One of the most common issues monstera owners run into is their monstera leaves turning yellow. Luckily, this is a pretty easy issue to fix, especially if you catch it early while only one or two leaves are affected!
The main cause of yellowing monstera leaves is overwatering, though it can also be traced to nutrient deficiency.
Let’s talk about overwatering first.
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How to Troubleshoot Monstera Leaves Turning Yellow
Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of swinging to the other extreme and underwatering your monstera! Alternating between overly wet and bone-dry soil can stress your plant, which will just exacerbate the yellowing.
Instead, take the time to understand the cause of the overwatering and fix the root issue.
Here are the most common causes of overwatering that could be turning your monstera’s leaves yellow:
Improper Pot Drainage
Make sure your monstera’s pot is draining correctly. If your pot doesn’t have drainage, make sure to repot your plant into a pot with holes—pronto!
If something is obstructing the drainage holes, you may need to unpot your plant and move things around or even change out the soil if it’s compacted.
Dense Soil
Monstera plants like nice, loamy soil that’s well-aerated and drains quickly. If your soil is too dense, it may stay wet for too long, which can lead to overwatering, yellowing leaves, and eventually root rot.
Most potting mixes you buy at home improvement stores, and even some brands of cactus soil, are too heavy for monsteras. If your soil still feels wet or reads wet on your moisture meter a week or more after you’ve watered, your soil might not be draining well.
If this is the case, repot your monstera into a more appropriate soil like our Premium Monstera Potting Soil, which is full of orchid bark and perlite to keep the soil well-aerated so your monstera’s roots won’t be sitting in water for too long.
Insufficient Light
Light helps plants, including monsteras, use water efficiently. You may notice that your monstera’s watering needs increase when it’s exposed to more light, like in the summer. If you don’t change your watering routine when the seasons change, you might run into this issue. If your soil and pot seem fine but your monstera is still overwatered, you may want to increase its light exposure.
Compacted Soil
If you haven’t repotted your monstera for a long time, the soil might be hard and compacted in the pot. If the soil feels and appears hard, if it’s pulling away from the edge of the pot, or if it doesn’t readily absorb water, it might be time to repot your monstera and change out the soil.
When soil becomes compacted, your plant may suffer from over- and underwatering because the soil will take a lot longer to absorb water, and once it does, it will stay wet for too long because it can’t drain properly. And—you guessed it—this alternating between too wet and too dry will stress out your monstera and cause MORE yellow leaves!
Carefully unpot your plant and massage the root ball to break up the soil as much as possible. You can also rinse the roots under a tap or hose to loosen the soil. Repot into a pot with drainage and fresh, fast-draining soil.
What if my monstera’s not overwatered?
If your pot and soil seem to be draining correctly, your plant is getting plenty of light, and you are giving it the right amount of water, your leaves could be yellowing due to nutrient deficiency. If you haven’t fertilized for a while (or ever), now’s the time!
Use a liquid fertilizer with a 5-2-3 NPK ratio to give your monstera a nutrient boost. I love using Monstera Plant Food because it’s formulated specifically for monsteras and gentle enough to use with each watering, so I don’t have to remember a fertilizing schedule. My monsteras all look great!
You can buy Monstera Plant Food on Amazon.
Watering and fertilizing your monstera properly is key to keeping it green and beautiful. Check out these resources for taking the best possible care of your monstera!
How to Water a Monstera: The Ultimate Guide
4 Signs Your Monstera Is Overwatered
Should You Bottom Water a Monstera Plant
