How Do You Check Your Plant’s Health?

Determining the health of your plants can be tricky, but it’s important to do so in order to maintain a healthy landscape. Or maybe you need some guidance on how to pick the right new plant on your next trip to the plant nursery! There are several things you can look for to get an idea of how a plant is doing. In this blog post, we’ll go over some common key ways to recognize if a plant needs extra attention so you can get them back on track or purchase a healthy plant far more likely to survive once you get it home!

Signs of Healthy Plant Growth

Foliage Color and Growth

Healthy plants have healthy chlorophyll production, so pay attention to the color and growth of the foliage. Most thriving plants will have mostly bright and consistent green coloring throughout, so keep a closer eye on any plants in your garden or at the nursery that have excessive or oddly timed discoloration. Also, consider if the leaves have dry edges or appear brittle in any way.

If you’re purchasing a new plant, also be wary of any plant that appears to have been pruned. This could mean the nursery or its supplier tried to remove any illness or damage to make the plant look more appealing. But who knows the likelihood that they pruned correctly or that all of the problems was sufficiently removed.

Pests and disease

Check all around the leaves – their stems, venules, edges, tips, and veins – for signs of infection or damaging insects. Some common damaging and disease-causing pests to look out for are:

• Aphids
• Whiteflies
• Spider mites
• Lacebugs
• Scales
• Leafminers
• Mealybugs
• Cutworms

Wilting and Watering Conditions

Over- or under-watering is an oft-overlooked problem. If leaves appear to be wilting, the plant has likely been under-watered. Sometimes following through with proper watering can be enough to revive the plant back to health, but there is no guarantee.

If soil appears to have standing water and the leaves are more so a shade of unnaturally dark green or even brown, these may all be signs of overwatering. That means the roots of the tree may be in the process of rotting.

Both are signs of lacking the proper nutrients. If this is happening in your garden at home, call in the help of professional plant health services like TreeNewal to assess what nutrients need replacing and how to do that most effectively.

Roots

If you’re checking roots around your property, look for any overlooked damage to them or, again, signs of pests and disease.

At a nursery, also look at whether a plant is rootbound, meaning the roots are densely tangled and already stressed from difficulty growing. Signs for this condition are if roots have attempted to grow out through the drainage holes or begun growing over the top of the potting mixture. A plant in this state will need to be transplanted to either a larger container or into proper natural soil conditions immediately.

Early detection prevents long-term damage.

Nonetheless, the four checks mentioned above should be carried out by every grower, regardless of the scale of their growing operation. And, when it comes to plant health issues, it’s always easier to fix a potential problem the earlier you catch it. This prevents the risk of long-term damage to your plants, which could affect both crop yield and quality. By carrying out these checks every day, you’ll be able to spot and fix any major issues as and when they happen.

If you’re not sure whether your plants need extra attention, don’t worry! Our team of experts at TreeNewal are here to help. We can diagnose any plant health problems and recommend the best course of action for their individual needs. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a consultation!

If you need advice or assistance with checking the health of your trees, get in touch with the ISA-certified arborists at TreeNewal and enjoy tailored tree care advice.

To learn more about How Do You Check Your Plant’s Health?, call our Argyle and Southlake-based teams

at (817) 592-6846 or send us a message.

We’re a little different than the average tree services company.

Learn more about TreeNewal’s ISA Certified Arborists!

Our Dallas/Fort Worth-based tree doctors can explain how sustainable tree care services add more value to your bottom line.

Healthy trees, healthy lives.