What causes household plant leaves to turn yellow?

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Dry soil, water-logged soil, overly bright light, too little light, cold, or sudden changes in the environment. Leaves occasionally turn yellow and drop off indoor plants. Do not be concerned if only a few leaves are affected.

But if more than a few leaves start to turn light green or yellow, you may have a problem. Physical injury to a leaf, while the leaf was forming or after maturity, may cause it to turn yellow and fall off. Other causes of leaf yellowing and leaf dropping are: Dry soil, water-logged soil, overly bright light, too little light, cold, or sudden changes in the environment.

As you can see, there are many causes. Any of these factors can stress the plant. The most common response a plant has to stress is to drop some of its leaves.

Let's look at some of these causes. Light is important in order for the plant to maintain healthy green leaves. Light influences the plant's ability to make food and to keep its leaves in good condition.

When new leaves appear, old leaves often turn yellow and fall off. This is not unusual because this is how the plant balances available light and the appearance of new leaves. The oldest leaves decline first when there is inadequate food to support the entire plant.

This is a normal process. A damaged root system can also causes a plant's leaves to turn yellow. Root injury may occur due to excessive use of fertilizers, high populations of insects feeding on the root system, lack of water or too much water.

Too much water can accumulate if there are no drainage holes in the pot, or if the pot is allowed to stand in a saucer holding the drainage from the last watering. Standing in water can cause the plant's roots to die and the plant itself to yellow and die. If many leaves of a plant suddenly turn yellow within a day or two, the plant may have been exposed to cold temperatures or to toxic gasses, i.e.

Gas from a kitchen stove is toxic to some plants. Plants near a window often lose leaves after a sharp cold spell. Plants moved from a store into a home, or even from one room to another, often lose many leaves due to sudden temperature changes.

In these cases, a plant will usually recover if the change is not too extreme. There are no simple answers to the question of why leaves often turn yellow. One must examine the plant's history, environment, watering and soil conditions, in the hope of identifying the primary source of the problem.

Sources: mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Hort... .

Many different causes.... I find that this is usually an effect of over-watering, but there are other causes as well... read on... Quoted from Source: Yellowing or death of leaves may indicate a nutrient deficiency, usually nitrogen or iron. First apply a nitrogen fertilizer. If the foliage does not appear greener after three to four days, do not add additional nitrogen.

Instead apply a chelated iron product. Iron is essential to healthy green leaves and may be present in the soil but in a form which the plant cannot use. Chelated iron is in a form which is readily available to the plant roots.

The yellowing and death of lower leaves may occur if plants become pot bound because of extensive root development. Rubber plant, Dracena, Diffenbachia and other woody plants are especially prone to this problem. When the lower leaves first start to yellow, apply extra nitrogen fertilizer or consider repotting.

Occasional lower leaf drop may be normal. The length of time a plant will hold its leaves varies from species to species. Yellowing of all leaves and poor growth may be due to excessive soil moisture and/or to root rot.

If the drainage hole in the pot or plant box is plugged or if the plants constantly stand in water, the soil will be waterlogged and lack sufficient oxygen. If a root rot problem is suspected, remove the rootball and check the roots. Healthy roots and root tips will be white or cream-colored.

Rotted roots are a brown-black color and may appear slimy. Severely rotted roots may be hollow and easily broken between the thumb and index fingers. Destruction of the roots by soilborne fungi and nematodes may cause a yellowing of the entire plant.

Severe infestations of mites, aphids and scale insects, fertilizer burn, improper light and temperature, or improper pH all may cause plant yellowing. Soil pH prefers to the acidity or alkalinity of a soil measured on a scale of one to 14 with seven being neutral. Anything below seven is acid and anything above seven is alkaline.

Some plants such as the Norfolk island pine and Boston fern require an acid soil medium. This can be achieved by using a potting mixture high in peat and by using an acid fertilizer. Acid fertilizers help to reduce the pH of the soil.

Most North Dakota well and river water is alkaline, so regular use of an acidifying fertilizer would be advantageous to plant growth. Sources: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/landscap/pp744w.htm .

Over watering is one idea I had a corn plant and I thought it was more thirsty than it really was and the leaves turned yellow. Then the entire plant died. I’m sure there could be more reasons such as poor soil aeration, nutrient deficiency, a plant disease or perhaps the leaves are old and their time has come.

It depends on the plant in question.

1 BostonQuestioner, regarding your answer "too much water": .

BostonQuestioner, regarding your answer "too much water.

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