

Symptom 3: Flowers drop and stems wither.

Diagnosis: Lack of water. On weekends and holidays, no one takes care of the office plants, and some flowering plants that need daily watering will wither. In addition, lack of light is also a problem.

Solution: There is a very simple method. When leaving on the weekend, place a plate filled with water under the flowerpot.

Symptom 4: The plant dries up and dies.

Diagnosis: Insect infestation. Office green plants usually rarely get insects. Flowering plants that get insects, such as marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens), usually already had insects before they were placed in the office (that is, they very likely already had insects when purchased).

Solution: It is necessary to spray insecticide and expose the plant to sunlight. This is not suitable to do in an office environment and must be done outdoors. But this may affect work, so flowering plants are basically not suitable for growing in the office. Flowering plants are more prone to insect infestation than green-leaf plants, so they are not recommended.