Answer three quick questions and get a clear diagnosis — plus exactly what to do next.
The Plant Doctor covers 16 of the most common houseplants, including Pothos, Monstera, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Orchid, Succulents, and more.
It checks for the most frequent causes of houseplant problems: overwatering, underwatering, root rot, pests, low humidity, and light stress. It also flags pet toxicity risks if your plant is toxic to cats or dogs. What’s more, you get solid expert advice on what to do.
No sign-up. No app download. Free.
How the Plant Doctor Works
The MPF Plant Doctor is a free houseplant diagnosis tool that uses a symptom-based rules engine — no photo required.
- Choose your plant from 16 common houseplants
- Select your main symptom — drooping, yellow leaves, brown tips, pests, mushy stems, and more
- Answer 2–4 follow-up questions about soil moisture, light, drainage, and watering habits
The tool returns a specific diagnosis with a confidence rating, the reason behind it, a step-by-step fix, what not to do, and a realistic recovery timeline. Where relevant, it recommends the one tool or product most likely to help — with links to our in-depth guides and direct Amazon links.
Common Houseplant Problems It Diagnoses
Overwatering and root rot — the most common cause of houseplant death. Yellow lower leaves, wet soil, and a bad smell from the pot are the key signals. The tool distinguishes early-stage overwatering from active root rot, and gives different advice for each. Read our root rot guide →
Underwatering and drought stress — drooping, curling, or crispy leaves with dry soil. Most plants recover within hours of proper watering if caught in time. Why is my plant drooping? →
Pests — the tool identifies spider mites (fine webbing), mealybugs (white cottony clusters), fungus gnats (tiny flies near soil), and thrips or aphids (sticky residue). Each diagnosis comes with a treatment protocol. Houseplant pest identification guide →
Low humidity — crispy brown leaf tips without any signs of pests or overwatering. Extremely common in winter when central heating dries out the air. Why are my plant’s leaf tips brown? →
Low light stress — slow growth, yellowing, or leaf drop after moving a plant to a dimmer spot. The tool flags this and recommends grow light options where needed.
Sun scorch — brown patches or crispy edges that appeared after moving to a brighter spot. Direct sunlight burns most tropical houseplant leaves.
Nutrient deficiency — when watering and drainage are both fine but leaves are yellowing, especially newer growth.
Environmental shock — sudden leaf drop after a move, repot, or temperature change. Particularly common in Fiddle Leaf Figs.
Is Your Plant Safe for Cats and Dogs?
For any plant flagged as toxic, the Plant Doctor asks one extra question before the diagnosis: whether a pet has recently chewed on it. If the answer is yes, it bypasses the usual diagnosis and gives you a direct pet toxicity alert with a clear instruction to contact your vet.
Plants covered by the toxicity check include Snake Plant, Pothos, Monstera, Philodendron, Peace Lily, ZZ Plant, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Rubber Plant, and Jade Plant — all common houseplants that can cause vomiting, drooling, or more serious reactions in cats and dogs if ingested.
If you’re looking for plants that are completely safe to keep around pets, our guide covers the best options. Safe plants for cats →
Which Plants Does It Cover?
The tool currently covers 16 houseplants, with plant-specific rules where care needs differ significantly from general advice:
Snake Plant, Pothos, Monstera, Philodendron, Peace Lily, ZZ Plant, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Jade Plant, Spider Plant, Hoya, Rubber Plant, Calathea, Orchid, Succulent / Cactus, Chinese Money Plant, and African Violet.
If your plant isn’t listed, select “I’m not sure” — the general diagnostic rules still apply to the vast majority of common houseplant problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know what’s wrong with my houseplant?
Start with the leaves. They usually show the earliest signs of stress. Yellow leaves often point to watering problems. Brown tips suggest humidity issues or salt buildup. Drooping can mean too much or too little water, depending on the soil.
The MPF Plant Doctor walks you through the key questions to narrow it down in under a minute.
Why are my plant’s leaves turning yellow?
Yellow leaves are most commonly caused by overwatering, underwatering, or nutrient deficiency. If lower leaves are yellowing and the soil is wet, it is likely overwatering. If the soil is dry, it is usually underwatering.
Yellowing across newer leaves with healthy soil can signal nutrient depletion. Full guide: Why Are My Plant Leaves Turning Yellow?
How do I know if I’m overwatering my plant?
The clearest signs are yellow lower leaves, soggy soil that stays wet for several days, a sour or musty smell from the pot, and tiny flies hovering near the soil. Those tiny flies are usually fungus gnats.
In advanced cases, stems go soft and mushy. That usually means root rot. Stop watering immediately and let the soil dry out completely.
Why is my plant drooping even after watering?
A plant wilting despite wet soil almost always means root rot. The roots have been damaged and can no longer absorb water, so the plant droops even with plenty of moisture available.
Remove it from the pot, inspect the roots, and cut away any brown or mushy roots before repotting in fresh soil.
What are the tiny flies around my plant’s soil?
They are almost certainly fungus gnats. They lay eggs in moist topsoil, and their larvae feed near the roots. Annoying little things. Very common, though.
Let the top 2 inches of soil dry out completely between waterings. Place yellow sticky traps on the soil surface, then drench with diluted hydrogen peroxide using 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water to kill larvae.
Why are the tips of my plant’s leaves turning brown?
Brown leaf tips are most commonly caused by low humidity, inconsistent watering, or mineral buildup from tap water.
Move the plant away from heating vents, use a pebble tray to raise humidity, and consider switching to filtered water. The brown tips will not turn green again, but new growth should come in cleaner once the cause is fixed.
Can I save a plant with root rot?
Yes, if you catch it before the stems go mushy. Remove the plant from its pot, then cut away all brown or black mushy roots with clean scissors.
Let the root ball air dry for 30–60 minutes, then repot in fresh, well-draining soil in a pot with drainage holes. Full guide: Root Rot — How to Save Your Plant
Is the Plant Doctor free?
Yes. The MPF Plant Doctor is completely free to use. There is no sign-up, no app download, and no paywall.
My plant isn’t on the list. Can I still use it?
Yes. Select “I’m not sure” on the plant selection screen. The general diagnostic rules cover the most common houseplant problems and will still give you a useful result for most situations.