Playing Plant Doctor - Diagnosing And Treating Plant Problems | Gardening

By KeithMarkensen
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You do not have to go through extensive training to be a plant doctor. In fact, with a little bit of basic knowledge, you will be able to diagnose and treat your plants problems quite easily.

The first rule is that if you see a plant with very abnormally slow growth, poor flowers, or ragged leaves, you need to narrow down when can be wrong. To do this, you should narrow down the options by eliminating things that you know if can't be.

* For example, is the plant receiving proper care?

* Is the lighting sufficient?

* Is it being under watered? Over watered?

* Is it a new plant?

* Is the growth much worse than the previous year?

* Could the problem be coming from a pest?

* Is this a recurring problem?

Answering these questions will help you to narrow down what the main problem is and how you can fix it.

The second rule is to make sure you know any special needs your plants has. If you don't know how to properly take care of your plant, it may not be sick at all. It may just be a simple thing that you are not doing.

The third rule is that you should diagnose the plant based on the age/condition of it. For example, seedlings may show symptoms that mature plants would never have. You need to recognize this difference.

The fourth rule is that you should use a magnifying glass. Many problems and pests aren't visible to the eye alone. With the help of the magnifying glass, you can see pests such as spider mites, aphids, and other insects. Be sure to check the underside of leaves, where pests love to hideout.

Fifth, you need to learn about night feeders. If the leaves of your plants look worse in the morning than the evening, you probably have a chewing insect infestation such as snails, slugs, or cutworms. To find out for sure, check with a flashlight at night around 10:00.

Similarly, if you notice an unhealthy tree or shrub, closely examine it for holes in the trunk or branches where insects may have entered the wood.

If you don't find insects, during the day or at night, and your leaves are discolored, it means that you are not caring for your plant properly. It may be receiving too much or too little light, water, or fertilizer, for example.

If you feel like you are caring for your plant properly, and there are no bugs, there may be a root problem. If it is an outdoor plant, there may be moles or insects underground eating the roots at night. The plant cannot live without healthy roots.

The biggest problem of all is improper drainage. When the soil is waterlogged, there is less air in the soil. The roots need air to develop properly trees like Ficus can drop leaves. In addition, mold is more likely to grow in the constantly wet soil. This will cause root rot, or salt deposits that will burn the roots.

By carefully pinpointing what the problem is with your plant, you can usually easily fix it. Simply asking yourself what is out of the ordinary, and what changed from when it was healthy, you can narrow down what the problem most likely is.

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