Does Pothos Leaves Turning Yellow? What To Do?

Are the pothos leaves turning yellow? We are sure how much worried you are. But, you don’t have to worry, once you read our article that will help you find the reasons and how to fix the pothos leaves turning yellow problem. Keep reading!

The pothos plant’s fading leaves can occur for a variety of reasons. Yellowing leaves are a natural response in plants to stress and always indicate that the plant is experiencing some strain.

For the pothos plants to develop properly there must be a consistent water balance. For your plant to have the best growing circumstances, you must ensure that irrigation is balanced and regular.

Also Read: 9 Reasons for Yellow Leaves on Plants

How to Fix Pothos Leaves Turning Yellow Problem?

Let’s examine all the potential causes of your pothos leaves turning yellow and how to fix it.

Overwatering Pothos Plant

You’ll notice brown blotches and yellow leaves when plants are overwatered. If the soil around the plant is overwatered, you may notice pitting upon the leaves. This prevents your pothos from obtaining adequate oxygen, which results in brown patches and yellowing.

In the worst-case circumstances, you could always re-pot your plant. Overwatering can be resolved with a few straightforward actions. Due to their hardiness, pothos can tolerate being replanted in difficult conditions. Do check our guide on how to choose pots for re-planting.

Additionally, overwatering Pothos can result in fungal diseases, which results in pith necrosis (brown spots). Pothos plants have decaying stems and leaves that turn yellow or brown and drop off due to pith necrosis and excessive watering.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Money Plant

How to Fix It?

You should address the drainage issue by thinking about purchasing a new pot or using different soils to stop overwatering. Slow-draining topsoil can hold moisture, preventing the plant from acquiring the nutrients it requires.

You can also put your plant in an area that gets a little more sunlight. Remember that the pothos dislikes direct sunlight.

The optimum lighting is indirect sunlight; however, to dry up the soil, keep the plant accessible for extended periods. If this doesn’t work, you should try a different type of soil or potting technique. Our guide on how to prepare the soil for planting will help you.

Inconsistent Watering

An inconsistent watering schedule might startle a crop. Your plant enters survival mode if you consistently overwater something but then let it alone for a week. Pothos plants require regularity.

For best health, they prefer to moisten their soil once every two weeks. Adhere to a regimen to make sure that your hydration schedule is regulated.

It would also help to examine the soil’s texture to determine whether it is too dehydrated. You might detect that the plant’s leaves are beginning to droop if you’re able to press down on it and it seems too dry. The first indication that you’ve delayed too long is frequently this.

How to Fix It?

Refrain from overwatering the area when you start to water it again. Your Pothos will begin normalizing as you gradually establish a more consistent watering routine. Make sure you only overwater the plants when you first start to water them by checking the soil frequently.

Start with a weekly watering routine and progressively increase it as needed based on how your plant responds.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Philodendron

Underwatering Pothos Plant

A certain approach to guarantee your plant’s foliage is yellow and crusty is to consistently underwater it. When Pothos are not given adequate water, their leaves will first appear very drooping and then eventually fall off.

Simply examining how dry the soil of your plant is will reveal this. Here things become complicated because a standard Pothos watering regimen calls for the soil to dry out between watering.

Just be careful to keep it from going past the point where it starts to dry out. Keep the Pothos soil dry after watering it once more. One of the main causes of indoor plant death is excessively long waits to hydrate a plant.

How to Fix It?

Slowly increase the number of short watering intervals to moisten your plant to correct under-watering. But remember that Pothos grow at their optimum when the water completely evaporates from the soil. When watering again, wait until the soil is almost completely dry and use a fair amount of water. You want to stay away from dirt that is fragile to the touch, dry, and crispy.

Over-Fertilized Pothos Plant

In the instance of the Pothos, “burns” caused by excessive fertilization might take the form of yellowing or browning of the plant, according to the intensity of the burn. Although most plants’ foliage and branches can be affected, the most serious harm to the plant usually occurs at the root level.

