It’s the end of the growing season and some or all of your potted plants seem to be dead. Now what are you supposed to do with them? Should you throw them out?

You can add the dead plants to the compost pile if you have one or give it to someone who has one. If that is not possible, you can chop up the dead plant and add it to the potting soil of other plants. The last option is to throw the dead plant in the trash.

I’ll show you steps to figure out whether your plants are actually dead or not. And what you can do with the dead plants in your garden.

1. Check if the plant is dead or not

The first thing to check is if the plant is actually dead or has become dormant. This could happen either because the plant is suffering from a problem or it is overwintering.

The plant could face underwatering, overwatering, lack of sunlight, lack of nutrients, poor soil, lack of growing space, or attack by pests or diseases.

Or it could be that the growing season has ended and the plant being a perennial has decided to go dormant until next spring.

Here are tips that will help you figure out whether the plant is still alive or not.

Check the foliage

Check if all of the foliage has turned yellow or brown and withered. That may be a sign that the plant is dead. If some of the leaves are still showing some green, it could be that the plant is still alive.

Check the stems

It may seem that the stems have turned brown and the plant is dead. But use your fingernails or a knife to scrape the outer layer of the stem.

If you see that the inside of the stem is still green, it means that the plant is alive and you can try to revive it.

The best way to tell if a plant is still alive or not is by performing the scratch test. Simply scratch the trunk of the tree or shrub with your nail or a coin and be sure to go through the first layer of bark. If it is green underneath that means the plant is still alive. – Nikki McAteer, Perfect Plants Nursery

Check the roots

 The last thing to check is the roots of the potted plant. You’ll need to remove the plant out of the pot to do this.

If the plant’s roots are brown and healthy in appearance it means the plant is still alive. If the roots are black and soggy or dried out it means the plant is dead.

2. Revive the plant if it’s still alive

If the plant is showing signs that it is alive, you can try to recover the plant. You will need to find out what is the cause of the problem before you can revive it.

Insufficient water

The most common problem you face with potted plants is giving them too much or too little water. We also know this as underwatering or overwatering.

Both of these situations can cause your potted plants to dehydrate and even die. So that’s the first thing to check when you suspect your potted plants are dead.

If the leaves have turned yellow and are dry to the touch it could be a sign of underwatering. If the leaves have turned yellow but are droopy and wet it could be a sign of overwatering.

You can lift the roots out of the pot and check. If they are brown and healthy but dry it is underwatering. If they are black, soggy, and smell it is a problem of overwatering.

You can fix overwatering by giving the plant the water it needs. Give a deep watering to the potting soil and there’s a good chance that the plant will recover.

Overwatering is a more serious problem because it can damage the roots due to fungal issues like root rot. The roots will turn black and soggy.

If all the roots are bad you can’t recover the plant. If some roots are still healthy you need to trim the bad roots and transfer the plant to another pot.

Insufficient sunlight

Lack of sunlight caused Red Amaranth to die
Lack of sunlight caused my Red Amaranth seedlings to grow spindly and die

The lack of sunlight will cause your plants to stop growing. They don’t have the sunlight required to produce their food and this can cause them even to die.

Make sure that the plant is receiving the sunlight it needs. You can check online to find out the sunlight requirements. This could be full sunlight (at least 6-8 hours), partial sunlight (4-6 hours), or shade.

You can move the potted plant to a location that is getting the required sunlight. Keep it there for a few days and check if it recovers.

If there is no recovery even after some days then it may be time to dispose of the plant as it won’t grow.

If there is any green coming up near the base of the plant it can be cut down to the sign of life and let to sit dormant over the Winter. The plant will regrow in the Spring. – Jess Oldham, Head Gardener at Farm Yard

Lack of nutrients

compost
Compost I used for my potted plants

Some of your plants may need more nutrients than others. These could be edible plants that may need the nutrients to grow good foliage, flowers, and fruits.

If the plants don’t get the required nutrients when growing they may have stunted growth and even die.

