Why leaves turn yellow on plants and how to deal with it
May 22, 2022 10 Comments
What does the yellowing of the leaves mean and to what extent is it worrying for the health of our plants?
Those of us who deal with plants and gardening have from time to time come across yellow leaves on various flowers, houseplants, vegetables and trees.
In most cases, the yellowing of the leaves is a symptom displayed by the plant to show us that there is a problem in the environment in which it grows and in the care it receives.
Of course, during the fall season, it is normal for the leaves of deciduous plants and trees to gradually turn a yellow or bronze color before falling as the plants enter the winter dormancy phase.
In order to properly care for our plants and keep them in a healthy condition, we must first identify what is causing the yellow leaves and then apply the appropriate treatment method.
In today’s article we will analyze the main causes of yellowing leaves and see what ways we can deal with them to keep our plants beautiful and healthy with lush green foliage.
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What are the main causes of yellowing leaves?
The appearance of yellow leaves on plants can be due to several causes such as excessive moisture in the soil, lack of water, insufficient fertilization, reduced lighting and infestation by insects and diseases.
Yellow leaves can be a sign that there is a problem
Below we provide detailed information separately for each possible cause of yellowing leaves, as well as how to deal with them in order to ensure healthy plants.
1. Yellow leaves due to excess moisture
Excessive moisture in the soil around the roots of plants is one of the most basic causes of yellowing of their leaves. This happens, mainly, when we water daily without letting the soil dry out first. In order to keep the plants healthy, it is necessary to receive proper watering.
Another reason for excessive moisture is when we have poor drainage in the pots, as a result of which the excess water is not removed during watering.
In addition to yellowing leaves, overwatering can cause root rot, leaf drop, flower drop, and fungal disease development.
So it is important to water the plants when the soil dries out so they can stay healthy with lush green foliage.
For example, in vegetables, such as tomato cultivation or pepper cultivation, but also in aromatic plants such as basil, we prefer to water in a larger quantity and less frequently.
Also, when we choose pots for ornamental plants, as in the case of the orchid, we make sure they have holes in the base to drain water. We can also install an automatic watering system so that our plants are watered with the right amount and at the right frequency.
How to choose pots for plants
2. Yellow leaves due to lack of water
Water is essential for plants to carry out photosynthesis and other basic functions, such as absorbing nutrients from the soil.
When plants suffer from a lack of water, yellowing of the leaves and subsequent leaf drop may occur.
In addition to yellowing of the leaves, a lack of water can cause curling or wilting of the leaves and general cachexia of the plant.
In cases of insufficient water, we can increase the amount of water in each watering or water our garden and balcony plants more often according to their needs.
10 secrets for proper watering and healthy plants
3. Yellow leaves due to insufficient fertilization
Lack of fertilization is one of the main causes of yellowing leaves when there are not enough nutrients in the soil or topsoil for the needs of plants and trees.
Leaves may turn yellow due to nitrogen, magnesium and iron deficiency. Very characteristic cases of yellowing of leaves are iron deficiency suffered by acidophilic plants such as gardenia, camellia and hydrangea, as well as citrus trees such as orange cultivation, lemon cultivation and tangerine cultivation.
To deal with yellow leaves on plants that appear due to a lack of nutrients, we add nitrogen fertilizer, magnesium fertilizer and iron fertilizer in the appropriate amounts depending on the type of plant, its growth and the soil and climate conditions.
Treatment of iron deficiency in plants
4. Yellow leaves due to reduced lighting
When we have the plants growing in conditions of reduced lighting, it is very likely that they will show yellowing of the leaves due to reduced photosynthesis. This can happen to indoor plants when we have them in a room with very limited light such as the bedroom or the kitchen.
Also, yellowing of the leaves occurs in sun loving outdoor ornamentals and while they prefer sunny locations, we have planted them in shadier locations. In these cases, it is necessary to move the plants or transplant them to brighter places or places with more exposure to the sun’s rays.
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5. Yellow leaves due to diseases and insects
If our plants show yellow leaves that are not due to problems with watering, fertilization and lighting, we need to consider the possibility of a fungal disease causing this yellowing of the foliage.
For example, in roses when they are affected by the black spot disease, in addition to the black spot on the leaves, a yellowing gradually appears that covers the entire leaf.
Yellowing of the leaves in the form of spots also occurs in the vine crop when it is affected by the diseases of grape downy mildew and grape powdery mildew.
Yellow leaves on plants can also appear due to insect infestation. We carefully check our plants for the presence of insects such as mealybugs, mealybugs, thrips, mealybugs and spider mites, which suck the juices from the leaves of the plants, resulting in yellowing of the leaves.
To deal with insects, we spray our plants with the appropriate organic insecticides that we get from agricultural stores. Alternatively, we can protect our plants using improvised ecological preparations that we make with homemade materials, such as green soap or cayenne pepper.
10 natural and organic insecticides for plants and crops
And a secret about yellow leaves on plants
In some cases, we notice that the lower leaves of the plants take on a yellow color and this is a normal phenomenon caused by the aging of the plants.
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