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Home  /  Industry Insights • Tips from the Plant Doctor  /  Plant Doctor: Why Do My Indoor Plants Stretch & Lose Color?
04 February 2013

Plant Doctor: Why Do My Indoor Plants Stretch & Lose Color?

Written by Matt - The Plant Doctor
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Industry Insights, Tips from the Plant Doctor Botany, Horticulture, Plants 2 Comments

In nature, plants will stretch to receive as much light as possible. This stretching is called etiolation. Characteristics of etiolation include long, leggy growth and weak stems. The stems and leaves are often pale in color, typically white or yellow. The pale color is caused from a lack of chlorophyll – the pigment in leaves that makes them green. Internodes (the length between growing points on a stem) are longer and leaves are sparse.

The plant stretches during etiolation because it increases the likelihood of it finding light. Indoor plants will often do this when they are in very low light. In some cases, the stretching will help the plant find light from a nearby window or light.

When plants are grouped together tightly, become overgrown or placed in low light, they will etiolate. Etiolation should be avoided with indoor plants as best as possible because the resulting plant growth is weak, leggy and unattractive.

The best ways to overcome etiolation is to select sites with proper light, space plants appropriately, and keep plants pruned properly to allow light to penetrate all plant surfaces as best as possible.

Green Side Up,

Senior Horticulturalist, Matt Kostelnick

Have a question for our in-house Plant Doctor, Matt? Ask away @ http://www.ambius.com/learn/online/plant-doctor

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Matt - The Plant Doctor

Matt Kostelnick is better known by many as 'The Plant Doctor'. As the Senior Horticulturist at Ambius, Matt has an extensive depth of knowledge and passion for delivering best in class horticulture practices. A true Plant Doctor, Matt takes a proactive approach to promoting the overall wellness of each plant in our care. With a solid foundation of education in horticulture and agriculture education, Matt has over 20 years of combined experience in the horticulture industry and teaching horticulture at the university level.

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2 Comments

  1. Avatar kkkkkkkkkkk Reply to kkkkkkkkkkk to kkkkkkkkkkk" aria-label=' Reply to kkkkkkkkkkk to kkkkkkkkkkk'> Reply to kkkkkkkkkkk
    April 14, 2015 at 11:44 am

    nnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooo dont like it

  2. Avatar Lurenza Reply to Lurenza to Lurenza" aria-label=' Reply to Lurenza to Lurenza'> Reply to Lurenza
    December 26, 2018 at 2:35 pm

    My schefflera is dropping all its leaves. Also its once white and green leaves are now all green. It’s tall trunk has no leaves in the center just the top and bottom. The trunk is ashy and yellow looking while the top is bright green. Please help!!! It did well in the sunroom this summer, doesn’t seem to like the house…it was a gift from a friend who moved south.

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