Introduction

So something is wrong with your plant. It’s looking sad, droopy, maybe dropping its leaves, or perhaps it just didn’t flower this year. Whatever could be going on? Time to seek some help from the experts…

When you have a plant in trouble and you are about to seek help, especially via an on-line internet service, there are some things that you need to do to ensure you receive an accurate and useful diagnosis.

When you email an expert asking them to correctly diagnose the problem with your plant, all that the expert has to go on is the information that you have provided them with. So often our garden experts get asked for advice but they are provided with too little information in the original query.

Here are some things that you should consider before you email an expert to ask for help.

 

Variables

A plants health is affected by many variables. Generally these can be put into three groups:

Pests and diseases
Most problems that plants have fall into this group.

Miscellaneous factors
Such as the plants’ age and stage of life. Most plants don’t live forever; some have a shorter lifespan than others. It is important to recognise this fact and take steps to replace it or take seeds/cuttings as appropriate to start a new plant.

Environmental factors:
	Light levels – (Excess or insufficient)
	Water / soil problems (Excess or insufficient water or fertiliser)
	Temperature levels (Too hot or too cold.)

Signs and Symptoms

Spend time looking very carefully at the plant itself. Take note of all the signs and symptoms that the plant may be displaying. Also, consider the age and stage of the plant, and finally the environment in which it is living. Ask yourself whether anything has changed around the plant that may have caused it stress.

Remember to note any changes that you may have made to the plants’ environment. Eg. have you changed its position? Have you repotted it or fertilised it lately? Have you removed a tree that used to shade it?
 

Examples of Signs & Symptoms:
Here are some examples of common problems with plants. I hope that this gives you an idea of the sort of information you need to look out for when you’re trying to explain your sick plants condition to another gardener.

Pests and diseases
	Holes, in flowers / leaves – note the shape of the holes, and the position on the leaves. Are they around the edges, or in the middle of the leaves?
	Colour changes on the flowers / leaves. What colours are the leaves showing now? What part of the leaf is affected – the edges, or the veins? Do the flower buds not open, but turn brown and fall off?
	Spots / blemishes. These can be in many different places on the plant. Note where they are displayed, the colour (white, brown, grey or black), and the shape.
	Ants running up stems, or other insects themselves. What colour/shape/size are they?
	Leaves are sticky, or the area underneath the plant is sticky – particularly around indoor plants.
	Insect / pest excrement.

Miscellaneous
	Wooden, often straggly stems suggest that the plant is getting old, and it may be time to consider a replacement.
	A lack of flowers – particularly on a plant that used to flower extremely well. This could be lack of fertiliser, or in some cases, an excess.

Environmental
	Light - Are the stems stretched, and pale? Perhaps the leaves are brown, and crispy?
	Soil / Water – wilting or drooping, discolouration of leaves and/or flowers
	Temperature - Frost damage can cause plant parts to appear transparent.

Prevention

Whenever you consider purchasing a new plant, do yourself a favour, and ‘extract’ every bit of information possible from the garden centre staff – it could well save you time, money and worry! Choosing the right plant for the right place is often the key to success in the garden.