😲 Yellow Leaves Mystery Solved! What’s Really Hurting Your Plants 🎍

Welcome to today's deep dive into a problem that has perplexed and troubled houseplant enthusiasts everywhere: yellowing leaves. Why do the lush plants we so carefully tend to suddenly start turning yellow? Let's get to the root of this mystery together! 🌿
Understanding Yellowing Leaves: A Common Dilemma
Yellowing leaves can strike fear in the heart of any plant owner. It's a common symptom that can be caused by a variety of factors. Most commonly, watering issues-both underwatering and overwatering-are to blame. But there's more to it. As we explore these reasons, remember that the simplest explanation is often the right one.
Natural Aging: A Plant’s Lifecycle
Like any living thing, houseplants undergo a natural aging process where older leaves turn yellow and fall off to make way for new growth. This is a natural part of a plant's lifecycle, aimed at directing resources to more vital parts of the plant.
Pest Problems: Hidden Invaders
Another reason for yellowing can be tiny pests lurking on your plants. These unwanted guests suck the vital juices from your plant’s leaves, leading to discoloration. Identifying and treating pest infestations early can save your plant and keep it healthy.
Nutrient Deficiencies and Disease: Rarer Causes
Though less common, nutrient deficiencies and diseases can also cause leaves to yellow. These issues are generally more complex and require specific interventions. Before jumping to conclusions, it's essential to rule out the more common causes.
Light Levels: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Excessive light can bleach the natural pigments in leaves, causing them to turn pale and yellow. Adjusting your plant’s exposure to light can sometimes be all that's needed to restore its vibrant color.
Practical Tips and Easy Fixes
Throughout this video, I'll share actionable tips on diagnosing and treating yellowing leaves. From adjusting your watering habits to using the right type of nutrients, you'll learn how to keep your houseplants thriving.
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Conclusion
Remember, healthy plants are happy plants. By understanding the reasons behind yellowing leaves, you can become a more confident and successful plant parent. Thanks for watching, and don’t hesitate to comment below with your questions or success stories!
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:11 Yellow leaves due to watering
08:47 Old yellow leaves
11:00 Yellow leaves from pests
14:08 Yellow leaves from disease and minerals
18:09 Yellowing of leaves due to light
23:17 Final Thoughts
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[@Dwynfal]

I love the somewhat obscure saying that goes "If you hear the sound of hooves on pavement at night, think horse, not zebra". I said it once to my best friend who is a veterinarian, she loves it so much it's one of the first thing she teaches new graduates who come to work at her clinic! It's gotten to the point where when, whilst doing case reviews, one of them comes out with some esoteric condition the whole team chimes in with "clip clop, clip clop, clip clop". 😂 Great video as always Memo!

[@Meskarune]

Zebras still exist though and it took way too long for me to get diagnosed with a rare disease because no believed they would see anyone with it.

[@Dwynfal]

@@Meskarune as a zebra myself, also having had a long road to diagnosis, I certainly commiserate! My point was that, whether it be plants or animals, you start your search with the most common problems and work it out from there. Is it possible a zebra escaped from the safari park 1000km away, found itself on your street, at night, whilst you're there? Sure. But chances are it's a horse escaped from the local stable 5km away. So think horse. If it's not, it might be a zebra.

[@irairod5160]

@@Dwynfal You're right...depending on one's location, upon hearing hooves, one should think horse, then cow, then burro, then mule, perhaps sheep or goat...Maybe deer, moose, or elk. Could it be a giraffe? Sure! But that should be considered only after the other, more likely possibilities, have been discarded.

[@Houseplantygoodness]

What a fantastic story! Love the hooves analogy-definitely a great lesson in simplicity. Thanks for sharing, Dwynfal! 😂🐴

[@pinstripesuitandheels]

Last night I added a new daily goal to my self-care app: "Avoid making panic based decisions.", and it 100 % has to do with plant care.😁

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Love that addition to your self-care app! 😄 Plant care really is a part of our wellbeing, isn’t it? Thanks for sharing!

[@SparkleInMoonlight]

I experienced yellowing leaves on my mother plant Alocasia Ninja due to stem rot. I repotted her 2 weeks ago, and all seemed fine, only oldest 2 leaves yellowing a bit. Then all leaves started yellowing except for the newest one. This Friday, I took her out of the pot: roots fine, I removed the yellow leaves and below them, good 30 % of the stem was a mush ☹ I cut all mush away immediately, treated the stem and roots with H2O2 and now praying for its life (with H2O2 in my hand). Very sad ☹ Cause: I was showering her weekly and some water sometimes remained inbetween the stem and petioles, then I repotted her too deeply, and it was all wet. Stupid me. At least, I have 3 back ups (her 2 baby plants and propagating a bulb).

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Wow, what a journey with your Alocasia Ninja! 🌿 It's tough seeing our plants struggle, but it sounds like you're on top of it! Keep us updated, and fingers crossed 🤞 for a speedy recovery!

[@joyfulgirlrecovery7526]

When I was going through my Masters in counseling when we had our class on diagnostics my professor told us all : ‘You will think you have EVERYTHING!”

[@Houseplantygoodness]

That sounds like an intense class! It’s fascinating how much we can see ourselves in what we study. Thanks for the share! 📚😊

[@irairod5160]

"Balance" or "find equilibrium" is what you were trying to describe when talking about leaves dying off because root volume had decreased.