Over-fertilization is typically fairly simple to spot. You’ll see more fertilizer particles on the topsoil surface in the pot or container. Additionally, you might see some blackening of the roots of your plant.

In addition to yellow leaves or some withering at your leaf tips, you probably need to cut back on your fertilizing plan if you notice these two symptoms.

Also Read: How to Care for Big Leaf Plants

How to Fix It?

You’ll have to make adjustments to restore your plant’s natural balance if you over-fertilize it. The first thing you should do is remove any extra fertilizer from the soil. Dethatching your plant may be a sensible idea if there is simply too much.

Start trimming any burned leaf edges or leaves that look to be incapable of saving due to wilting. To remove too much fertilizer from the soil, you’ll want to overwater virtually. Wait a few fortnights before fertilizing, and then observe your plant’s recovery.

Do you want to multiply your pothos plant? Well, here’s the guide on how to propagate pothos plants easily.

Excessive Sunlight

Pothos plants like the sun. However, they do not prosper in direct sunshine. They may wilt, become floppy, and turn yellow if they spend so much time in the sunlight. If you leave your plant outside all day, consider bringing it inside to spend some time in the shade and less time in the light.

You might also place your Pothos in an area that receives sunlight exclusively at specific times of the day. Once it has been moved, just make sure it isn’t getting too little sunshine. Remember that if your plant receives too much sun, it might not develop leaves as you’ve seen in photographs.

The Curry leaf plant is one plant that you can grow in excessive sunlight. Check out our guide on how to plant, grow and care for curry leaf plants.

How to Fix It?

Start trimming any dead or noticeably yellowed sections of your plant first if it has received too much direct sunshine. You should then relocate the seedling to a more tolerant position for shade. You may shift the plant daily to receive shade in the afternoons and moderate sunlight in the mornings. Or you could simply grow it indoors where everything won’t be exposed to sunshine all day. Plant in partial sunlight if you’re doing it outside, but make absolutely sure the climate can handle it.

Aging of Pothos Plant

Pothos plants do not continue living, which is sometimes forgotten. They possess a long life of about 10 years and therefore are hardy plants.

However, as they age, the plant’s foliage will gradually turn yellow, and you may also observe some brown spots or burnt tips on leaflets. Unfortunately, there isn’t any way to go back in time. But, you can grow other indoor plants.

How to Fix It?

Remove the leaves from any areas of the plant that are brown or withered. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be accomplished to make plants younger.

You can try adjusting your plant’s nutrition plan to include some internal plant food; however, sometimes, it simply needs to be more feasible to revive an old plant.

Root Rot

Root rot, which is regarded as a plant disease, can make the Pothos yellow. This plant disease often develops whenever a plant is exposed to excessive amounts of standing water for an extended period.

Overwatering is the sickness that is responsible for it. When inspecting the plant, you can detect root rot by the aroma of the Pothos roots. There will be a distinct scent, like a “rotten egg.” Additionally, you’ll see that the roots have taken on a brown or black color.

Fungal disease can also be the cause of root rot. Therefore, a fungal infection might be why you’re not detecting the telltale indicators of overwatering. Fungal infestations are a little more challenging to treat and can need a chemical fungicide.

How to Fix It?

You must remove the seedling from the container and clean the container it was established in. Trim back all fallen leaves and prune the plant’s compromised roots.

To eliminate any lingering potentially hazardous fungus, spray a fungicide mixture onto the healthy roots that are still there. Repot the plants and check that the container is well-draining to prevent a repeat of the problem.

This problem has been with variegated monstera too. You should check our guide on how to take care of variegated monstera.

Aerial Blight

Aerial blight causes some yellowing of the foliage, but it also frequently results in darker blotches on pothos leaf tissue. Although blight can be treated, affected plants are frequently more challenging to recover from and might need to be destroyed.

Pruning the plant’s afflicted areas and repotting it in a fresh pot with new soil are two possible treatments. However, once a plant gets blight, it typically will recover slowly.

