Why is my Houseplant not Growing?

Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. Today’s video is sponsored by our Amazon affiliate link, which you’ll see in the comment section below. You’ll also find links to videos that I mention in this video in the description below.

Today, I’m going to talk to you about and answer the question: why is my house plant not growing? There are various reasons why your house plant may not be growing, and I’m going to go through these reasons so that you can hopefully drill down and figure out what’s going on.

One of the main reasons could be that the plant needs fertilizing. The signs of needing fertilizing this palm is showing are evident today. This palm will be repotted because it needs fertilizing. That’s something you may want to do if you find out your plant needs fertilizing. If you fertilize and it greens up some but not all the way—like what happened with this palm—it means that it also needs repotting. I do have a repotting playlist available.

The yellowing leaves are a sign that the plant needs some fertilizer, and slow growth can also indicate this need. I like to use my Green Gourmet House Plant Food; the link for that is below. It’s an organic fertilizer, so I recommend going for some organic fertilizer to reduce the risk of burning the plants with a chemical fertilizer. Organic fertilizers are much softer on the plant.

Another reason your plant may not be growing is that it needs to be repotted. If it’s in too small of a pot, all the plant can really do is maintain itself, which means it can’t put on new growth. I have a video on the secret to house plant repotting, where I explain that you want a two-thirds plant to one-third pot combination. Sometimes you may look at your plant and think, “Okay, I have the right proportion,” but if it’s still not growing, it could be that the soil is depleted. You can plant in the same size pot or in just a slightly larger pot, and that will solve the problem, allowing the plant to start to regrow.

Whatever you do, though, do not put it in too big of a pot and think you’re going to speed things up. The plant won’t thrive if the pot is too large due to excess soil. As mentioned, I cover the two-thirds, one-third combination in that video, so keep that in mind.

Another reason related to repotting why your plant may not be growing is that you recently repotted it. When you repot a plant, it can take a good month to three months before it starts growing again, depending on the plant and the time of year. This is especially common in the colder months, so if you repot in the fall and then winter hits, it may just sit there for a while. This indicates that the plant goes into a dormant state after repotting. It is a semi-form of shock but is really an adjustment period for the plant.

This was a mixed planter that I planted up a few months ago, and you can see that the pothos here is really growing nicely, but it took about a month before the plant said, “Okay, now I’m going to start growing for you.” If you have recently repotted your plant, don’t freak out; just make a note of how long it’s been. If it goes past three months and the plant is not growing or is getting smaller, you most likely potted it in too large of a pot.

If you potted in the right size, kept it in good lighting, and are watering properly, the plant will start to grow within that time period.

The time of year is also a significant factor. Houseplants will have growth spurts just like outdoor plants. They typically experience growth spurts in the spring months and will also grow some in the summer months, but they will start to slow down in the fall. Many plants don’t grow much at all during the winter; they just maintain themselves and may put on a little new growth, depending on the plant and how warm you keep your house.

If you’re looking at your plant in December, January, or February and wondering why it’s not growing, it could be due to the time of year. Even if your house is warm, day length plays a role. Many plants respond to day length, and shorter days mean less growth. Just have some patience and think of it as your plant having a nice little snooze, like hibernation. They will come out of this state once it starts to warm up and the days lengthen.

Another factor to consider is salt buildup. I have a video on this topic, and salt buildup in the soil can cut off the roots, causing root rot. When roots cannot take up water, the foliage will not receive enough water, leading to stunted growth and potentially signs of root rot. Check out my root rot playlist to see if this could be an issue for your plant.

Lastly, if you recently pruned your plant, this can also affect its growth. I will be doing a video on how much to prune, but it’s important to note that you don’t want to prune more than one-third of a house plant at one time. If you have pruned a plant recently, especially if you’ve pruned more than one-third, it could take a long time for it to start growing again.

It varies by plant; some will react by trying to grow and make up for what you just cut off, while others may just sit there. If you have overpruned, you generally need to repot the plant into a smaller size pot because you no longer have that two-thirds plant to one-third pot ratio.

If you’ve pruned within that one-third amount—maybe a quarter to one-third—and the plant is just sitting there, it may be in a similar slowdown mode, where it’s adjusting to having less foliage for its root mass.

It just may be that the plant is saying, “Okay, I’m not going to grow for a while; you’ve cut me, so let me get things together here, and then I will start growing for you again.”

Much of this requires patience as you figure out if the plant is okay and healthy and just needs time, or if you need to take action due to problems like root rot.

Hopefully, this helps you understand the common question of why a person’s house plant is not growing.

Another reason that your house plant might not be growing—this is a lesser-known reason—is that the pH is off. All plants require a specific pH range to grow well, and house plant pH needs will vary. If your plant is just not growing and you’re fertilizing, watering, and ensuring the lighting is right, it may need humidity. If you’re providing humidity and even talking to your plant, it could very well be that the pH is off.

I have a playlist on pH, how to rectify pH problems, and how to determine if there are pH issues, so keep that in mind. This is a significant factor that is often overlooked. The plant may just sit there and not grow, or it may grow leaves that are misshapen or small.

Another potential issue is pests and diseases. As I mentioned, root rot is considered a disease, but you could have pests like mealybugs, scales, or spider mites. These are three of the biggies indoors. They can suck the energy out of your plant, preventing it from growing. The plant is effectively fighting off what these pests are doing. They suck plant sap out of the plants and remove the plant’s energy as they do this.

Be sure to check for any pests as well, as this could also be another reason why your house plants aren’t growing.

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