In these cases, you'll need to try changing one thing at a time until you see improvement in your plant. Even after you correct the problem, it's still likely that the yellow leaves will fall off with time. Don't worry, if the plant regains its health, it's possible that new leaves will fill in during the next growing season. Growing plants is always a matter of patience.
Do your best to eliminate these common reasons for yellowing leaves, then wait to see what happens. Overwatering or underwatering are the most common culprits when a plant's leaves turn yellow.
With potted plants, it is crucial that you only water as much as the plant needs. If you have a plant with yellow leaves, check the soil in the pot. Is it dry? Is it soaked? If plants don't receive enough water, they drop leaves to prevent transpiration essentially, a plant's way of sweating to conserve water.
Before they drop, though, the leaves will typically turn yellow. If the soil is dry and this is happening, make it a point to get the plant on a regular watering schedule. Too much water can be just as damaging to leaves. When the soil doesn't drain well, an overdose of water leaves the soil waterlogged and root systems can literally drown. Without oxygen, roots start to die. As many plants age, the lower leaves will turn yellow and drop off.
This is simply a normal part of their growth. In this case, don't worry. If the plant becomes too leggy, consider trimming back the main stem to promote new growth and bushiness. Cold drafts on tropical plants will often cause the leaves to turn yellow and drop. This is different from short periods of exposure to intense cold, which will cause outright browning on the foliage or pale, transparent spots to appear between veins.
If your plant is near an air-conditioner vent in summer or a drafty window in winter , move it to a less turbulent place. Keep an eye on it to see if the yellow leaves spread any further.
It's also a good idea to mist tropicals that you're overwintering to increase the humidity. Plants that receive too little light will often start to yellow on the lower leaves before those leaves drop. If this is your issue, there is a clue that you can look for. A plant that is yellowing from a lack of light will typically yellow on the side that is away from the light source. The leaves near the window, for instance, are getting all the light and blocking the opposite side. A great way to remedy this is to turn the pot a bit once a week, so all sides have access to natural light.
There may also be a visible crust of fertilizer on the surface of the soil. Remedy : Remove the layer of fertilizer visible on the topsoil. Remove any dead leaves or plant matter. Yellow leaves due to lack of light is a common problem with houseplants because people often grossly underestimate the amount of light a plant is getting.
Remedy : The fix for lack of light is easier said than done. Placing your plant in a sunnier area is the best way to rectify the problem. However, not everyone has an ultra-sunny windowsill available. No gardener wants to spot or deal with a pest infestation, but infestations do happen.
Plant vampires like aphids , mites , mealybugs , and thrips are common houseplant pests. When these insects feed on foliage and the like, plants become stressed, and leaves can turn yellow. Some pests even damage roots, which can interrupt nutrient and water absorption. Key indicators : Visible signs of pests might not be evident at first glance. Check the underside of leaves and look for physical damage that might indicate insect activity.
Remedy : Some insects, like mites, are easy to wash off with an intense burst of water. Others are a little trickier to get rid of. Neem oil is a fairly effective remedy for most houseplant pests. Generally, prevention is the best strategy. Always inspect store-bought plants before bringing them home or transplanting them to the garden.
Some plants are particularly susceptible to changes in temperature. Placing a temperature-sensitive plant near a door or vent can cause yellowing and leaf drop due to stress, as can outdoor temps that drop too low. Although windowsills sometimes provide the best source of light for plants, they can also be terrible in terms of regulating temperature, especially if the windows are old and poorly insulated.
Remedy : Find a warmer, less drafty location for your precious houseplant or a new spot in the garden for an outdoor one. Many diseases also can cause plant leaves to turn yellow. Common sources of plant diseases are contaminated soil or pests. Fungal and bacterial plant infections can also hang around on unsanitized garden tools or store-bought plants.
Diseases that might produce yellowed leaves include leaf spot, black spot, rust, and mosaic virus. Key indicators : Depends on the disease. Perhaps one of the most common problems many people face with their plants is yellowing leaves. The only problem? With most tropical plants, it is best to feel the soil of your plant to gauge whether it needs watering or not.
To find out more about the key signs of overwatering, and to learn about how to avoid it in the future, you can check out our guide. In the same way that overwatering can cause a plant to suffer, giving your plant too little water can cause problems like yellowing leaves too. To do this, Cheshire suggests taking things slow. You would rarely see just a few yellow leaves. A few roots poking out of the top or bottom of the pot are not a sign your plant is pot-bound.
The solution to a pot-bound plant is, of course, to repot it into a bigger pot where it can stretch its roots.
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