Caterpillars on Plants: How to Identify and Get Rid of Them
Caterpillars eating garden leaves: how to spot the holes and droppings, handpick them, and treat with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) without harsh chemicals.
6 min read
Work out what is wrong with your plant
Yellow leaves, brown spots, fine webbing or bugs on the undersides: each symptom points to a different cause. Here you will find identification and treatment guides for the most common pests and diseases, with the remedies that actually work and realistic recovery timelines.
25 articles
Ants on Your Plants: What They Want and How to Get Rid of Them
Ants on your plants are almost always farming aphids or scale for honeydew. Learn how to remove the ants and, above all, treat the real pest behind them.
6 min read
Gray Mold (Botrytis): How to Identify and Get Rid of It
Gray mold or botrytis is a fuzzy fungus that rots leaves, flowers and stems. Learn to identify it, remove the affected parts, treat it and prevent it.
7 min read
Rust Disease: The Orange Pustules on Leaves and How to Treat It
Rust is a fungus that forms orange or brown pustules on the undersides of leaves. Learn to identify it, remove affected parts, treat it and prevent it.
6 min read
Iron Chlorosis: Yellow Leaves With Green Veins
Iron chlorosis turns the leaf yellow while the veins stay green. Learn why it happens (iron, pH, watering), how to tell it apart, and how to fix it.
6 min read
White Mold on Soil: Why It Appears and How to Remove It
That white, fuzzy mold on potting soil is a harmless fungus caused by moisture. Learn why it appears, how to remove it, and how to prevent it coming back.
5 min read
Transplant Shock: Why Your Plant Droops After Repotting
Your plant droops or drops leaves after repotting. Learn what transplant shock is, why it happens and how to help it recover with shade, water and patience.
6 min read
Why Your Plant Isn't Growing: 5 Causes and How to Fix Them
Has your plant stopped growing? Discover the 5 most common causes (not enough light, root-bound, winter dormancy, lack of nutrients) and how to diagnose each one.
6 min read
Leggy Plants (Etiolation): Why It Happens and How to Fix It
Is your plant growing long, thin stems with sparse leaves? That's etiolation from too little light. Why it happens and how to get bushy, compact growth back.
5 min read
Overwatering vs Underwatering: How to Tell Them Apart
Droopy, yellowing leaves can mean too much OR too little water. Tell them apart by the soil, the roots and how the leaves feel, and learn how to fix each one.
6 min read
Sooty Mold: The Black Mold on Leaves and How to Remove It
Sooty mold is that sticky black soot on leaves. It doesn't attack the plant directly: it grows on pest honeydew. Learn how to wipe it off and treat the real cause.
5 min read
Damping Off: Why Seedlings Collapse and How to Prevent It
Your seedlings flop over at the base. Learn about damping off, the fungus behind it, and how to prevent it with clean soil, airflow and careful watering.
6 min read
Plant Sunburn: How to Spot It and Prevent It
Pale, dry or brown patches from too much direct sun. Learn to recognize leaf sunburn, acclimate your plants gradually, and what to do with scorched leaves.
6 min read
Brown Spots on Leaves: Causes and Fixes
Brown spots on your plant's leaves? Learn to tell apart fungal, bacterial, overwatering, sunburn and hard-water causes, and how to treat and prevent each.
4 min read
Scale Insects: How to Get Rid of Those Brown Bumps
Those hard brown bumps stuck to stems and leaves are scale insects. Learn to identify them, remove them step by step and stop them coming back to your plant.
6 min read
Aphids: How to Get Rid of Them With Easy Remedies
Aphids breed at lightning speed on new shoots and buds. Learn to identify them, clear them with water, soap and natural remedies, and prevent a comeback.
5 min read
Slugs and Snails: How to Protect Your Garden Without Chemicals
Slugs and snails devour seedlings and leaves at night. Learn to spot them by their trail and control them with barriers, beer traps and natural methods.
8 min read
Thrips: How to Spot and Eliminate This Tiny Pest
Thrips are nearly invisible but leave leaves silvery with tiny black dots. Learn to identify them, eliminate them with traps and soap, and prevent them.
4 min read
Whitefly: How to Clear the White Cloud From Your Plants
If tiny white flies take off when you move the plant, it's whitefly. Learn to identify and eliminate it with yellow traps, soap and persistence.
4 min read
Fungus Gnats: How to Get Rid of Them for Good
Tiny black flies around your plants? They're fungus gnats. Learn why they appear and how to eliminate them with traps, letting the soil dry and other proven tricks.
5 min read
Powdery Mildew: The White Dust on Leaves and How to Remove It
Powdery mildew is that flour-like white dust on leaves. Learn to identify it, treat it with home and garden remedies, and prevent it with good airflow.
4 min read
Root Rot: How to Save an Overwatered Plant
Root rot is the #1 cause of dead houseplants. Learn to spot it in time, save the plant step by step, and prevent it from happening again.
5 min read
Spider Mites: How to Get Rid of Them (and Prevent Them)
Identify and eliminate spider mites: fine webbing, yellow stippling and drying leaves. Step-by-step treatment with water, soap and humidity, and prevention.
6 min read
How to Get Rid of Mealybugs (and Keep Them Gone)
Those white cottony specks on your plants are mealybugs. Here's how to identify them, remove them step by step and prevent them from coming back.
5 min read
Why Your Plant Has Yellow Leaves (and How to Fix It)
Yellow leaves are the most common houseplant symptom. Learn to diagnose the exact cause —watering, light, nutrients or pests— and fix it step by step.
6 min read