How we research our plant guides

Every fact comes from a named source

Each diagnosis, check and fix on this site is based on guidance from university cooperative extension services, botanic gardens or other public research bodies. Every problem page has a Sources box that links the exact pages we used, and each cause shows which sources it is based on.

If two sources disagree (for example on how often to fertilize), we say so on the page rather than picking one.

"Last checked" dates

Each page shows the date its facts were last checked against its sources. We re-check pages when a source is updated or when a reader reports a problem.

Our own words, our own illustrations

We write every page ourselves; we don't copy text from our sources. Symptom images are labeled illustrations drawn to show the typical pattern of each problem. Where we use a real photo, it is openly licensed and credited beneath the image. AI-generated images, if used, are always labeled as such and never presented as real symptom photos.

How we use AI tools

We may use AI tools to help draft and organize pages. Nothing is published until every claim has been checked against the listed sources.

Corrections

Spotted a mistake? Use the "Report an error" link on any page. We check reports against the sources and update the page and its "Last checked" date.