From my perspective in the soil, the most common issue is a disruption in my water supply. My roots are either drowning or gasping. If my human notices my leaves turning yellow, feeling soft and mushy, and the soil is constantly soggy, it means I am suffocating. My roots need oxygen to breathe, and too much water fills all the air pockets in the soil, causing them to rot. The solution is to stop watering immediately, move my pot to a breezy, shaded spot to help the soil dry, and in severe cases, gently lift me from the pot to trim away any black, slimy roots before repotting me in fresh, well-draining soil.
Conversely, if my leaves are crispy, brown, and wilting dramatically, even if the soil looks dry on top, my roots are desperately thirsty. The problem might be that water is being applied too quickly and running straight down the sides of the pot without ever reaching my root ball. My human should check by feeling the soil an inch below the surface. The best way to quench my thirst is with a deep, thorough watering, perhaps by placing my pot in a shallow tray of water for about 30 minutes, allowing me to drink from the bottom up until the topsoil is moist.
My leaves are my solar panels. If I am not getting enough light, I become weak and "leggy," stretching out unnaturally with large gaps between my leaves as I desperately reach for the sun. My stems become frail and I cannot produce the energy I need to flower. My human should move me to a spot where I can bask in at least 6 hours of bright, direct sunlight daily. However, if my leaves are getting scorched with brown, dry patches, the light might be too intense, especially during a heatwave. A location with some afternoon shade would be a welcome relief.
Furthermore, I need a balanced diet. If I've been in the same pot for a long time, the nutrients in the soil are exhausted. I might show pale leaves or a complete lack of flowers. A gentle, balanced, water-soluble fertilizer can help, but my human must be careful! Too much fertilizer is like force-feeding me; it causes a buildup of salts in the soil that can "burn" my roots, leading to brown leaf tips and stunted growth. If this happens, the soil needs to be flushed with plenty of clean water to wash the excess salts away.
Sometimes, the problem is not my environment but tiny invaders. Aphids might be sucking the sap from my tender new growth, or spider mites might be weaving fine webs under my leaves, causing them to look stippled and yellow. From my point of view, this is a constant, draining attack. My human can help by regularly inspecting my leaves, especially the undersides, and spraying these pests away with a strong stream of water or using an insecticidal soap.
Finally, I might simply be root-bound. If my roots have circled the inside of the pot so many times that they form a tight mass, I have no room to grow. I cannot take up water or nutrients effectively, and I will begin to decline no matter what my human does. The tell-tale signs are roots growing out of the drainage holes and soil that dries out impossibly fast. The only cure for this claustrophobia is to be gently repotted into a new home that is just one or two inches larger in diameter, giving my roots fresh soil and space to stretch out and support healthy growth above the soil.
