I’ve killed more houseplants than I care to admit. Some were gifts, some were impulse buys at garden centres because the leaves looked promising under fluorescent lights, and some I honestly thought I could revive with a heroic dose of water and will. Over time I learned a few patterns: plants don’t die from mystery so much as from a handful of repeatable mistakes. If your pothos, snake plant, or temperamental fiddle leaf fig keeps sulking and shedding leaves, the problem is probably one of the following five issues — and each one has a fix that actually works.

Too much love: overwatering

When I was new to plants I equated care with water. Brown tips? Water. Drooping? Water. If it was on a windowsill I thought it wanted a drink hourly. What I didn’t realize was that most houseplants are adapted to survive dry spells, not waterlogged soil. Overwatering suffocates roots, invites fungal rot, and turns healthy soil into an anaerobic mess.

Signs of overwatering:

  • Yellowing leaves that feel soft or mushy
  • Soil that smells sour or musty
  • Black, slimy roots when you inspect the rootball

    • Fixes that actually work:

  • Stop the watering schedule. Let the top 2–3 cm (1 inch) of soil dry before you water again.
  • Switch to a pot with drainage holes and use a well-draining potting mix. For succulents and cacti, use mixes labeled for them or add perlite.
  • If the plant is already root-rotted, take it out, trim off blackened roots, and repot into fresh soil. Fungicide is optional; cleanliness and fresh, airy soil matter more.

    • Insufficient light: the silent killer

    Light is the fuel for a plant. Too little and photosynthesis stagnates; leaves yellow, stems stretch toward the window (a sign called etiolation), and the plant becomes leggy. I remember trying to keep a too-large monstera in a north-facing hallway because “it looked nice there” — within months it had thinner leaves and far fewer splits.

    How to tell if light is the problem:

  • Long, spindly growth or stems stretching toward windows
  • Leaves losing variegation or becoming small and dull
  • Plants failing to flower or producing fewer leaves

    • Simple solutions:

  • Move plants closer to a window with bright, indirect light. East- or west-facing windows are often ideal for many houseplants.
  • Rotate plants periodically so one side isn’t always reaching for light.
  • Consider a grow light — I’ve used inexpensive LED bars (like those from Spider Farmer or Vivosun) when a space just can’t provide enough natural light. They’ve saved a few office desk plants of mine.

    • Poor soil and containers

    Not all potting mixes are created equal. I once repotted a snake plant into an “all-purpose garden soil” from a hardware store and watched it decline over weeks. Garden soil compacts in pots, retains too much moisture, and lacks the aeration that roots need.

  • Look for potting mixes labeled for indoor plants, or blends that include peat/ coco coir, perlite, and compost.
  • For different plant types use targeted mixes: succulents and cacti need gritty, fast-draining mixes; orchids usually prefer chunky bark; aroid plants (philodendron, monstera) like airy mixes with perlite/pine bark.
  • Repot every 1–2 years for young, fast-growing plants. Root-bound plants can stop absorbing water properly.
    • Plant typeRecommended soilPot type
    Succulents/CactiFast-draining gritty mixTerracotta with drainage
    Aroids (Monstera, Pothos)Aerated mix with perlite/barkPlastic or ceramic with drainage
    OrchidsChunky bark or bark-sphagnum mixSlotted orchid pots for airflow

    Humidity and temperature mismatch

    Plants come from places with very different climates than typical heated flats. Tropical plants like philodendrons, calatheas, and ferns want humidity. Dry central heating in winter can lead to brown leaf edges, crisping, or leaf drop. Conversely, a drafty window or cold door can shock tender plants.

  • Look for brown crispy edges or leaves that curl inward during winter — signs of low humidity.
  • Keep plants away from cold drafts, radiator tops, or air-conditioning vents.
  • Increase humidity with a simple tray of pebbles and water, regular misting (for some species), grouping plants together, or using a small humidifier. I keep a cheap ultrasonic humidifier near my more finicky tropical specimens and notice a marked improvement in leaf health.

    • Pests and disease neglect

    Pests like spider mites, mealybugs, scale, and aphids can quietly sap a plant’s vigour. I once ignored a tiny cottony patch in a pothos because it didn’t seem like much — until it spread. Mold and fungal diseases also thrive when conditions are both damp and stagnant.

  • Inspect plants regularly — check undersides of leaves and leaf joints.
  • At the first sight of mealybugs or scale, wipe them off with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab. For larger infestations, insecticidal soap or neem oil sprays (e.g., Bonide Neem Oil) can be effective.
  • Quarantine new plants for a couple of weeks before placing them near the rest of your collection.

    • Small habits that make a big difference

    Beyond the big five mistakes, a handful of everyday habits will make your plants happier:

  • Water from the bottom for plants that like it (set the pot in a saucer of water for 10–30 minutes so roots can drink) and always discard excess after an hour.
  • Feed lightly in the growing season (spring/summer). I use a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser, diluted to half strength, every 4–6 weeks.
  • Prune yellow or damaged leaves promptly to redirect energy to healthy growth and to spot problems early.
  • Keep expectations realistic: some plants are slow growers or need years to reach a size that seems “right.”

    • Plants respond to patterns more than gestures. A routine of checking soil moisture, rotating plants for even light, and scanning for pests will prevent most deaths. And when a plant starts to fail, a calm inspection — look at the soil, the roots, the leaves — can tell you which of these five mistakes is the likely culprit, so you can act with a targeted fix instead of more well-meaning but harmful “care.”