Rx for Houseplants

• Leaf tips turn brown and lower leaves turn yellow and drop off:  Over-watering is the culprit.  Allow the soil to dry and water less often.
• Leaf tips turn yellow, then brown before drying:  Under-watering--soak pot in water, then water more frequently.
• Leaves look faded and are streaked with yellow or brown mottling:  Too much light--move plant to less intense light.
• New growth is elongated, pale and undersized:  Not enough light--move to stronger light.
• Leaves become yellowish, but veins are green.  Lower leaves drop off and new growth is weak:  Under fertilization--start a schedule of fertilizing.
• The plant puts on new growth rapidly but the stems are weak and streaked:  Over fertilization--flush the buildup of fertilizer out of the soil by watering the plant several times in a few hours.
• Leaf edges curl under and dry out:  Too high a temperature in the room--move to a cooker spot.
• White cottony growth appears in crevices between the leaves and stems:  Mealybugs--dab each bug with rubbing alcohol.
• Stems and leaves get tiny brown "warts":  Scale--gently scrape the scale off with a knife or fingernail.
• Leaves get a mottled dusty look.  Eventually there are webs on the branches:  Spider mites--rinse foliage thoroughly with a lukewarm shower.  repeat each week, if necessary.