Monstera is a type of plant that looks great indoors, as well as on patios and gardens in places with warm climates all year round. In addition, it adapts perfectly to life in a pot, which is why many people do not hesitate to acquire a specimen to decorate their interior. The problem is when its precious green leaves turn yellow.. That’s when we worry.
» Why does my monstera have yellow leaves? “, “What is happening to him and how can I save him? ”…if you have these questions, don’t worry, because we’ll solve them for you later.
When a monstera has yellow leaves, the first thing we have to do is ask ourselves if we are making a mistake in its cultivation. And it is that sometimes, just by making small changes, we can make it recover quickly. Therefore, we are going to see what the causes are and what we must do to make our plant green and healthy again:
Contents
Low ambient or relative humidity
The monstera is a tropical plant that lives in humid jungles. But these places are not damp simply because it rains frequently, but also because the relative or environmental humidity is high, which is not always the case in our homes and/or gardens. This causes the tips of the leaves to dry out first and eventually turn yellow.
But beware : To know exactly if our plant has this problem, we need to check the degree of relative humidity in our area.. To do this, the most advisable thing is to obtain a home weather station, since in this way we would always have the information in view. Nowadays they are very cheap, so much so that for 15-20 euros you can buy a high quality one, like this:
But if not, we can Google “relative humidity X”, replacing the X with the name of our location. If it is less than 50%, we will spray the leaves daily with rainwater or water suitable for human consumption.or place containers with water around.
Drafts or excessive ventilation
Image – Flickr/Maja Dumat
All plants should be in ventilated areas, but not all can withstand strong drafts, and monstera is one of them. Nothing will happen to him if he is in a patio protected from the wind or in a room far from the window, but its leaves will turn yellow if it is near a fan, an air conditioner or any other device generating drafts, for example.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution: if we suspect this is our plant’s problem, we just have to move it. The bad leaves won’t recover, but hopefully we’ll keep them from getting worse and the new ones will come out healthy.
low light
The monstera needs light to grow, but not as much as other plants. The problem arises when placed in a dark place, or in a place where there is practically no light. In these conditions, leaves lose color and may turn yellow. For this reason, I always like to recommend placing it in a location with plenty of light, whether inside or outside the home.
Now, what must also be avoided is exposing it to direct light, since its leaves are not prepared to support it, as I will explain now:
direct sun or light
Related article:
Monstera treatment
As I said before, the monstera is a plant that lives in the jungle and grows in the shade of taller trees and palms. For him, if it is placed in front of a window through which light enters directly, or in a sunny place, the most exposed leaves will burnturning first yellow and then brown.
This problem too can be easily fixed by moving itby taking it to a more protected area, where it is not exposed to direct light.
Lack of water
It is not a plant that can go long without receiving water, therefore, we must be a little aware of the humidity of the earth, because if we notice it very dry, the new leaves will soon turn yellow. Although before that we will see that the stems lose a little firmness and “fall off”, which is why the monstera will look sad. This is the first sign that should make us suspect that it needs water, because when the leaves turn yellow, the problem is much worse.
But there is nothing that should worry you too much: lack of water is one of the less serious causes, as it is easily corrected. For it, you only have one thing to do: water. Pour water over the soil until it is thoroughly soaked. If you have the plant in a pot, take it after watering, as you should notice that it is heavy. After a few days pick it up again, and you’ll notice it weighs little or nothing, so you’ll have to water it again.
Excess water
Image – Wikimedia/David J. Stang
If the lack of water is one of the least problems that the monstera can suffer, the excess of water is the most serious, since when the situation worsens, mushrooms appear, causing even more damage. And fungi are one of the most difficult microorganisms to eliminate. For it, be aware of the symptoms which will show the plant to act as soon as possible:
- The leaves will start to turn yellow, starting with the old ones (the ones below)
- The soil will be moist and the verdina can grow.
- When taking the pot, we will notice that it weighs a lot
- And as I said, in advanced cases, fungus will appear (mold on the ground and/or on the leaves, brown spots)
What to do? Well, in these cases we have to do two things: dry out the soil as soon as possible and treat the plant with a fungicide, which is an antifungal product.
For it, what we will do first is suspend irrigation, and if it is in a pot we will take it out and wrap the soil with paper towels. If this one gets wet quickly, we’ll take it out and put in another one. Then, it is left in a dry place away from direct light for a day. After this time, we will replant it in a new pot with drainage holes, with a universal growing medium or for green plants from one of these brands: Flower, Westland, BioBizz. If you are interested in any of them, click on the links to buy it.
And finally, it must be treated with a multipurpose fungicide. I recommend buying a spray, like this one from Flower, because it’s easier to use because you don’t have to dilute it first. We will spray the product on the leaves -on both sides-, the stems, and also on the ground, which we must soak. And we will repeat after a week.
Wait? It will depend on the severity of our factory. If it was caught in time, it is normal for it to lose a few leaves, but it will eventually recover. But in more serious cases, it may take a long time to save itself, or it may never do so if the fungi have already attacked its roots.
Cold
The last cause is that it is cold. The monstera can withstand temperatures close to 0 degrees if it is protected from the wind, but it does not tolerate frost very well, which is why it is often kept indoors in temperate climates. For him, As soon as the thermometer reads 15 ºC or less, the best thing to do is to take it home.
If it has already suffered cold damage, we will see that the leaves most exposed to drafts are yellow or brown.. They won’t recover, but in the spring the plant will produce completely new green leaves.
We hope these tips will help you get your yellow leaf monstera back.