New Growth Leaves But Look Sick
Are the new growth leaves on your plant turning yellow? When you see leaf problems on your indoor plant, it’s natural to question what’s causing the problem. And if you’re a novice gardener, you’ll probably find it tough to understand and correct this type of plant issue. So, in order to make things a bit easier, I’ve offered a few reasons about yellow leaves.
Underwatering
The most common cause of this type of problem on your new growth leaves is underwatering or a lack of water in the soil. The plant goes into survival mode when it doesn’t get enough water. This mode merely instructs various components of the plant to conserve energy rather than invest it in the growth of new leaves or root systems. Slow growth, brown tips, leaf curl, wrinkling leaves, and yellow leaves are the end results.
Overwatering
Although overwatering is not a direct cause of this condition, it can certainly contribute to difficulties with the new growth leaves turning yellow. When you overwater your plant, the new leaves may appear dull at first and then turn yellow after a few weeks. It usually occurs as a result of the plant’s internal system becoming weaker. You can spot such concerns on your indoor plants when the roots quit executing their functions at an optimal level.
Lack Of Light
Is your plant exposed to direct sunlight? Even though sunshine is necessary for plant growth, few plants thrive in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. As a result, when such plants are exposed to direct sunshine, they develop pale yellow or light green leaves. Because immature leaves are often delicate in nature, they do not require much light to flourish. However, if they receive more sunshine than required, the leaves may become droopy and pale yellow.
Lack Of Nutrients
Lack of nutrients, like underwatering, is a primary reason in the plant’s new growth leaves turning yellow. All plants, as you may know, prefer to get the majority of their nutrients from the earth. The plant, on the other hand, will struggle to grow at a normal rate if there aren’t enough nutrients in the soil. As a result, your plant’s leaves will show signs of insufficiency. The problem with yellow leaves is one of those signs.
Environmental Conditions
Aside from nutrient deficits and watering concerns, there is another component at play in this problem. That’s the state of the ecosystem! The fresh leaves of the plant are directly affected when the weather becomes excessively hot and uncomfortable. These young leaves turn light green or yellow as a result of the excessive heat. During the winter, though, you may not encounter the same problems. It only happens during the summer, when the humidity drops and the temperatures rise during the day.
Root Rot
Another issue that might create yellow leaves on certain indoor plants is root rot. Aside from the color shift, you’ll notice a few other abnormalities on the new growth leaves. For instance, the plant may drop some undesired leaves, and the leaves may curl inwards. Because of the root rot, you may notice yellow or brown margins on the leaves.
Fungus Attack
In the field of indoor horticulture, fungal attacks are extremely prevalent. When a plant is afflicted by such problems, the weaker portions of the plant are the first to succumb! Instead of attacking the more established branches and leaves, the fungus will attack the newer leaves on your plant. When this happens, the young leaves begin to shrink and eventually become yellow or brown. These leaves may not last long, so it’s best to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
Summary
I hope the preceding information aids in preventing and correcting yellowing new growth leaves. Even though pinpointing the actual reason of the problem is difficult, you can certainly use the trial and error method to resolve it. And it’ll mostly certainly be due to nutrient deficiency or underwatering. So, before moving on to other possible explanations, try to concentrate on these two factors.