According to Richard Cheshire and Richard Hull, plant doctors at Patch, there are two main reasons why plants might go wonky or lopsided – because they’re leaning towards the light, or because they’re too heavy or have loose roots.

The former usually occurs when a plant has uneven access to natural light. “Plants will naturally grow towards the nearest source of natural light, and this can cause one side of the plant to lean as it reaches out to the light source,” they explain.

Interestingly, while it may seem like your plant is ‘leaning’, that’s actually not the case – the uneven access to light causes the shaded side of the plant to grow faster in order to reach the light, making it seem as if the plant is bending.

“Sometimes plants will lean if their roots are too loose in the soil, which can cause heavy vertical growth to topple,” the pair add.

Plant leaning to the side? Here’s why (and how to fix it)