I love filling up my interiors with greenery around. The color and freshness of plants always give a soothing and calm feeling.
Homalomena is a part of my collections. While I was thoroughly watering all the plants, I caught sight of my Homalomena leaves turning yellow.
I had taken care of my plants pretty well. But, despite so much attention, the leaves of Homalomena were still turning yellow.
You might be one of the obsessive people like me who can get worried about these minor abnormalities on their plants.
Generally, Homalomena leaves can turn yellow due to natural aging or other care issues. In addition, the yellow leaves can involve issues triggered by overwatering, underwatering, sunlight, temperature, humidity, and pests.
Knowing about the natural life process of Homalomena yellow leaves is such a relief. But, at the same time, it is an alerting factor for you to take some upkeep initiatives, maybe!
Keep on reading to know more about the exciting dos and don’ts about the yellow leaves.
Table of Contents
Is it Normal for Homalomena Leaves to Turn Yellow?
There is no need to worry if your Homalomena has few leaves turning yellow. However, many of them are bothersome.
Depending on the reason behind your yellow Homalomena leaves, it determines the average level of discoloration. So what does it mean by that?
It is normal when your Homalomena plant leaves naturally aging, turning them into yellow leaves and falling off. However, It is not normal when there are other factors involved other than aging.
Aging is a universal phenomenon that is ideally not a problematic case. However, look out for how quickly it happens.
Moreover, do not panic if you find other factors than aging. Proper guidance, information, and care can prevent yellow foliage.
Dry soil can also lead your Homalomena plants to turn their leaves yellow and spartan. Alongside, cold temperature can show their foliage to turn yellow or rot.
Finally, the leaf edges are brown due to the low humidity in the plant.
You will see the yellow signs when winter hits in with the frost or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Eventually, this stunts the growth of Homalomena too.
If multiple leaves drop suddenly, it might be due to cold draughts or prolonged overwatering; let the Homalomena plant dry out sufficiently between watering.
Homalomena plants prefer moistness in their soil but not a pool of water.
Reasons for Homalomena Leaves Turning Yellow
The normal yellowing of the leaves is not something that is to be alarmed about. Nevertheless, it is essential to know what is causing your Homalomena leaves to turn yellow.
Lack of care and attention can be a significant problem of leaf discoloration. Different plants need to be treated differently according to their nature and individual needs.
Sometimes, we might be misguided or be unaware of the correct techniques to look after certain plants.
Let us run down the possible causes of your yellow Homalomena foliage.
| Reaons | Solution | Favorable Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Overwatering | Avoid pooling the plant soil and saucer. | Use loose and quick-draining soil and pots with drainage holes to prevent root rot. |
| Underwatering | In spring and summer, Water 2-3 times a week, In winter, water only once in a week. | Water only after the soil is completely 50% dry. |
| Humidity Issues | Use mist sprays, humidifier, pebble tray. | Optimum humidity range: 50-60%. |
| Temperature Requirements | Maintain 65 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. | Avoid air conditioners and cold temperature. |
| Sunlight | Rotate your plant every week and avoid freezing them. | Moderate to bright indirect sunlight. |
| Pest Infestation | Use pest control chemicals, soapy water, neem oil, alcohol mixture. | Take proper care and supply high humidity to plants. |
1. Natural Process
Time flows like water, and so does the age of living things.
Do not freak out! Yellowing of leaves is natural if the leaves have completed their lifecycle. While the leaves turn yellow, die out, and fall off, other new ones will be growing in place of them.
Usually, you can see yellowing in the leaves’ tip, particularly at the bottom of the plant. These lower yellow leaves signify their aging, and the new ones grow from above stem parts.
Tip: You might get the sight of these yellow leaves every few weeks as the Homalomena sheds off its leaves.
However, be wary of the frequency of yellowness. If it is happening too often, then something is not correct.
2. Watering Issues
Too much or too little of anything is not good. The same goes for watering your plants.
The water temperature is a concerning issue. Try not to water your Homalomena with cold water; make sure the water is lukewarm around 62 – 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Overwatering
Watering your Homalomena more than needed creates an adverse effect on your plant growth. The excess moisture in the soil can lead your leaves to yellow.
Your plant does not like pooling its roots. Too much water is the primary reason for root rot which makes the leaves yellow and brownish. And as the case worsens, the plant ultimately dies out.
Watering too much can make the soil very tight when it dries out later. In addition, packed soil will lead to less space between the soil particles, hindering the flow of oxygen and moisture.
Hence, compact soil can create difficulty in transporting essential nutrients to the plant as a whole.
Prevention
To prevent root rot from overwatering, use loose and quick-draining soil with perlite, hard sand, and peat moss. Always opt for the pots that have drainage holes.
