Yellow and brown leaves on house plants

Indoor plants make a significant contribution to improving the indoor climate, but their lifespan is often shorter than it needs to be. The causes are varied, such as incorrect care or illnesses or diseases. Pests that were noticed too late and then often the plant can no longer be saved.
The first signs of problems are usually yellow or brown leaves, although a distinction must be made here as to whether they are It is a matter of occasional dying leaves, which is completely normal, or whether significantly more leaves show discoloration. As soon as the discoloration occurs in an abnormal amount, countermeasures should be taken, as there is still a great chance of saving the plant.
Possible damage
It is important to make precise distinctions between the damage images, because often the entire leaf is not affected at once, but only the tips, or yellow or yellow spots appear. brown spots.

• Brown leaf tips: Brown leaf tips can have two possible causes, the most common being that the air in the room is too dry. This problem therefore occurs more frequently in the winter months when there is too little ventilation and too much heating. the plants are directly above the radiator. Here you can simply change location or Increasing the humidity by placing a bowl of water on the heater can solve the problem. In addition to the dry air, an excess of mineral salts can also be the cause, whereby the use of fertilizers with mineral salts is reduced must be and the plant may have to be repotted in a mineral salt poorer soil, so that the household again compensates.
• Yellow resp. brown edges: Here too dry air or the earth's lime content is too high. Much more often, however, this damage is due to overfertilization or attributed to frequent watering. In this case, it is essential that the plant is repotted and watered less in the future.

Tip: If you often have problems with houseplants due to overwatering, you should cover the bottom of the pot with clay granules. This allows the excess water to drain off and at the same time to store water, which slowly goes off to the plants.

• Yellow-green leaves: It is also important to act quickly here, as this damage usually affects the entire plant within a very short time and not just the older leaves. This problem often occurs in regions with very calcareous water, as there is an excess of lime. The substrate of the affected plant must also be renewed, as the lime has also settled in the earth. In future, care should be taken to use low-lime fertilizers and water. Since the water often becomes a problem and it is not possible to water with low-lime water, the soil of the plant should be renewed at least once a year.
• Yellow falling leaves: This problem also occurs increasingly in winter and often affects plants that prefer very bright locations. Often these plants are exotic from dry and warm regions, which have a hard time in this country in winter because they do There is no light unless they are near the window and they often get too cold if a room is not heated regularly. In addition, many forget that evergreen houseplants also have a dormant phase in winter and that they must not be supplied with excessive water during this time. Therefore, watering should be reduced immediately if too many leaves fall off.
• Brown leaves: Compared to the damage caused by the brown tips, the leaves here turn brown within a few days and die. The causes for this can be varied and it can be, for example, frost damage. This damage can appear quickly, especially in warmth-loving exotic species - ten minutes of ventilation is often enough for frost damage to occur. Not much can be done here, only the affected parts of the plant can be removed, otherwise one has to wait and see how great the damage is. Leaves that turn brown quickly can also come from incorrect watering behavior and the excessive moisture can cause root rot. In this case, the plant should be quickly repotted in a new substrate, but the chances of saving the plant in the event of root rot are extremely low.

Tip: Root rot is a common problem with indoor plants, as it is better to water once a lot than repeatedly in small quantities. However, houseplants should never stand permanently in water, but the planter should only be an overflow protection.

• Pale to yellowish leaves: If the leaves, especially the young ones, lose their color quickly, this is often an indication of a deficiency. This damage pattern is often associated with poor growth, as the nutrients for good development are lacking. A fertilizer for indoor plants should be used here, which is countered in liquid form if possible. The plants can absorb this much faster, which is particularly important if deficiency symptoms occur. So that there is no shortage of nutrients, long-term fertilizers can be used in solid form, which then often only have to be added to the substrate once a month.

frequently asked Questions

• Should affected leaves be removed? - Basically, the leaves should only be removed when they simply come off the plant. If they are cut off when they are still supplied with water, this costs the plant unnecessarily Power to close the open wounds, whereby they need this energy much more for regeneration would.
• How do I stop watering too much or too little? - Watering is always a real problem with indoor plants, because either too much or too little is watered. In addition to drainage with clay granulate, it is therefore advisable to insert a hydrometer into the substrate. This shows how moist the earth is and you can see immediately whether it has to be watered again. In addition, plants should not be given too much water, especially before they go on holiday, as they survive a dry period much better than a phase with too much water.

Things to know about leaf discoloration on indoor plants

• Brown leaf margins and brown leaves can be a sign of used soil. The plant needs a new substrate. It needs to be repotted.
• Often, however, the earth is simply too moist or too dry. You should look up the care instructions for the plants and adhere to them.
• Rolled up and slack leaves indicate a lack of water. If you don't water, the leaves will turn brown too.
• If too little water is constantly being poured, the tips of the leaves turn brown. Dipping baths help against this.
• Brown leaf tips can also indicate a wrong location, usually too close to the heater. The tips can be carefully cut off.

Tip: You have to leave a narrow seam so that the interface does not dry out again.

• In addition, the humidity is usually too low. Most tropical indoor plants require a humidity of 80 to 90 percent.
• Yellow leaves often indicate a lack of nitrogen. This can be remedied with nitrogen fertilizers.
• Incorrect location can also lead to yellow leaves. It also indicates incorrect temperatures, either too high or too low.
• On palm trees, yellow leaves often indicate incorrect watering. Usually they are poured too much.
• Palm trees are actually very robust. What they can't stand is standing water. You wait until the top layer of soil has dried before giving water again.
• Planters should be checked for stagnant water. It has to be poured off.
• In the case of palms, however, yellow leaves can also indicate a lack of nutrients. This usually happens with very small planters.
• In addition, many plants react to insufficient humidity with yellow leaves. Regularly spraying the plants with water will help.
• In some plants, yellow leaves indicate an iron deficiency (chlorosis). It is caused by a lack of iron and magnesium.
• An increased pH value of the soil on yellow leaves is usually to blame. This prevents the absorption of iron and magnesium.

Tip: You can change this by repotting and adding iron and magnesium fertilizers.

• Light-colored leaves with green leaf veins indicate an iron deficiency. If this is the case with your plants, you can add iron chelate to the irrigation water.

The editors' conclusion
Often there can be multiple causes of yellow or brown leaves on indoor plants. It is not always easy to find the right reason. It is best to look up what requirements the plants have in terms of location, plant substrate and care. Then you can already see whether you can offer all of this or whether something needs to be changed.
Often the drying up of the leaves is a completely natural process. an aging process. Dried parts are cut off from the plant. You have to be careful not to damage the healthy tissue of the leaves.