Why are the Leaves on my Aglaonema Turning Yellow?

The Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) is a nice touch to your plant’s collection, along with all of the aesthetic indoor plants.

The appealing hues and simplicity of the plant are enough to calm the hearts of many.

However, issues might occur, leaving you with a plant that is becoming yellow or brownish.

It can be upsetting to see the luscious turned into yellow and limp, but don’t be alarmed!

Here you’ll find your perfect reasons and solutions to end your Aglaonema problems.

Generally, overwatering, inadequate light, pests, or aged foliage are the most prevalent causes of yellow leaves in Chinese Evergreens. Yellowing foliage is usually an indication of plant stress unless it just affects a few lower leaves. 

If you’ve observed that the leaves on your Chinese Evergreen are curling, don’t worry; you’ve got a friend who can help!

This article goes into further detail on why Chinese evergreen leaves are becoming yellow and potential solutions.

Is it Normal for Aglaonema Leaves to Turn Yellow?

It is usual for Aglaonema leaves to turn yellow and drop off.

Similarly, if there are only one or two leaves, it might simply be an issue of age.

Leaves do not last indefinitely. Instead, they become yellow and fall off when they have grown and completed their life cycle.

Likewise, if your Chinese Evergreen has only a few yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant, this is very typical.

As the plant focuses its energy on new development, old leaves will die and be shed over time.

Yellowing leaves are more prevalent in the fall and winter when light levels decline, and the plant must make a few sacrifices for general health.

However, if you notice any yellow leaves, you should constantly check the soil moisture.

Especially if your plant suddenly sprouts a slew of yellow leaves.

Causes for Aglaonema Leaves to Turn Yellow

The glossy and beautiful leaves of the Algaonema plant can turn yellow due to various issues and reasons.

Here are some of the potential reasons and solutions to help recover the plant and its vigor!

1. Overwatering

Out of all the problems and issues, Overwatering is one of the most notorious reasons for the yellowing of the Aglanema leaves.

Improper watering practices are pretty damaging to the houseplant.

Similarly, the problem is prevalent in soil that has poor drainage, resulting in waterlogging.

Likewise, overwatering a houseplant causes the soil to get wet, which leads to root rot illness.

The disease prevents the plant from absorbing nutrients, water, and mineral ions that promote growth.

Read more about Watering of Kalanchoe.

Yellowing or mushy stalks or leaves are critical indicators of overwatering.

If this happens, it’s best to let the soil dry completely before watering and stick to strict watering schedules in the future.

Solutions

• Remove any dead or rotting leaves since they attract pests and continue to deplete your plant’s nutrition.
• Extract the root ball from the planter and separate any dead or dying roots from refreshing the roots and soil.
• After removing as much damp soil as possible from within the planter, reapply dry, new soil.
• If you notice fungus or root rot, use a fungicide. Use a spray bottle to apply this therapy. Make sure you correctly follow the product’s directions.
• Wait at least a week before watering again as a rule of thumb. Then, check the soil every two days to make sure your Chinese Evergreen is healing.

Preventive Measures

• When watering your Aglaonema, pour water into the drainage holes at the bottom of the plant, which indicates that it has received enough water.
• Empty the saucer if this happens. It’s possible that your Aglaonema has to be repotted if it’s not draining properly.
• Always keep your Aglaonema out of the water, as this can cause root rot.
• The soil should be damp but not wet. If your plant is getting too wet, try repotting it.
• Similarly, in the winter, Aglaonema does not require as much watering.

2. Underwatering

If you let your Aglaonema’s soil dry up entirely, you may see weak stems or leaves that droop and crisp up.

In addition, the aglaonema bottom leaves will be withering and yellowing.

The Aglaonema plant is exceptionally prone to root rot. Therefore, the root system disease is to blame for the houseplant’s demise.

A lack of water could cause yellow Chinese evergreen leaves. The incredible thing is that this problem is easily identified and corrected.

Remember, though, that transitioning from bone-dry to moist soil may stress your Aglaonema and cause leaves to droop.

Solutions

• When watering an under-watered plant, be careful to get water up to the roots. Also, consider reducing the time between waterings.
• Similarly, allow your plant at least 45 minutes to absorb water via the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.
• When the dirt on your plant is uniformly wet, empty the sink/tub and allow the plant to rest until it drains completely.
• Likewise, following an aglaonema watering schedule will aid in the survival of the houseplant.
• If the soil continues to dry up rapidly, consider repotting the plant.
• Make sure that you are not submerging your Aglaonema. Maintain a regular watering schedule by watering when the top 2″ -3″ of soil is dry.

