If the leaves of your houseplant turn yellow, the plant is trying to point out something wrong. Simple care errors are often the cause of the sickly impression. You can find out more in this article.
What causes yellow leaves on houseplants?
Yellow leaves on houseplants can be caused by air that is too dry, incorrect substrate, calcium-containing irrigation water, lack of light, root rot or lack of nutrients. Adjusting the choice of location, watering behavior and fertilizer application can make the plants he althy again.
Causes
The forms of yellowing on the leaves are just as varied as the possible causes. The entire leaf does not always change color immediately. Specific features make identifying the cause easy:
Brown leaf tips
Brown leaf tips can have two causes:
- The air is too dry, especially in winter when the rooms are heavily heated
- wrong substrate, which has too high a mineral content
Yellow or brown edges
Yellow or brown edges also indicate an excess of minerals. Most of the time the soil is too calcareous. Too dry air can also be the trigger. However, these symptoms most often occur when there is over-fertilization or over-watering.
Yellow-green leaves
Yellow-green leaves often affect the entire plant. The culprit is most likely that irrigation water contains too much lime.
Yellow, falling leaves
The shedding of leaves that are already yellow can often be observed in winter. In this case, the plant suffers from a lack of light.
Brown leaves
If the leaves turn completely brown, your houseplant is either suffering from root rot or frost damage. The latter can also apply in the apartment if the houseplant is exposed to strong drafts.
Yellow, pale leaves
Plants that lose their luminosity lack nutrients.
Treat yellow leaves
As you can see, care errors are usually the cause of yellow leaves. The choice of location, watering behavior and fertilizer application in particular influence the he alth of your houseplant. Therefore, adapt the lighting conditions to the seasons. In winter, if necessary, artificial lighting can replace sunlight. Only water your plants when the top layer of substrate has dried and avoid adding fertilizer in the winter months. Many plants recover after being repotted.