If the plant has grown weak due to lack of nutrients you can try adding some to the plant and see if it responds in a few days. If not then you’ll need to dispose of that plant.

The best solution is to prevent this problem from happening when you start growing the plant.

You should check the type of nutrients that the plant you’re growing needs. I recommend adding compost to the potting soil when preparing it. This keeps a decent source of nutrients in the potting soil available for the plant.

You can also add a slow-release fertilizer to the potting soil when preparing it so the nutrients as available to the plant with each watering.

organic fertilizer
Organic fertilizer I use for my plants

Once the plant has germinated and grown well, you can add the organic slow-release or liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks to the potting soil.

You do need to be careful that you don’t over-fertilize the potting soil. This is hard to do with organic fertilizer but you can overdose it. So only use the recommended amount as mentioned by the manufacturer.

Poor potting soil

If the potting soil you used for the plant is poor, it will stunt the plant’s growth and even kill it. This may happen because the soil contains a lot of clay or sand.

If there is a lot of clay, the soil can’t drain water well, leading to overwatering issues. If the soil contains a lot of sand, the water will drain fast and cause underwatering.

If the plant is already suffering, you can try to plant it in good potting soil. Hold the plant at the base with one hand and gently tap on the pot to take it out.

You can remove the poor soil and add good potting soil to the pot. Then put the plant back into the pot with the good soil. Water the potting soil well after you have done this.

Check on the plant after a few days to see if it’s recovering. Otherwise, you can’t do much and need to dispose of the plant.

Lack of growing space

The plants that you grow in a pot have limited space and if it’s too small will stunt the plant growth.

The roots cannot get the required space to grow and the plant becomes root-bound. The roots circle inside the pot. They are unable to get the required nutrients and moisture from the potting soil.

You need to make sure that the pot is 1-2 sizes larger than the plant growing in it. If the plant has outgrown the pot, you need to transplant it to a larger pot.

If the plant is still alive and has poor growth, the transplant should help the plant recover and grow again.

When a plant’s roots are too crowded it can begin to choke. What you need to do in such cases is remove the plant from the pot, remove the dirt gently and then separate the roots. Once that’s done repot the plant into fresh soil and into a bigger, more spacious pot. – Pol Bishop, Gardening and Landscaping Expert at Fantastic Gardeners.

Pests and diseases

Pests and diseases can cause harm to the plant foliage or roots which reduces the nutrients they get. This makes the plant grow slower and they may even appear dead.

Getting rid of pests as soon as you find them on the plant will help the plant recover back to health. The method you use depends on the type of pest.

You may be able to handpick some from the plant but for others you may need to use some organic methods like applying neem oil, diatomaceous earth, or garlic spray.

organic neem oil
Organic neem oil I use on my plants

The plant can recover from disease depending on the type of disease that has impacted it. You can get rid of fungal issues in the plant by cutting off the affected parts and treating it with a fungicide.

If the plant is facing a bacterial or viral disease there might not be much you can do about it. The plant will live its remaining life and then you need to dispose of it.

After treating the plant for particular pests or diseases, check on the plant after a few days to see if it’s recovering. If the plant health continues to remain poor, you need to dispose of it.

3. Dispose the plant if it’s dead

If you find that the plant is dead because its foliage, stem, and roots are dead then it’s time to dispose of it.

The best thing to do is to make use of the dead organic material for growing other plants. You can chop the material into small pieces and add it to your compost pile.

If you are not making your own compost, you could use the material as mulch for the potted plants. Add a 2-4 inch layer of this material on the potting soil as mulch.

If there is still some material left, you could give it to your family or friends who grow plants or make their own compost.

The most popular choice for reusing dead plants is to use them for compost. By composting your plant, you’re commemorating it’s life by turning it into nutritious soil. – Rick Kingsbury, Owner and Landscaper of Stoney Acres

The only reason to dispose of the plant is if there was some pest or disease problem that caused it to die. You don’t want to risk transferring those problems to your other plants, so you need to throw it away.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.