3. Transplant Stress

Repotting helps to revitalize the Agla0nema plant, but You must do it with extreme caution. Repotting causes a shock to the plant.

Due to its inability to stand erect correctly, the aglaonema plant will begin to produce yellow leaves.

The good news is that the root-cause problem is only temporary.

Within a few days, the plant’s brilliant hues will return. Repotting helps to make extra space for better development.

Solutions

• Repot every two years in the spring with homemade compost in the larger pot with appropriate drainage.
• Similarly, hydrate the plant for 24 hours before tampering with the roots to avoid transplant shock.
• Also, add a thin coating of tiny grit to the pot’s base to enhance drainage and reduce over-watering in plants that are in a darker position.

4. Improper Light

It is essential to keep in mind that the color of the Aglaonema leaves is affected by light.

Variegated leaf species require more light, whereas green or white leaf species require less.

Improper illumination causes the darkening of the variegated leaves and yellowing of the green foliage.

Similarly, the problem might even cause the plant to have brittle stems and leaves.

Likewise, remember that the symptoms of overwatering and inadequate illumination are pretty similar.

The Chinese evergreen plant’s regional growth is usually caused by insufficient illumination.

Also, it is important to note, if you leave them in the same orientation for too long, all of the leaves will bend towards the light, making your plant appear imbalanced.

Similarly, the Aglaonema plants are sensitive to direct light.

Direct sunshine or excessive sunlight can burn Aglaonema leaves, turning them yellow or brown.

Solutions

• Place the plant against a bright-colored wall or near a mirror that will reflect light to it.
• As per artificial light, fluorescent tubes are less costly and give an excellent balance of light.
• Depending on the plant’s demands, provide between eight and eighteen hours of indirect sunlight every day.

Preventive Measures

• Aglaonema plants thrive in front of a window that faces north (indirect light) or east (morning sun).
• Although it is ideal for putting these plants directly in front of a window, they are one of the few plants that will thrive a few feet away.
• Similarly, Aglaonema may even thrive in environments with no windows, as long as fluorescent illumination is available during the day.
• Rotate your plant regularly to maintain consistent growth on all sides, and dust the leaves often to allow the plant to photosynthesize effectively.

5. Pests Infestation

Aglaonemas that are weakened or disturbed are more vulnerable to insect infestations.

In addition, sap-sucking insects, such as spider mites, can deplete the moisture levels in your plant.

Yellowing leaflets and fronds are the first signs of this issue. In interior environments, mealybugs and spider mites are standard.

If they are not eliminated early on, these tiny bugs multiply and migrate all along frond sections into nooks and crevices.

When this happens, the lowest leaves are usually the first to droop.

The insects’ piercing jaws fatigue your plant and hasten to yellow, especially if your Aglaonema is already sickly due to inadequate lighting, nutritional inadequacy, or insufficient soil moisture.

Solutions

• If your Aglaonema is plagued with spider mites, clean it with a 1 part alcohol to 1 part water solution. Similarly, if your plant is already stressed from other problems, adjust the solution to 1 part alcohol to 3 parts water.
• A solution of dish soap and water may also be effective. In this scenario, mix 1 teaspoon dish soap with 1 liter of water.
• Use a spray bottle to apply the formula mentioned above to the diseased plant, or wash it with a cloth or sponge.
• It is also essential to examine your plant frequently after discovering the spider mites.
• Plants that mites have severely harmed may not recover, and it is preferable to dispose of them rather than risk their spread to the rest of the environment.

Preventive Measures

• Performing pest inspections on new plants or isolating new plants for up to a week.
• You should check pests on your plants every few days.
• Remove any leaves that are dead or withering.
• If the leaves become dusty, wipe them down.

6. Fungal and Bacterial Diseases

Aglaonema houseplants are incredibly vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infestation.

These circumstances generally affect the plant’s overall growth rate.

Anthracnose and different kinds of bacterial and fungal leaf spots are among the diseases affecting a Chinese Evergreen.

For a healthy plant, it is essential to address the diseases as soon as you observe any following symptoms.

Bacterial Leaf Blight is a severe disease that damages foliage plants. It results in stunted growth, leaf yellowing and curling, wilting, and soft rotting.

Similarly, it causes light leaf blotches and softens and stinks up the interior of the stem.

Drooping and Limping of plants can occur due to diseases and other factors. Read to find out why Norfolk Pine limp and droop. 

