Reading the Leaves: What Yellowing Really Means

Too much water, too little light or simply an old leaf retiring -- how to tell the difference. Most of it comes down to paying attention: a plant tells you what it needs well before it is in trouble.

Turn it now and then

Plants lean towards the light. A quarter turn each time you water keeps the growth even and stops one side from going bare.

Repot in spring

Roots circling the bottom of the pot or poking out of the drainage hole are the signal. Go up one size only -- a pot far too big holds water the roots cannot reach, and that is how rot begins.

Have a plant that is puzzling you? Write and tell us about it -- the best questions become the next guide in the care library.