Check if the water is well-draining from the pothole. If not, immediately repot the plant to another one with a good drainage system.
Solution
Pour enough water into your Homalomena until the water runs out from the drainage hole. Next, throw away the excess water that sits on the saucer below the pot.
Removing water from the saucer is usually neglected by many, which causes over moisture in the soil.
The collected water in the saucer is soaked up again by the soil from the bottom drainage hole. Likewise, the drained-out water collected in the saucer is not healthy for your plants.
Try not to overwater from next time by checking the water leaking out from the hole at the bottom of the pot.
Underwatering
Too much draught in your plant soil can cause yellowing of leaves too. Leaving your Homalomena dry for a more extended period can crack up the soil and dehydrate the plant.
Prevention
Do not leave the plant dry for a long time.
Your Homalomena prefers complete 50% dry soil before re-watering them. Be kind enough to supply abundant water, just not excessively.
Solution
During spring and summertime, water your Homaloeman 2 – 3 times a week. Keep them well hydrated as the water quickly dries out due to the heat.
Whereas, watering only once a week is enough during winter.
3. Humidity Issues
The humidity level can be an issue of a hindrance for your Homalomena to bloom as it should. Homalomena does not do badly in average household humidity. Yet, high-level humidity is enjoyed by them.
Your plant requires a good amount of humidity in its surrounding. However, low humidity makes your soil dry.
As mentioned earlier, the dry soil immediately shows signs on your plant leaves, making them yellow and brown. The dryness makes them less energetic with droopy and fragile leaves.
Prevention
We live in different parts of the world, which does not give us the luxury of having a perfect environment.
Some of you might be staying in high humidity region, which is excellent! While some are not blessed with a high humidity environment.
Nevertheless, we do have solutions to control the required humidity for your plants.
Solution
Here you go with multiple options below to check on the humidity of your Homalomena.
You can get mist spray bottles on Amazon. Fill the bottle with water and try to spray your plants regularly. During summer, spray at least two times a week.
Other alternatives would be getting a humidifier that keeps your room moisture in balance, along with your plant.
Even pebble tray does a great job. Add moist pebbles to the tray.
The optimum humidity range for Homalomena is around 50 to 60 percent. So try to set the humidity of the locality around it.
4. Temperature Requirements
Homalomena loves warm weather. They are prone to sensitive reactions in cold temperatures.
Especially in winter or night time when the temperature drops, it shocks the plant. Due to the severe coldness, your Homalomena can experience turning their leaves yellow.
Prevention
Nourish your Homalomena at an ideal temperature. Avoid a lot of fluctuations, especially with the coldness.
Homalomena thrives healthily in 65 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit. However, growing them in a temperature below 60 degrees Fahrenheit is not recommended.
We might need to use air conditioners inside our rooms in warmer conditions. Try to avoid this as it is not suitable for your Homalomena.
Alongside, avoid placing them near doors or open windows in winter with cold wind rushes.
Solution
Move your Homalomena to a warmer area if the current place is chilly with a low temperature.
The ideal temperature during daytime is 77 degrees Fahrenheit and during night time is 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Maintain the said temperature for your Homalomena in different seasons.
5. Sunlight Fundamentals
Proper lighting for Homalomena is equally essential as other external factors affecting the plant.
Likewise, lack of sunlight leads the bottom leaves of your plant to turn yellow and fall off.
Prevention
Keep your Homalomena plant mainly in the sunny area. Though they can survive in a low light area, the growth will also occur very slowly.
So, try to find a bright corner of the house near the window.
Homalomena thrives well in moderate to bright indirect sunlight. However, do not place them in direct sunlight.
The scorching sun will lead to extreme dryness, damaging the plant.
Solution
Sometimes the night-time temperature might comparatively drop. However, avoid freezing them.
But no worries! Keep them in a warm area, and they will revert to their sturdy state.
Rotate your plant every week to gain a balanced lighting exposure and faster growth.
6. Pest Infestation
Improper care can invite pests to your plants. The issues could be due to watering issues, improper lightings, or other unhealthy plant conditions.
The most common indoor pest are spider mites, mealybugs, and scale that infest your plants. They dry out the soil by sucking in all the moisture of the plant.
Therefore, the dryness quickly turns the leaves of the Homalomena plant yellow.
Prevention
The most significant prevention would be taking proper care of your plant with the above solutions. It will sufficiently protect your Homalomena from these insect attacks.
Mainly, high humidity prevents Homalomena from pest infestation.
Do not keep pest-infected plants near other plants. Instead, it is wiser to keep them in isolation until they are entirely pest-free as the insects can be transferred to other neighboring plants.