Likewise, Root rot is a fungal infection because of overwatering your plant.

As a result, the roots, which should be white and healthy, turn into a brown or black mushy mass.

Aglaonema is also susceptible to the fungal diseases anthracnose and myrothecium leaf spots.

These can discolor your leaves and cause holes or patchy dry brown spots, and they can gradually progress to more severe damage over time.

The leaves of your plant will likewise wilt and become yellow.

Best Practices

• Make sure that your watering method does not soak the leaves and that it dries quickly.
• Soak the soil around the stem in water. Instead of thoroughly soaking a towel or sponge, use a moistened one to wipe leaves.
• As bacterial Leaf Blight thrives during the scorching summer months, use fungicides and copper compounds weekly to treat the illness.
• Similarly, use fungicides to treat widespread root rot infections. Before applying, double-check the root rot diagnosis.

7. Nutrient Deficiency

Plants obtain nourishment through a variety of means, including light, water, and fertilizer.

For example, photosynthesis in an Aglaonema houseplant is aided by artificial light.

Nutrient Deficiency in plants occurs when your plant cannot convert these elements into the food it needs to thrive.

In addition, your plant’s leaves will curl and display other symptoms if these nutrients are not present.

Similarly, if yellowing persists despite maintaining appropriate watering conditions, your plant may be deficient in copper.

Copper is quite frequent in this species of Aglaonema plant, as it is a robust feeder on copper in the soil.

Therefore, your plant may be deficient in micronutrients and should be nourished correctly.

Likewise, NPK deficiency also causes leaves to become small and light, with fading and chlorosis.

The plant’s lower leaves may seem scorched and die early, while the higher leaves of the plant remain green (sometimes mistaken for lack of moisture) growth and potassium in your plants.

Solutions

• Apply a copper sulfate foliar spray to your plants. Before beginning any deficiency therapy, dilute this and make sure your pH is correct.
• It’s best to start with a foliar spray and then move on to in-root zone solutions if the deficit persists.

Preventive Measures

• It is essential to add some organic fertilizer to enhance the soil quality. Chinese evergreens can thrive in both peat-based potting soil and perlite-enriched soil. However, because it’s a tough plant, most indoor potting soil mixtures will suffice.
• It should be acceptable to use 3 parts potting soil to 1 part pumice or perlite. Then, if it still needs to be lightened up, add a little more to the mix.
• Soil pH influences the availability of nutrients. For example, Aglaonema producers should use slightly acidic soil and has a pH range of 5.6-6.5.
• Similarly, fertilize your plant once or twice a year using slow-release or organic fertilizer in a 3:1:2 ratio.
• Lastly, repot your Chinese Evergreen once it has doubled in size or once a year, whichever comes first, to replace the plant’s nutrients.

8. Overfertilizing

Aglaonema plants do not require a lot of food. However, the houseplant’s sluggish growth necessitates the application of a tiny amount of liquid fertilizer.

Yellowing leaves indicate nutritional insufficiency in a plant. When an indoor plant is not fertilized at all or after repotting, this situation is frequent.

Yellowing and discoloration of plant leaves occur when the plant receives insufficient nitrogen.

Inadequate potassium and phosphate availability results in stunted development and molted leaf changes.

Overfeeding your Chinese Evergreen will produce salt buildup and might damage its roots.

Fix Overfertilized Plant

• To deal with fertilizer spills, sweep up as much as you can.
• If there is a crust of fertilizer on the soil’s surface, carefully remove it with a spoon, taking no more than 14 percent of the soil with it. We don’t want to put any more strain on the plant than it already has.
• With a good, long watering, the fertilizer will be washed out of the soil. Next, allow the water to drain from the drainage holes and quickly empty the trays. You may want to repeat this process three or four times to remove the fertilizer from the roots.
• Slowly pour the water for it to soak in instead of running off.
• After leaching, wait at least a month before fertilizing the plant.

Preventive Measures

• Avoid fertilizing your plant during the winter or when it is extremely dry or rainy.
• Once or twice a year, use a slow-release fertilizer or a fertilizer with a 3:1:2 ratio. Any more than this will result in over-fertilization.
• It would be acceptable to have liquid kelp or fish emulsion as a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer (5-5-5 or lower). Apply any of them at half strength in the spring.
• Similarly, If you believe your Aglaonemas requires another treatment, repeat it in the summer.

9. Low Humidity Level

The Aglaonema plants thrive in humid environments as tropical plants.