How to Fix It?

Most Pothos plants normally die when they develop aerial blight. After removing the dead foliage from your plant, you can try repotting it and applying a bacterial fungicide to the root system.

Replanting should only be done in fresh or well-cleaned containers. Even so, it’s probable that the plant won’t be able to be recovered.

Root Bound

Plants become “root bound” if placed in a container or pot that restricts the roots’ ability to spread out. Pothos dislikes being constrained by its roots just as much as it dislikes prolonged intense sunshine. Plants restricted by their roots will develop more slowly, develop leaves that begin to droop, and develop more slowly than plants with sufficient space.

You can quickly check the plant’s rooting region to see whether it has an issue with being root-bound. Check the plant’s bottom for tangled or spiraling roots or branches emerging from drainage holes.

How to Fix It?

Treatment for root bound is simple, making it the easiest ailment to treat. Before you re-pot the plant, clip back any dead roots and choose a pot with a larger growing area. Continue watering according to your normal schedule after trimming back any fallen leaves.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Philodendron

Pest

Irrespective of where you place pothos plants, they are not exempt from pests. You’ll most likely encounter beetles and spider mites as pests. These bugs can harm plant leaves, turning them yellow and leaving decaying brown blotches in their wake.

How to Fix It?

Mealybug treatments are simple. Due to mealybugs’ small size, locating an infestation might be difficult. If the infestation is minimal, you should use rubbing ethanol and a Q-tip or microfiber swab to treat the affected region.

You must continue doing this every day up until they are eliminated. The plant can subsequently be treated with a helpful and organic neem oil treatment.

Due to their resistance to pesticides, bed bugs can be slightly more challenging to eradicate. Oce the insects have been eliminated, neem oil can be beneficial in treating spider mites.

The excellent news would be that Pothos houseplants are resilient, so if you switch to a more regular watering regimen, new leaves will emerge and eventually replace the destroyed ones. To promote the growth of new leaves, you might need to prune the plant’s tendrils slightly. This is especially useful for longer vines

Final Thoughts

Knowing the possible causes of your Pothos plant yellow foliage should give you all the knowledge you have to treat it effectively. Yellowing leaves do not necessarily mean that your plant will die; in most cases, with some swift action, you can revive your plant within a matter of weeks.

FAQs

Should I trim off yellow leaves?

Yes, you should remove any yellowing leaves. Use a pair of sanitized gardening scissors to do this, then give your plant some time to recover. If you follow a good irrigation schedule and provide the plant with the nutrients it needs, those leaves should eventually be replaced by fresh ones.

What happens if the yellow leaves start getting brown spots?

Root rot, over-watering, or a lack of water can all result in brown spots. Once you’ve located the issue, you should also take care of the yellow leaflets by trimming or clipping them down to make room for new growing plants. You must also start the replanting process if root rot is the main problem.

Can yellowing leaves turn green?

Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, no. Usually, leaves are too damaged to regenerate after they turn yellow. The excellent thing is that such plants can typically recover leaves provided the right nutrition and hydration regimens are followed because they are so hardy.

The leaves are yellow and limp growing. Now what?

When the leaves on your Pothos begin to yellow and get limp, this usually indicates that they are submerged. They aren’t obtaining enough water; therefore, the moisture escapes from the leaves. They feel lifeless and limp as a result of this. They’ll also begin to turn yellow, which is frequently the first indication that something is wrong.

The leaves are yellow and falling off – is this bad?

When the crop is overwatered, the leaflets will often turn yellow and start to fall off. In this case, you should clip away any yellow foliage and resume your regular watering plan. Your plant’s leaves will restore to a more consistent position during the growth phase once that is over.

The leaves are yellow and flaky. What now?

If the plant’s leaves are yellow and brittle, the plant may already be waterlogged, which is not ideal if you want the leaves to recuperate. The leaves themselves are generally too damaged at this point to fully recover.