Plant leaves turning yellow can happen for several common reasons related to watering, light, soil, nutrients, pests, or root health. The principal causes include:
- Overwatering or underwatering: Too much water causes root suffocation and inability to transport nutrients, making leaves yellow and mushy. Too little water causes nutrient deficiency, yellowing, and wilting of leaves.
- Poor drainage: Waterlogged soil prevents oxygen reaching roots, damaging them and causing yellow leaves.
- Inadequate light: Either too much direct sunlight or not enough light can stress plants and lead to yellow foliage.
- Nutrient deficiencies: Lack of nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, iron, or sulfur causes specific patterns of yellowing in leaves.
- Root damage or plants being rootbound: Roots that are damaged or crowded in pots cannot properly nourish plants, resulting in yellow leaves.
- Pest infestation: Insects like aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs feed on sap and cause leaf discoloration including yellowing.
To diagnose, check if soil is soggy or dry, assess light conditions, inspect for pests, and consider recent watering habits. Adjust watering, improve drainage, balance light, fertilize appropriately, and repot if roots are crowded to help plants recover from yellow leaves. This information covers the main reasons plant leaves turn yellow and how to address them.