Therefore, Aglaonema needs humidity conditions ranging from medium to high.

If you set it in a too dry or chilly location, it will affect its health, and its leaves will droop and curl.

The Chinese Evergreen’s leaves will lose moisture under low humidity conditions.

If the humidity is too low or the soil is too dry, the leaves may brown on the margins before turning completely yellow.

Unfortunately, many people fail to consider humidity.

Humidity is one of the major requirement of many plants. Read more to know how much humidity is needed for Snake Plant.

Solutions

• If the leaves on your plant are curling and drying out, raise the humidity level in the room. The humidity level will boost the growth of your plant and prevent this from happening again.
• If you can’t get rid of the artificial warmth in your room, get a humidifier, it might be beneficial to other plants in the room.
• Similarly, regularly misting the leaves of your Aglaonema plant can enhance humidity.
• Pebble trays are a simple way to enhance humidity in a space. Find a tray that is larger than the size of your plant’s pot. Fill half of the tray with tiny stones and half with water.
• Place your plant container on it, making sure the stones maintain their base above the water.

10. Cold Temperature

Chinese evergreens are undoubtedly sensitive to cold, so keep them away from any cold rooms or drafts.

They’ll sulk, and if you keep your plant cool and moist, your plant might suffer from root rot.

Keep drafts of hot and cold air away from your Chinese Evergreen.

Window breezes or air conditioners can generate cold drafts in the winter.

Heaters or radiators that are too close together may be the source of hot drafts.

Solutions

• You can determine the ideal temperature for your plant by keeping a thermometer in the room, which is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 and 26.7 degrees Celsius).
• Similarly, Temperatures at night should not go below 60 °F (15 °C). The temperature is too low if the leaves curl and have brown edges.
• During winter, if windows freeze overnight in colder climates, You can slip a thick shade or other insulating material between the plants and the glass.
• In high-light and high-temperature months, use shade drapes.
• Shade curtains are meant to block 30 to 50% of light and should be closed during the day’s brightest and warmest hours.

11. Old Foliage

You may consider your Chinese Evergreen normal if it just has a few yellow leaves at the bottom.

As the plant focuses its energy on new development, old leaves will eventually die and be shed by the plant.

Yellowing leaves are more prevalent in the fall and winter when light levels drop, and the plant is forced to make a few concessions for the sake of overall plant health.

Should I Remove the Yellow Leaves?

You should remove your Aglaonema plant’s dead and yellow leaves from your house plants as soon as possible, but only if they are more than 50% damaged.

An Aglaonema plant’s leaves become yellow when it is not getting enough water and when Aglaonemating too much water.

Make angled cuts slightly below the yellow region to remove the yellow leaves from your Aglaonema.

If the golden leaves turn brown, prune the foliage down to the earth.

Cutting off these leaves permits the remaining healthy foliage to absorb more nutrients and improves the plant’s look.

Dying and yellow leaves leach nutrients from the plant that could be used elsewhere.

Removing them permits these resources to go where they are most needed — the remaining healthy leaves and blossoms.

Tips to Take Care of Aglaonema 

• Aglaonema treatment begins with correct positioning. Your mission is to locate the region that receives the least amount of indirect light.
• Similarly, keep your plant away from doors, air vents, and windows to avoid drafts.
• Another important aspect is to fertilize the species at least twice a month.
• Then, water them with a suitable solution from spring until fall (1 tsp. soluble 20-20-20 analysis fertilizer with 1 gallon of water).
• Likewise, When the top 2 inches of soil get dry, you should water the plant.
• Similarly, a fundamental care tip wipes the leaves with a damp cloth to eliminate dust and grime.
• It’s usually a good idea to cut off any inflorescences as soon as they develop. Aglaonema blooms are unappealing, and they consume the energy that your plant should be devoted to leaf growth.
• Also, remove flower stems before the bud opens to prevent pollen from spreading!

Conclusion

The Aglaonema is a low-maintenance plant, making it an excellent choice for those who are forgetful, busy, or otherwise unmindful.

However, sometimes the plant might face different issues leading the leaves to become yellow.

If the leaves on your Aglaonema start to yellow, it could be a sign that something is wrong with the moisture level, humidity, or sunlight, or it could be the presence of pests like spider mites.

Your Aglaonema should thrive as long as you water it regularly but not excessively, inspect it for pests regularly, place it in a location with low, indirect sunlight, and maintain proper humidity levels.

With the mentioned measures and solutions, the leaves of your Aglaonema will be able to thrive and become shiny green again!

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