Why is my Aglaonema turning yellow, and what should I do? Aglaonema, commonly known as the Chinese Evergreen, boasts a captivating beauty with its lush, variegated leaves in green, silver, red, and pink shades. Its elegant foliage showcases a harmonious blend of colors and patterns, adding a touch of sophistication and tranquility to any indoor space. Not only does Aglaonema enhance aesthetics, but it also purifies the air, making it a delightful and health-conscious choice for plant enthusiasts.
Chinese evergreen yellow leaves can be attributed to several factors. Overwatering is a common culprit, causing root rot and impairing the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients, leading to yellowing leaves. Additionally, insufficient light, nutrient deficiencies, or exposure to extreme temperatures can also stress the plant and cause yellowing. Proper watering, adequate lighting, and regular fertilization are essential to maintain healthy, vibrant foliage on an Aglaonema plant.
In another article, we told you how to save Aglaonema (How to save a dying aglaonema) from death, be sure to read that too.
Aglaonema requirements
Before learning about the reason for Aglaonema yellow leaves, let’s see what Aglaonema requires to thrive the best and prevent any kinds of problems.
- The best light for Aglaonema: Aglaonema can tolerate low lights, and we can classify it as a light-resistant plant. Of course, to thrive better, it requires enough filtered light. Too Much Sunlight can lead to Chinese evergreen yellow leaves. Provide a condition where your Chinese evergreen receives at least 5 hours of filtered sunlight.
- Aglaonema watering care Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema) doesn’t need much watering. Whenever a few inches (2-3 cm) of the soil in the pot is dry, it’s time to water Aglaonema, but before doing it, make sure that your pot has a drainage hole so that extra water flows through it.
- What soil is best for Aglaonema? The best soil that you can use for Aglaonema is one that can easily let the water flow through it. You can use soil that is available in the market.
- How often use fertilizer for Aglaonema? Late summer is the most suitable time to use fertilizer for Aglaonema.
- Aglaonema temperature Aglaonema thrives the best between 65-85 degrees Fahrenheit (18-25 degrees Celsius)
why Aglaonema leaves turning yellow?
As we mentioned earlier, this problem could have many reasons, for instance, overwatering, lack of the drainage hole, Improper Light, Nutrient Deficiency, Pests, etc. In this part we will talk about this problem and solutions foraglaonema turning yellow.
1- Improper watering and Aglaonema leaves turning yellow
The main reason for Chinese evergreen leaves turning yellow is improper watering. Both overwatering and underwatering can make your Chinese evergreen vulnerable; its leaves turn yellow, drop off, and finally die. So, before watering, check if 1 or 2 inches of the soil is dry. you can water Aglaonema. Otherwise, you are not allowed to water it. You can decrease the amount of water during winter so that the plant can rest. Remember to discard excess water from the saucer. Let’s look at all water-related problems.
Over-watering and Chinese evergreen plant leaves turning yellow?
When you overwater Aglaonema, the air circulation around the root decrease to zero, and that will cause root rot. in addition to that we the soil is always wet, the chance of getting fungal diseases will increase enormously. In these situations, after a while, Aglaonema will die, so you’d better control the soil, and its moisture, then start watering your Aglaonema.
Under-watering and Chinese evergreen plant leaves turning yellow?
You will notice brown leaf tips and brown edges on leaves when the watering is not enough. However, in this situation, aglaonema yellow leaves at bottom first turn yellow and drop off. The reason for Aglaonema yellow leaves is that the plant cannot provide enough energy and nutrition to grow leaves. Therefore, Aglaonema will let the old leaves turn yellow and die in favor of younger leaves.
If your Chinese evergreen is suffering from underwatering, you need to put the pot in a water pan for 15 minutes so that your plant can receive enough water; after that, control the watering.
Most of the time, the main problem is overwatering. In that case, reduce the watering and check the root for any root-related problem. If the damage is not bad, use fungicide while watering and if the damage is severe, act as follows:
- First, take the plant out of its pot.
- Gently remove the soil from the root.
- Slowly wash the root with mild water.
- Cut off the damaged and black parts of the root using a scissor or sterilized blade (Do this step when the rotted area is not too much)
- If the damage is too much, you will need to cut off most of the root to prevent further problems. Also, remove the old leaves from the stem to equal the ratio of leaves and roots.
- If the root is destroyed, try making a cutting from Aglaonema.
- Now you can sterilize the root with fungicide (You can use benomyl and carbendazim fungicides)
- Put away the old soil and use a new and sterilized one to plant your Chinese evergreen. First, make a drainage hole, skip the gravel inside the bottom of the pot, fill a little soil, put the Aglaonema in the pot, fill the soil around the roots, and do the first watering using humic acid and soil disinfectant.
