With the right care, the single leaf or spathiphyllum is a real eye-catcher in the home or office. The plant, which comes from the South American tropics, scores with large, dark green leaves and mostly white, distinctive flowers. Basically, the plant is not particularly difficult to please as long as you stick to the following tips.
What are the causes of yellow leaves on the single leaf?
Yellow leaves on the single leaf can be caused by spider mites, too frequent watering, waterlogging or a lack of nutrients. For treatment, measures such as higher humidity or less watering, repotting, root control or fertilization are recommended, depending on the cause.
Spider mites often cause yellow leaves
If your single leaf initially has a few yellow leaves, but over time these become more and more and you have the impression that for every yellow leaf removed, two new ones appear, then it could be that spider mites are behind this phenomenon. The tiny arachnids suck the leaf juice of the plant and are often not visible to the naked eye. But you can put it to the test and mist the leaflet with a fine spray mist. If delicate, spider web-like webs become visible, the pests have hijacked your plant. Fortunately, spider mites are quite easy to combat because the little creatures feel very comfortable in dry, warm conditions. If you ensure a darker location and higher humidity (for example by spraying the affected plant), the arachnids will soon run away. By the way, other pests can also cause yellow leaves on the single leaf, but these are very rare.
Water and fertilize the single leaf properly
Furthermore, behind the yellow leaves there are often simple but quickly correctable care mistakes, such as watering too often or not fertilizing enough. Although the single leaf requires a lot of water, especially in summer, it absolutely cannot tolerate waterlogging. So if in doubt, it's better to check: If the plant's leaves droop and turn yellow even though you're watering it enough, then it's best to pot it up and check the roots. If these rot due to excessive moisture, the plant will still die of thirst because it can no longer absorb enough water. In addition, the leaf discoloration can also be due to a simple lack of nutrients.
Tip
Repot your single leaf once a year in fresh substrate and in a larger pot so that the roots always have enough space and the plant has enough nutrients. Only fertilize about six weeks after repotting, as commercial potting soil is usually pre-fertilized.