Leaves turning yellow
Yellow is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The same yellow leaf can come from wet soil, dry soil, weak light, pests, or simply an old leaf reaching the end of its life, so start by reading the pattern before changing anything.
Where the yellow starts matters most. Yellow on the oldest, lowest leaves first often points to a mobile nutrient shortage, underwatering, or ordinary ageing; yellow on the newest leaves first points more often to a root or uptake problem. Always check the soil before you reach for fertilizer: feeding a plant whose roots are sitting in wet mix can make things worse.
General beginner information only — not a substitute for advice from your local agricultural extension service. For edible plants, use only a product that is labelled for that particular edible crop, for indoor use, and follow any harvest interval on its label; try non-chemical steps first, and never use a product that is not labelled for indoor use on that plant.
Checklist to diagnose
- Which leaves yellowed first — the oldest and lowest, the newest at the top, or all over at once?
- Push a finger into the mix: is it wet well below the surface, dry all the way down, or just damp?
- Is the pot heavy and slow to dry, or light with mix pulling away from the sides?
- Look under the leaves and along the stems for insects, webbing, or sticky residue.
- What changed recently — a move, a new watering habit, a cold draught, or a first feed?
Rescue steps
- If the mix is wet and slow to dry, stop watering, empty the saucer, and let the mix dry to your usual check depth before watering again. See the root rot page if roots are soft and dark.
- If the mix is dry all the way down, water slowly until water runs from the drainage holes, empty the saucer, and water again only when the mix has dried at check depth.
- If only one or two old leaves yellowed and the rest of the plant looks healthy, remove the yellow leaves and change nothing else; some yellowing of old leaves is normal.
- If the plant sits far from any window and new leaves are small and pale, move it gradually to brighter indirect light rather than straight into harsh sun.
- Do not feed a stressed plant first and hope for the best. Fix water and light, wait for new healthy growth, and only then feed at the product's labelled rate if you feed at all.
When to give up
- The stem base is soft and brown and almost no firm roots remain — the plant is unlikely to recover, though a healthy stem cutting may still root if the species allows it.
- Yellowing keeps spreading after water, light, and pests have all been checked and corrected for several weeks.
Plants on this site
These plant guides on this site already mention this problem: