Yucca palm loses leaves: 6 causes | What to do with yellow leaves?

Yucca palms with yellow or even brown leaves, that's not possible. Such autumn dress is a regular part of our native plants. But palm trees always have to be green, everyone knows that. If they are not, something cannot be right. In order to save the remaining green leaves, research into the cause is the first step. Only then can the yellow painting be effectively ended.

Botanically, the yucca palm is not a real palm, although it looks like a palm. It belongs to the genus of palm lilies. With us it is cultivated as a houseplant, where it conjures up a little holiday flair all year round with its evergreen leaf dress. Since it is undemanding, everything should be fine. However, sometimes we are faced with yellow leaves. The fact that some of the lower leaves occasionally turn yellow is part of the normal aging process. On the other hand, if the tips of the leaves turn yellow then brown, this is a serious problem. If the cause is not quickly found and eliminated, the whole yucca can die.

content

• care errors
  • Too much water
  • Not enough light
  • Too much fertilizer
  • Pot too small
  • Incorrect wintering
• Diseases and pests
• Further information on the Yucca palm tree

care errors

... make the palm tree sick

In domestic trade, more than fifty different varieties of this houseplant are offered. The individual varieties differ in terms of care. If you are not exactly informed about the requirements of your own plant, maintenance errors creep in quickly. The false name as a palm tree can also be misleading here. Because unlike palm trees that come from moist areas, yuccas are more desert dwellers. Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether nursing suffers due to ignorance or other reasons. The yellow color of the palm tree clearly shows that it will not tolerate this in any way. Yellow and brown shades down to the tips of the leaves usually have one or more of the following causes:

• much water
• too little light
• a lot of fertilizer
• pot too small
• wrong hibernation
• Diseases and pests

Tip: In order to be sure whether and which maintenance errors exist, the variety and its maintenance requirements must be known beforehand. If in doubt, you can inquire in the specialist shop or do research on the Internet.

Too much water

Hobby gardeners in this country don't skimp on the precious water. So most plants stand with their feet in it rather than suffering from a lack of water. The watering can is used more often in summer, after all, the sun drives evaporation. However, most yuccas come from dry regions of Mexico and the United States, where moisture is scarce. Their special metabolism is such that they lose little water even on hot days.

• Check pouring behavior
• Yellow leaf tips are not always a sign of a lack of water
• Water only when the bale is dry
• Avoid waterlogging
• Drain excess water from the coaster
• Examine roots
• Cut away rotten roots
• Repot the plant into fresh substrate
• damp locations such as bathrooms are unsuitable for these plants

Tip: Many people automatically associate the color yellow with dryness and use the watering can to solve the supposed dryness problem. But that only makes the situation worse. In fact, too little water in this country is extremely rarely the cause of dried leaf tips.

Not enough light

The sun shines tirelessly in Yucca's desert home. And where there is a lot of sun, there is also plenty of light. While they are allowed to thrive under the open sky and enjoy the full light intensity, they are locked up in our rooms. The more shady your location, the higher the likelihood of yellow and brown leaves, which it will eventually lose.

• unfavorable location change
• choose a sunny to full sun location
• use special plant lamps in winter
• in summer the yucca can be served outdoors

Too much fertilizer

Regular application of fertilizer is a routine activity for every plant lover. This palm lily is usually supplied with plenty. However, this is not their nature. As a desert dweller, she has prepared for a poor supply. When the palm leaves become more and more yellow and they lose leaves, the nutrient supply also needs to be put to the test.

• critically question your own fertilizing behavior
• if necessary, take a fertilizer break of several months
• wait and see if things get better
• generally only fertilize every two weeks in summer
• there is no need for nutrients in winter

Note: If the yucca has already reached a considerable size and no further growth is desired due to space constraints, fertilization can be stopped entirely. It has nothing to complain about this fertilizer stop, and therefore it does not lose its leaves.

Pot too small

The yucca is sold in small pots. In the course of her life, she has to change houses several times. Depending on growth, annual repotting may be necessary. Sufficient roots cannot form in a pot that is too small to ensure the supply of above-ground shoots. Roots suffer from lack of space, yellow and brown leaf tips are not long in coming. Roots protruding from the substrate are a sure sign that repotting is long overdue. Likewise, when the pot is almost only filled with roots.

• Repot the plant as soon as possible
• Take at least a few centimeters larger pot

If after repotting, the yucca only loses the leaves that have already been damaged and otherwise only sprouts green, then the too small pot was clearly the cause.

Incorrect wintering

If yellow and brown leaves show up, especially in winter, this could indicate an inappropriate wintering. The species that grow in their home in higher mountain regions can also tolerate bitterly cold days. For others, however, temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius are already harmful. What all species have in common, however, is that warm rooms are not among their preferred winter quarters.

• Lower the temperature in the winter quarters to around 10 degrees Celsius
• if not possible, choose a different winter quarters

If there is no cold and bright winter quarters available, the plant can also stay in a warm place, but it will lose part of its leaves. The appearance and vitality of the plant suffer.

Tip: At least spare the Yucca in the living room the warm heating air. These plants should therefore not be in the immediate vicinity of radiators. Even if the underfloor heating is set too high, it quickly loses leaves.

Diseases and pests

Various diseases and pests could of course also be to blame for discoloration of the leaf tip. If a pest attack goes unnoticed for a long time, it can progress quickly and rob the plant of its vitality. The overwintering in rooms that are too warm weakens the vitality of the yucca and makes it susceptible to all kinds of pests, fungi or viruses. The latest yellow and brown leaves to the tip of the leaf should be an occasion to act in this regard.

• Take a closer look at the plant
• especially if you spend the winter in rooms that are too warm
• Identify pest or disease
• aphids, scale insects and spider mites often occur
• Powdery mildew also likes to spread
• Take control measures
• if necessary correct further maintenance errors

Tip: All kinds of ecologically compatible agents help against pests on houseplants. Even some home remedies are doing well. A little research helps to find the right remedy and saves the chemical club.

Where to put the yellow leaves "> More information on the Yucca palm

• How poisonous is the yucca palm tree?
• Cut the yucca palm
• Care instructions for palm lily