You don't have to be an expert or a paid professional to diagnose and remedy plant problems. You don't have to throw away an expensive plant because it seems it will cost more than it's worth to bring it back to health either. All it takes is a little know-how to diagnose and repair what's wrong. It's easy to be an expert plant doctor.

First, when you see a plant that is looking sickly, has poor flowers, ragged leaves, etc. you should look at some simple things to see if that solves the problem. Start with what's most likely and work your way down to what's least likely to be the problem and somewhere in there you'll probably figure out what is wrong.

Make sure the plant is receiving proper care: enough lighting, enough but not too much water, recent transplanting or major moving, etc. How old is the plant and how long has it been in its current location are the first things you'll need to know. Many plants that are bought at the store and brought home will be droppy for a few days. It's a new environment it needs to get used to, so give it a little time before you get too drastic.

Also be sure that the plant doesn't have special needs that aren't being met or that it doesn't "molt" or shed its foliage yearly as part of its routine. It's also important to understand that younger plants and seedlings will often have very different problems and looks than older plants will.

Look at the plant with a magnifying glass and see if you can see any pests, unusual growths, or other things that might not be so obvious to the naked eye. Many parasites and fungal infections are very small and hard to see. You'll often find little colonies of things crawling and growing on your plant that you may never have even knew existed. Some of these might be small spiders, mites, aphids, etc. that need to be dealt with.

Make sure to look under the leaves, as the underside is often where parasites and pupai are located.

Look around the plant at its surrounding soil and mulch and be sure there aren't snails and other night creatures hiding there. These are often culprits when nothing else seems to be a problem. Get rid of the pests and the problem will go away.

Poor plant care is often the reason plants don't seem to be doing well. Perhaps it's a plant that needs a lot of sunlight and is only getting two or three hours a day? Maybe it needs to be rotated to get full sun from one day to the next? Perhaps it's not getting enough or is getting too much water-both are serious issues. Is the soil getting depleted? Maybe it's time for the addition of some nitrogen or other nutrients, according to the plant's needs.

What about the plant and its container? Is the plant too big for the pot it's in? If the plant has outgrown it's pot, a new and larger one will be needed. Often when you pull a plant out of its pot to transplant it, the roots will be heavily balled up, which is a sure sign of constriction. Don't pull them apart, but loosen and break up the soil that surrounds them so they can spread naturally.

Learning to diagnose and solve is not too difficult and becomes easier with practice. Use common sense and make sure you know the plant you're dealing with. A good book or website reference in taking care of indoor plants will often save the day.