I suggest you read care for aglaonema silver bay
Signs of overwatering?
- When the soil is moist, but aglaonema leaves are dropping off, it shows that you’re overwatering it.
- Leaves turning yellow start in the lower parts of plants, and rapidly this process extends to all the leaves.
- Leaves are getting swollen, you overwater it.
- Brown spots appear on the leaves,
- You feel a bad smell (like something has gone bad), it shows that you have overwatered it and the roots are getting rotted, and you should take it seriously!
2- Lack of drainage hole
When the watering is okay, but the pot doesn’t have a drainage hole, you will face root problems, which is dangerous for Aglaonema. Discard the excess water on the saucer. When you want to report your Aglaonema, make sure that the new pot has a drainage hole suitable for the size of the pot. The water must flow from the drainage hole.
3-Bad quality water
Another reason for Aglaonema leaves turning yellow is that water quality is not good. Aglaonema prefers acid soil, so if you use alkaline water, the absorption of nutrients in the soil is reduced, and to solve the problem, you should use humic acid to adjust the pH of the soil. It is better to use purified water or water sitting in the environment for at least 24 hours until the chlorine is removed so that you can use it to water aglaonema. Minerals that exist in the municipal water will cause yellow leaves.
4- Improper Light and Aglaonema leaves turning yellow
It would be best to move Aglaonema to a place with filtered light. They don’t like direct and too much light at all. Direct sunlight will lead to some severe damage. Both too much light and low light can cause yellow leaves and drop. When the Aglaonema is exposed to too much light, it will eventually get burnt and yellow leaves.
Why does this happen? When Aglaonema receives direct and too much light, it has to evaporate a large amount of water from the leaf surface not to slow down the growth and tolerate that heat, which will lead to burnt, yellow, and dropping leaves. In some cases, leaves getting brown shows that the amount of light is too much.
Also, consider that when Aglaonema receives low light, it has to lose its lower leaves (getting yellow and drop off) so that it could have enough energy for younger leaves growth, precisely like what happens in fall in which leaves turn yellow ( when the plant receive low light the process of producing chlorophyll face a problem and this will cause Chinese evergreen yellowing leaves) in case of low light since Aglaonema is resistant to the situation and can tolerate it to some degree, you will rarely see leaves drop off.
Solutions for Aglaonema leaves yellow leaves as a result of improper light
Try to provide 5 to 8 hours of filtered light for your Chinese evergreen. The best place to put Aglaonema is in front of a window that receives more sunlight and has frosted glass and a sheer curtain. Put the plant at a distance of 1 to 2 meters from the window; in this case, Aglaonema will receive enough light, and there will be no burnt or yellow leaves.
5- Humidity
Aglaonema is native to tropical regions, therefore, it will need high humidity to thrive better. If humidity is not enough, aglaonema leaves will start turning yellow. As we talked about aglaonema care, low humidity will damage your plant. The best humidity level for Aglaonema is 50 to70 percent. Remember that you shouldn’t place your plant near heating devices during warm seasons of the year because the humidity around them is too low. The high temperature will also lead to Chinese evergreen turning yellow.
How to provide enough humidity to treat aglaonema yellow leaves?
Aglaonema can quickly adapt itself to the typical humidity level of a room and never face problems like yellow leaves, but as the temperature gets higher, you should provide more humidity; otherwise, your Chinese evergreen will face some severe issues. To give enough humidity, you can act as follows:
- Create an island for Aglaonema. We will talk about this in another post, but you choose a giant saucer for your pot, fill that with gravel, and put the pot on them. Now fill the saucer with water but be careful that the water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the pot. You can provide enough humidity for Aglaonema.
- Use a humidifier device. You can provide the required humidity for Aglaonema using cool-mist humidifiers. Put the device among the plants to give enough humidity during the day.
- Use water spray; the critical point is that you shouldn’t be spry during the noon and always boil the water and let it cool down, then use it to spray. That way, you can prevent aglaonema diseases.
- Put the plants next to each other: To increase the humidity of the plants’ environment, put them next to each other to increase the water evaporation from the soil and, as a result, the level of humidity.
6- Does temperature have an impact on aglaonema yellow leaves?
Aglaonema can easily tolerate temperatures between 55 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 28 degrees Celsius). Still, thermal variation can lead to problems like Chinese evergreen yellowing, slow plant growth, brown leaf tips, brown edges, and leaves curling. The higher the temperature, the lower the humidity level will get, and the exact signs of underwatering and low humidity will appear. Also, low temperature can lead to slow growth of Aglaonema. So always make sure that the amount of watering, humidity, light, and temperature balance to prevent your Aglaonema from getting yellow leaves. Whenever you witness aglaonema leaves wilting or turning yellow, the temperature is too low.