Solution
There are various ways to control pest infestation.
If you see the outbreak of pests, you can apply the following points.
- Use pest control chemicals.
- Spray neem oil or soapy water under the leaves or infected areas every week.
- Use soapy water (1-liter water and 1 tbsp dish soap) to spray or wash the plant with a sponge or cloth.
- Clean the plant with a mixture of 1 part water and 1 part alcohol.
Treat these pests as early as possible once you get the sight of them. There are high chances of spreading and collapsing the plant if not treated on time.
The chances of recovery are significantly less if the pest highly destroys your plant. Therefore, it is better to discard the infected Homalomena and plant a new one before spreading the infestation to other houseplants.
Should You Remove the Yellow Homalomena Leaves?
In general, removing yellow leaves from your plant is harmless. It is better to get rid of them.
Take away the yellow leaves that stick out at the bottom of the plant. Eventually, these leaves are prone to falling off, so trimming them would not be an issue.
Why You Should Remove Homalomena Leaves Turning Yellow
Plucking off yellow leaves is considered a sign of health care for plants. You can find some of the reasons behind eliminating them below.
- It provides greener-looking beautiful plants.
- Second, it decreases disease risks which are aggravated more on decaying leaves.
- Third, it reduces pest risks as they attack quickly on weak leaves.
Now that you know there is no harm in removing those yellow leaves from your Homalomena plant, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Slightly pull the leaves
Usually, yellow leaves quickly come off with a slight pull if they are already dead. If they do not, avoid ripping them or pulling them harshly.
Step 2: Cutting the leaves
Cut out the yellow leaves accordingly with angular cuts from where the discoloration starts. Again, go for cutting the base of the leaves and not the healthy stem area.
Step 3: Go for the stem if the leaves are brown.
Try to trim more towards the stem and soil if the leaves are turning brown from yellow. If you are going for stem pruning, then leave a space of 5 cm from the soil level.
Step 4: Hard leaves and stems
Use a sterile tool (blade, scissors, shears) to cut out the unhealthy rigid leaves or stems.
Step 5: Proper disposal of leaves
Dispose of the dead leaves into a proper dustbin rather than just leaving them in the garden area or plant pot. It can dangerously attract various other diseases and pest infestations.
Apart from the joy of plucking leaves, be alert to the high number of yellow leaves popping out. Rather than pulling them all out, it is necessary to figure out the cause.
Tips to Take Care of Homalomena
The most fabulous tips have been covered in the above solution portion of the yellowing leaves. However, some other points will help you maintain your Homalomena vigorous as it should be. Continue below to read how you can take proper care of your Homalomena plant.
1. Repot the Plant
The best time interval to repot your Homalomena would be every two years. Also, the beginning of the spring is the ideal time to repot them after a cold, harsh winter.
Know When to Repot
When you see the roots circling at the bottom of the pot, it is time to repot the plant.
As the plant grows more prominent, choose a slightly bigger pot for repotting. The big ones give more space, whereas the small pots make the soil congested and crammed up.
Similarly, do not transplant Homalomena in shallow containers or pots since they have deep roots.
Always use fresh new soil while repotting to a new one.
2. Track Plant Growth
Do not take your plants for granted! Like humans and pets, they, too, need continuous care and attention.
Slipping out on their signs of unhealthiness can die them out. So instead, check out once in a while the pests, plant size, and leaf coloration of the plant.
3. Proper Fertilization
Natural composts are my favorite! You can easily collect it from your kitchen at home.
First, decay the banana peels, potato skins, garlic, and ginger covers in water. After 1-2 months, bear the foul smell. Then you are good to go to add the compost to your plants.
Use fertilizers, especially in the summer or spring season, as it is the year for active growth. Please DO NOT apply it in winter.
For optimum results, find fertilizers with an NPK value of 15:30:15 in ratio.
You can also use other organic fertilizers twice a month. As per the instructions in the packaging, use the fertilizer diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength.
Please do not overdo it too. Excess of fertilizers can adversely damage the plant too.
I would suggest watering the plant as per the dryness before fertilizing them.
Let’s Wrap Up
Homalomena is a great indoor plant adding beauty to our interiors. There is nothing to tense about your yellow leaves until the situation indicates an adverse scenario.
I hope this article helped you to calm down on the normality of aging leaves turning yellow.
And at the same time, the preventive measures and the solutions are there to help you with the journey to take care of your Homalomena plant.
With proper devotion to the above watering issues, fertilization, lighting mechanisms, and so on, your Homalomena will do fine.
You can even check out Why are Basil Leaves Turning Yellow? too, if you have them in your home.
