1. 1. Inconsistent watering
The most common cause by a wide margin — and it goes both ways.
Under-watered: crisp brown leaf edges, wilting that recovers overnight, soil pulling away from the root ball.
Over-watered: soft yellow leaves dropping, wilting that does not recover, soggy soil, sometimes a sour smell.
Prevention: every other day for two weeks, twice weekly to week eight, deep rather than brief. Full schedule in our watering guide.
2. 2. Planted too deep
A hole dug deeper than the root ball settles, and the plant sinks. A buried stem base stays wet and rots.
Symptoms: gradual decline over months with no obvious cause, stem base soft or discoloured at soil level, water pooling around the plant.
Prevention: top of the root ball one to two inches above surrounding grade. See how to plant a shrub.
3. 3. Poor drainage
Standing water kills more plants in Miami-Dade than drought. Flat lots and graded fill hold water in the same spots after every storm.
Symptoms: decline confined to low areas, soggy ground hours after rain, yellowing that spreads outward from a wet corner.
Prevention: test drainage before planting. If a foot-deep hole has not drained in two to three hours, plant on a raised mound or choose another spot.
4. 4. Wrong plant for the light
Sometimes the plant was never going to work there. Sun-loving species thin out under canopy no matter how well they are watered and fed.
Symptoms: thrives in sunny parts of the yard, progressively weaker under trees, repeated failure in the same shaded spot.
Prevention: match the plant to the shadiest part you intend to plant. Arboricola and flax lily hold up under canopy where clusia will not. Common in Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay.
5. 5. Rich imported backfill
Filling the hole with bagged soil in surrounding sand creates a bathtub — water collects at the boundary and roots circle inside the comfortable pocket instead of spreading.
Symptoms: plant looks fine for a season then stalls; lifted plants show roots circling within the original hole.
Prevention: backfill with the native soil you removed, lightly amended at most.
6. 6. Fertiliser too early
New plants arrive already fed. Fertiliser applied to a root system that has not established frequently burns it.
Symptoms: browning within days of application, scorched leaf margins, sudden decline after feeding.
Prevention: no fertiliser for about two months. There is no advantage to rushing it.
7. 7. Mulch against the stem
Mulch piled against stems and trunks holds moisture exactly where it causes rot.
Symptoms: soft or discoloured bark at soil level, decline from the base upward.
Prevention: two to three inches deep, kept three to four inches clear of every stem.
Diagnosing a struggling plant? Send a photo of the plant plus one of the soil beside the root ball. Those two usually identify the cause. Send them over.