If you live in cold regions and keep your Aglaonema on the balcony, move them inside the house during the cold seasons.
7- Can overfertilization lead to Aglaonema yellow leaves?
Like all the houseplants, Aglaonema needs nutrition and elements like Potassium, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen. Suppose the amount of these elements gets too much. In that case, it will gradually increase the salt in the soil, and this will reduce the absorption of the roots and lead to Aglaonema leaves turning yellow, because, as we said earlier, when the materials absorption decrease, the plant is forced to use its nutrition and energy for younger leaves. Also, not reporting or changing soil for a long time will create problems.
Nutrient deficiency isn’t always because of not receiving enough nutrients. Sometimes Improper light or bad soil can reduce the absorption. So, you’d better provide enough light, acidic soil, and nutrition on time for Aglaonema.
How to overcome Chinese evergreen turning yellow as a result of over-fertilizing
To overcome this problem, use fertilizer two or three times a week during the growing season, starting in spring until late summer and act as it said on the package. Winter is the rest reason and try not to use fertilizer. If the amount of fertilizer is too much, make sure to use humic acid while watering the Aglaonema to reduce the soil salt level.
Is it normal for older leaves to turn yellow?
Aglaonema and all the houseplants get old; just like all of us, when Aglaonema gets old, the older leaves will turn yellow and drop off so that it can use its energy for younger leaves. You can postpone this natural process by providing a good condition for it. When you feed Aglaonema correctly, provide enough light, and water it on time, Aglaonema will receive nutrition for a more extended period. Getting old and yellowing leaves will be delayed
8-Pests
Try to examine the Aglaonema leaves to see whether there is any hole, yellow spots, pests like Ticks, Aphid, Spider mites, Whiteflies, Thrips, and Mealybugs which attach to the leaves and stems and feed on the arteries of Aglaonema and in a short period they consume all the energy of the plant and cause leaves getting old and then turn yellow and drop off.
How to destroy the pests
At first, check the front and back of the leaves every one or two weeks to act as soon as you see signs of pests, to avoid leaves turning yellow. The best way to kill the blights that have attacked your plants is to use insecticidal soap. You can also use Systemic poisons to kill tick aphids and Mealybugs.
Bacterial and fungal diseases and Aglaonema leaves turning yellow.
The last thing that we talk about in this post is the bacterial and fungal diseases of Aglaonema. These diseases first show their signs and finally will cause leaves to turn yellow. If you notice big black spots on the leaves and then leaves turning yellow, it shows that your Aglaonema has got these diseases, so you should cut out the leaves and spray fungicide all over the plant.
Or if you see signs like swollen spots on the leaves, steam bending, and soil having a bad smell, it shows that your plant has got fungal diseases because of water pouring between the leaves and stems, overwatering, and lack of drainage hole that you should take care of it as soon as possible. To overcome this problem, provide good ventilation for the plant and use a fungicide. It is recommended to use fungicide every three months to prevent fungal diseases.
Grening of yellow leaves
Maybe the first question that comes to your mind is whether the yellow leaves return to their previous state? It means that will they turn green again? The answer is no. neither Aglaonema nor all the houseplants that have this problem will not return to their previous state, and you can’t expect them to turn green again. Only by providing suitable conditions and overcoming problems can you prevent other leaves from turning yellow.
Conclusion
We’ve covered various factors that can lead to yellowing leaves in Aglaonema, such as overwatering, inadequate drainage, fungal infections, improper lighting, and nutrient deficiencies. By addressing these issues and creating optimal conditions, you can rescue your Aglaonema and maintain its vibrant appearance. Share your experiences or questions about caring for Aglaonema in the comments below—let’s learn from each other’s insights!
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A question always bothers my mind after the leaves of plants turn yellow, Should I prune the yellow leaves from my Aglaonema plant?
A simple answer is Yes, remove yellow leaves to encourage new growth and prevent the spread of any issues. But if we want to explain a little more, it should be said that if the yellowing of the leaves is due to a disease, remove it and otherwise do not do this.
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I have a problem with watering and I don’t know when I should water my plant, How often should I water my Aglaonema to prevent yellowing leaves?
It has a very simple solution, Water your Aglaonema when the top inch of soil is dry to the touch.
There is not enough humidity in our house, Can lack of humidity cause Aglaonema leaves to turn yellow?
Yes, low humidity levels can contribute to yellowing leaves in Aglaonema plants. But this case causes yellowing of the leaves much less