Why are my plants wilting or dying?

Environmental issues and management issues may cause plants to fail and die. Here are some common issues your plants could be experiencing:

• Water issues. When a plant is under or over watered, it reacts the same way. It will develop yellow leaves and will look wilted if the soil is too wet or too dry. Click here to learn more about watering your garden.
• Light issues. Plants need plenty of sunlight to grow properly. In fact, 6-8 hours a day is ideal for most vegetable plants. Click here to learn about the levels of sunlight prefered by different plants.
• Overcrowding. Another cause of spindly plants is overcrowding of plants, so that they don't have room to grow properly. Check the label or seed packet for the proper spacing for your plants.
• Nutrient issues. Over-fertilizing seedlings can also prevent plants from growing correctly. A soil test will help you determine the appropriate amount of fertilizer to apply.
• Unsuitable environment. If a plant dies, it's telling you something. You might want to replace it once, just to make sure the first plant wasn't damaged in some way. But if the replacement also dies, that plant clearly isn't suited to that location, or your soil needs amending. Get a SoilKit to test before you buy any more plants!