Gardener's notebook: how to bring your sad houseplants back to life if you've been overwatering

Homes & Property | Gardening

Gardener's notebook: how to bring your sad houseplants back to life if you've been overwatering

Yellow leaves, lack of light, and overwatering — how to bring your precious houseplants back from the brink
George Hudson5 February 2024

My houseplants are all looking a bit worse for wear at the moment — it’s quite likely you might have a few plants that also look like they are struggling right now.

I made the mistake of leaving one of mine, a Sparrmannia, outside during the frosty weather, which caused some of the leaves to turn grey and go crispy, burnt by the cold.

I’ve seen it growing outside in Cornwall, but south London’s sub-zero temperatures were just too much.

It will recover as some leaves weren’t caught by the frost. But if you have left yours out in the cold and they have fully changed colour and gone slimy, there is a good chance it is game over.

However, do check carefully, often the outer or uppermost leaves protect the plant further down.

Another issue I face is yellowing leaves.

"Don’t just assume it is a lack of water and give the plant more as often too much water can cause yellowing."

It can often be very hard to pinpoint the exact reason the leaves on your favourite plants are turning yellow. Observation is critical.

The odd yellow leaf is normal, plants often shed older, lower leaves that receive less light. Don’t just assume it is a lack of water and give the plant more as often too much water can cause yellowing.

Check the plant and its surroundings, ask yourself if anything has changed.

Light levels perhaps make the biggest impact this time of year. If you have been away or kept the curtains closed, your plants will be noticing the dark.

"If you have been away or kept the curtains closed, your plants will be noticing the dark."

Human eyes are poor at measuring light. A plant placed just a metre away from a window receives less than half the light of a plant right up against a window.

This can be exacerbated by north facing windows, where many plants will sulk this time of year.

All my indoor plants are against my east-facing bedroom window, it’s a bit tricky to close the curtains but it is the best place for them.

If you are short of window space, experiment with LED grow lights, such as the Mother Life PlantSpectrum32 (£209) at Amazon.

Not quite getting the watering right is another reason you might be faced with yellowing leaves.

Always check the soil and get into the habit of seeing if your plants are dry on a regular basis.

"Occasionally feeding your plant will help stop yellowing and ensure overall health."

Environmental factors like the heating, light and the growth rate of the plant will all affect how quickly the soil dries out, and this varies from plant to plant.

Watering everything once a week regardless of their condition is likely to have unintended consequences.

A third reason for those yellow leaves could be a lack of nutrients.

Some plants slow down or stop growing in winter, but if you see new leaves, it’s not dormant.

This means the plant will also have a demand for nutrients, so occasionally feeding your plant will help stop yellowing and ensure overall health.

Repotting can also help replace nutrients, but I’d hold off on this for another month until you can be sure the plant is actively growing.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in