Why Are My Houseplants Stopping to Grow?

While it's normal for plants, even those grown indoors, to reach a certain point where they can't grow further, it's pretty annoying when the timing isn't right. Not to mention, it's a conundrum to shoulder the cumbersome weight of figuring out the cause.

Sooner or later, you will be living this nightmare. Your indoor plant will fail to grow due to a lack of enough water or excess water. Still, it could be having bound roots, not the proper lighting and fertilizer. It further aggravates when pests come into the equation.

While that settles it, it's not entirely. You need to know the exact cause behind an indoor plant that won't grow and its remedy. It's all about examining the plant carefully and understanding the patterns of poor growth and what it needs. So how about you go through these troubleshooting hints and fix your problem?

Indoor plants hooked with non-reliable lights.

Light for photosynthesis and light for energy correlates with growth. Its absence will be depicted through yellow leave or the death of variegation in variegated indoor plants. So, whichever plant you have, research its lighting needs. Not that some indoor plants may need 18 hours of lighting while others only need 12 hours. So, get to know when to use the curtains and blinds. All in all, indoor plant light tracking is a difficult thing.

You must place your plants in the southwest windows during winter to get the more intense light and in the northeast windows during summer. Irrefutably, not all plants are easy to move around, and what if you have more than 250sq ft of indoor plants? No worries, you can save yourself from these by using LED growth lights. To this end, you only have to worry about monitoring the lighting duration. Lastly, always wipe the leaves as dust could be blocking air and light.

Indoor plants not being watered properly

As obvious as this is, it should not be on a schedule. Some plants need water often, while others don't. Still, some prefer to use water when the soil is dry. Again, studying your indoor plant needs is up to you even before buying it!

Also, indoor plant growth failure could result from suffocated roots due to too much water. They, therefore, fail to absorb nutrients; they get yellow and stop growing. So only water it when about an inch of the soil is dry. Additionally, always empty the draining saucer and never allow the plant to be logged.

Fertilizer

Your indoor plants need to feed only when the time calls for it, and a little of it is better than a bunch. Too much fertilizer will also result in yellowing and stunted growth. Still, the plant requirements differ. You have to ascertain the nutrient needs of your plants when purchasing them and use this information for the latter.

Further, you can rule this out when you have watered it accordingly, and light provisions are met. You can use the seaweed fertilizer and worm castings but mix them thoroughly. Be careful not to overdo fertilizing unless you want to see some yellow leaves and stunted growth.

Your indoor plants are stunted due to pests.

Pests are hard to deal with, and they are to blame when your plants stop growing even when the ideal conditions are provided. If the plants turn to the worse, check if there are aphids or fungi. If visible, wipe them out using a rag dipped in vinegar solution, diluted soap, or neem oil.

Unideal soil conditions

Soils have to support drainage, be fertile enough, and be able to keep water. While all these are feasible, it gets s down to the ph. When the acid level in the soil gets imbalanced, the nutrition in it and the microbes are compromised.

The root cells get denatured and, therefore, unable to get the needed nutrients. To this, yellowing follows and stunted growth in the end. However, this could be counteracted by using a limited amount of fertilizer and ensuring the potted soil is of a favorable pH before transference.

Exposure to wrong temperatures!

While indoors, most plants prefer 64°F to 73°F. Less or more, and their growing sequence gets interfered with. They won't handle high temperatures when the humidity and lighting are also not uniform. And the same goes for lower temperatures. So, keep your planta away from air conditioners and heaters.

The roots may be bounded.

Roots need more space for growth; if not availed, the entire plant will cease to grow. The roots will start twisting in a circular pattern and bind themselves. So, ensure you re-pot the plants to larger pots when it starts to enlarge.

Wrapping up

Now that's it about stunted indoor plants. With the above-shared knowledge, you are well braced to combat the causes behind indoor plants not growing. It's just up to you to be on the lookout!