Why Do I Keep Killing Plants?

The assumption is always neglect. It is almost never neglect. People who neglect plants do not go looking for an explanation afterwards — they simply do not think about it again. If you are reading this, the problem is more likely the opposite.

There are four patterns behind nearly every repeat offender. The first is watering on a schedule rather than on inspection. A weekly routine is perfect for the plant that wants weekly water and lethal for the one beside it that wants monthly. The pot, the room temperature, the season and the plant all change the answer, and the calendar knows none of them.

The second is responding to every symptom with water. Drooping, yellowing, browning and dropping can all indicate too much water just as easily as too little, and water is the only lever most people reach for. A great many houseplants are killed by the correct diagnosis being made in exactly the wrong direction.

The third is the decorative pot. An enormous number of plant deaths are caused by a cachepot with no drainage hole, invisibly holding an inch of water around the roots. The owner never sees it and has no reason to suspect it.

The fourth is buying plants that do not suit the room, then trying to compensate with effort. A calathea in a dry, dim hallway cannot be rescued by attentiveness. Matching the plant to the actual light you have is worth more than any amount of subsequent care.

None of these are carelessness. All four are what attentive people do when they want a plant to live.