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Exactly right! It’s all about finding that balance. Thanks for summing it up so well! ⚖️🌿

[@irairod5160]

@@Houseplantygoodness My pleasure. I enjoy your videos!

[@TerriOsborne-xk7op]

Thanks for this video memo. Its really informative. I experience yellowing leaves regularly when transferring plants (in particular Alocasia) from soil to semi hydro. Always the oldest 2 leaves. Once the plants develop water roots, (which really doesn't take long) they soon bounce back.

[@irairod5160]

Oh, Alocasia! They look worse before they look better. I always fear I've killed them---sometimes losing ALL the leaves---and then they recover.

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Thanks, Terri! It’s great to hear your Alocasia bounce back in semi-hydro. Those initial transitions can be tricky, but it sounds like you’ve mastered it! 💧🌱

[@kristiemowry3267]

Very good topic and well explained.

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Thanks, Kristie! Glad you enjoyed the topic and found the explanation helpful! 🌟

[@carolstuff]

You’re absolutely on point Memo; thanks for sharing!

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Thanks, Carol! Really appreciate your support! Glad you found the video on point. 🌟

[@lindaedwards4632]

Hi Memo 👋 Currently going through the yellow leaf problem with my White Wizard. I think mine need a repot 🤦‍♀️ I’m going to unpot the plant and check it out 😀🇨🇦

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Good luck with the repotting, Linda! Sounds like your White Wizard will be thriving again soon! 🪴👍

[@user-iy5gi4rm7r]

I laughed out loud ! when i was in Nursing school ( too embarrassed to say how many years that was) I thought i had every disease we learned about!

[@Houseplantygoodness]

It’s so common in the healthcare fields! Thanks for sharing your experience and for the laugh! 😄

[@soberplantguy]

Good stuff, Memo. Of course you now have a percentage of the population worrying that they may have *all* of those conditions 😁

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Haha, we've all been there Dave! Thanks for the laugh and for watching! I hope you are keeping well 😁🌱

[@allonewordcaps]

Great video. So informative. I do find the OMG sign in the background distracting. But that is just me. I subscribed and love your videos and will always keep watching your videos. 😊

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Thanks for the feedback and for sticking with the channel! 😊👍

[@imaginarydreamer]

Hi Memo, you missed cold and hot drafts/temp fluctuations 🙂 I've personally never experienced yellowing plants because of drafts, but I'd be curious to see what that might look like.

[@SparkleInMoonlight]

Hi, I lost 5 leaves in 2 weeks of Anthurium clarinervium, when I put it relatively near to our heating in winter (about 30 cm from its original spot). Its leaves were slowly moving in the air and it lost one leaf after another super fast. I have other plants in the same spot, which are fine permanently living there, but not our clarinervium.

[@imaginarydreamer]

@@SparkleInMoonlight Thanks for the info!

[@Houseplantygoodness]

You’ve got a sharp eye, Imaginarydreamer! Drafts are definitely an oversight on my part. 🌬️ Appreciate the heads-up, and I’ll make sure to cover it in a future video!

[@lynnecalli]

A common newb mistake is to put a tropical plant outside so it can “get a bit of light/air/humidity” and then the poor thing gets hit by direct Sun for an hour or two and lo and behold.. leaf scorch.

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Such a common mistake indeed, Lynne, I made it too when starting off! A little sun goes a long way. Thanks for sharing ! ☀️🌿

[@doreen9293]

Just this morning, I found out that there is root Mealybugs

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Yikes, root Mealybugs are sneaky pests! Hope you manage to clear them out soon. Thanks for the heads up! 🐛🌿

[@nyctilia]

I feel busted as the hypochondriac med student 😂

[@Houseplantygoodness]

😂 We've all felt that way at some point! Thanks for watching and relating!

[@mariajesusmorales6121]

💌

[@loriedmundson782]

100% user error in watering for me.😢

[@Houseplantygoodness]

It happens to the best of us, Loriedmundson! Watering is often more art than science. Thanks for your honesty! 💦😢

[@allonewordcaps]

Hi. Can you plant any plant deeper in the soil to hid the lower leaf falling off the plant?

[@Dwynfal]

Unless it's a tomato plant, no, you can't do that. You will end up killing the whole plant.

[@allonewordcaps]

@@Dwynfal darn! Thank you.

[@Houseplantygoodness]

It’s best to avoid planting deeper as it might cause stem rot or other issues, unless it’s a plant that benefits from deep planting like tomatoes as @Dwynfal mentions. Always good to ask! 🌼

[@Dwynfal]

I forgot to mention that what you can do is to propagate your plant and put those rooted propagation in around the mother plant. That way you hide the bare bottom of the plant with others. That's what I do often if I don't like the look of a bare stem at the bottom! Anyone with a Pilea peperomioides that looks full from top to bottom does the same! That plant naturally sheds the bottom leaves as it grows, there's no getting out of it!

[@sbaroke]

'Medical student syndrome' is totally a thing ;-)

[@Houseplantygoodness]

Absolutely, 'Medical student syndrome' really is a thing, but I think mose medic eventually grow out of it! 😄

[@sbaroke]

@@Houseplantygoodness Am I wrong in thinking that we may both have suffered the odd bout of that in the distant past? I did a health science degree, and if I recall correctly, you mentioned that yours was also in that field...?

[@glorianayeagley9258]

😂🪴🍃🍃

[@Houseplantygoodness]

😂 Always great to bring some laughter! Thanks for the fun emoji love! 🌿