I am growing many indoor plants, and after the snake plant, chinese evergreen is the easiest one to grow. Unfortunately, my Chinese evergreen showed yellow leaves while I was away from home for a month. I had left it in my mom’s care.
In this article, I will tell you the specific reasons why your Chinese evergreen leaves are turning yellow and what you have to do to fix it.
It's quite confusing when you see yellow leaves on other plants, as there might be multiple reasons for the same yellow symptom. But Chinese evergreen plants do not demand much care and attention. This is why it's become easier to diagnose this plant.
Why are the Chinese evergreen leaves turning yellow?
The only enemy of this plant is overwatering.
They can tolerate low-light. They can also tolerate drought. The growth rate is really low. They grow very slowly. This means you don't have to repot them frequently.
If the potting soil is not well-drained and you are overwatering your Chinese evergreen, yellowing leaves become more common to witness.
My mom kept the soil of my Chinese evergreen moist for a month while I was not home. When I came back, I witnessed the yellow leaf.
Symptoms:
It was too late for me. The leaves started yellowing, that's what my mom told me over the call, and when I returned home, the leaf tips started turning brown.
The yellowing will start from the tip of the leaves due to overwatering, and then it will spread downwards. After a few days (within a month), you are gonna notice the mushy leaf stalk.
If you keep overwatering, the leaf might start rotting from the tip, just like this:
What to do in this situation?
Do not water until the soil completely dries out. You can place it near the open window to make it faster.
Once you see it recovering, feed little bit of nitrogen-based fertilizer. I prefer Dyna gro Foliage pro. This is not a promotional post. You can buy what you prefer.
If you see only one or two yellowing leaves, cut those leaves (so that the rotting does not spread).
This is what an overwatered Chinese evergreen plant looks like.
We know the lower leaves start getting yellow over a period of time due to aging. But that yellowing can be identified easily. Those leaves are not going to be mushy or brown like this one.
Did you see the above picture? This is not due to overwatering. This is due to cold stress (even other types of stress, like repotting, sudden heat, can show the same browning).
If you are not sure whether your pot size is good or not for your indoor plant, check this chart to get an idea: Pot size charts for plants
The leaf is not gonna become green again, but if you do not overfertilize it, your plant gonna be fine soon.
Due to overfertilizing, your plant might show yellow and brown leaves at the same time, with some upward curling leaves.
I only got two yellow leaves, and I cut those leaves. I stopped watering for a couple of days, and the plant is healthy again.
Here is a tip for you:
If you see the yellow leaves again and again, even without overwatering, change the soil.
Repot it and use a standard potting mix (with good drainage). Make sure you keep at least two holes at the bottom of your pot (for potted plants).
The new leaves are healthy, and this is going to bloom soon.
I hate it when people tell you thousands of the same reasons for every plant issue. (Like nutrient deficiency, heat stress, cold stress, overfeeding, pests, bacterial disease, and so on).
I started this website just to share what issue I faced during gardening and what I did to fix them. Practical experience is something that needs to be shared. If you like my work, please consider subscribing to this site.
