How to Bring a House Plant Back to Life
- 1). Consider how much water you have been giving the plant. Over and underwatering are the two most common problems with houseplants. If it is sitting in soggy soil than the problem might very well be that you are drowning it. Stop watering it. Stick your finger into the soil periodically and when the top two inches (one inch if it's in a small pot) is dry, water it well. Don't allow water to sit in the drip pan under the plant. On the other hand, if the plant is so dry you can lift it out of the pot, you need to water it more often. Very few plants can thrive in bone dry soil.
- 2). Give the plant more or less light. If your watering regime doesn't seem to be what is troubling the plant, think about what type of light it gets during the day. Some plants do better in filtered sunlight, perhaps by a curtained window. Others need direct sunlight. Change the location of the plant for a week or so and see if it perks up.
- 3). Check to see if the plant is "pot-bound," that is, if it's outgrown its pot. If there are roots coming out of the bottom of the pot or, again, you can lift the plant right out of its container, you may need to repot it. A sick plant doesn't take well to being repotted, so you will have to be very careful with it. Mix up a nice batch of loose potting soil and pour one or two inches of it into a pot that is the next size larger from the one in which the plant currently sits. Gently lift the plant from its old pot and loosen any soil around the roots. Place it in the new pot and pack soil around the roots, filling the pot to within 1/2 inch of the top. Water the plant deeply with lukewarm water and allow all the water to drain from the bottom of the pot. Place the plant in an area that gets lots of light for the first few days after transplanting. Do not fertilize the plant for at least one month after it has been in the new pot.
- 4). Inspect the plant for pests and diseases. Houseplants that get too much water are susceptible to fungus disease, especially powdery mildew. This will appear as a dusty white powdery substance on the leaves. There are non-toxic fungicides available that you can use to treat the plant. Mealy bugs are a common houseplant pest and, again, they appear as a powdery white substance, usually on the undersides of leaves or in the crotch of branches. Using an alcohol-dipped cotton ball works well on small plants and pesticides are best for larger plants.
