What's Up With Yellow Leaves?

Have you ever noticed that the leaves on your houseplants start to turn yellow? It’s not a sign that your plants are sick or doomed - it’s just nature doing its thing! Let’s explore why plants leaves turn yellow, and what we can do to help them stay healthy.

Chlorophyll Breakdown

The main reason for yellowing leaves is the breakdown of chlorophyll, which is the green pigment found in plants. Chlorophyll does a lot of important work for plants - it absorbs energy from sunlight and converts it into food energy through photosynthesis. When a plant starts to decline, it will start to break down its chlorophyll molecules, causing the leaves to lose their green colour and turn yellow.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors can also cause plant leaves to turn yellow. Overwatering or underwatering your plants can lead to yellowing leaves, too much direct sunlight or sudden temperature changes. Plants also need essential nutrients like nitrogen and iron, so if those are lacking in your soil, they could be the culprit behind yellowing leaves. It's good to note that a lack of iron in the soil rarely causes an iron deficiency in plants. Iron is typically abundant in the soil, but various soil conditions can limit how well a plant can get to the iron. If your soil is compacted or too wet, the roots do not have enough air to take up enough iron for the plant properly. If the soil is too moist, you will need to improve the soil's drainage. If the soil is compacted, often it can be challenging to reverse this, so re-potting can sometimes be your best option. Remember, you pay for what you get with potting mix, don't skimp on your soil mix.

The easiest to spot sign of a nitrogen deficiency is yellowing or lightening of the leaf colour of your plant—called chlorosis. Nitrogen-deficient plants tend to have leaves that take on a yellow-green tinge—or even go full yellow if the nitrogen is low.

Fixing Yellow Leaves

So now that you know why plant leaves turn yellow, what can you do about it? The first step is to assess the environment of your plant - make sure you’re not overwatering or underwatering them, giving them too much direct sunlight or sudden changes in temperature. Also check that you’re providing enough essential nutrients like nitrogen and iron for them to thrive. If everything seems ok with their environment but their leaves are still turning yellow, try switching up the type of fertiliser you’re using or changing up how often you water them - sometimes all a plant needs is a little change!

Yellow leaves are usually an indication that something isn't quite right with your plant – but don't worry! By assessing environmental factors such as light levels, temperature fluctuations and soil quality, as well as making sure they're getting enough essential nutrients, you can help get your plants back on track quickly. So next time you notice some yellow spots on your houseplant’s leaves – take action! You can have vibrant green foliage again soon with just a few simple steps.