Yellowing leaves are a common issue for most houseplant and monstera varieties, including monstera adansonii. And it can send a concerned houseplant owner into a panic!
What’s going on? Is your plant dying? How can you fix this problem and make your monstera adansonii green and beautiful again?
Yellowing leaves can have many causes and treatments, and nearly all of them are very fixable.
The good thing about yellow leaves is that they’re a relatively early sign of problems. So if you have a yellow leaf or two, you have a great chance of saving the plant and bringing it back to full health quickly.
In this article, we’ll review some of the potential causes of yellowing monstera adansonii leaves, how to fix them, and how to prevent this issue in the first place!
Armed with this knowledge, yellow leaves will no longer be an issue!
Table of Contents
Is My Monstera Adansonii Dying?
This is probably the first question that pops into your head when you first notice yellow leaves on your monstera adansonii.
Don’t panic! Yellow leaves indicate a problem that needs to be solved, but unless the majority of the leaves are yellowing, your monstera is probably a long way from death. Leaves that are yellow are just a sign that your plant is unhappy with something in its environment and needs a change!
An early warning sign, yellow leaves are much less dangerous than brown or black spots or crispy leaves. But don’t just ignore them. Act fast!
Why Do Monstera Adansonii Leaves Turn Yellow?
The bad news is that yellow monstera adansonii leaves can have many different causes, so it might take some detective work to determine the true issue and fix it.
Make sure to check the conditions of the soil, light quality, and nutritional needs of your plant.
Here are the most common causes of yellowing leaves on monstera adansonii.
Incorrect Watering
The most common cause of yellowing leaves on houseplants—and of houseplant problems in general—is improper watering.
Houseplant parents tend to fall into two camps: overwaterers, who love their plants to death by watering too much or too often, or underwaterers, who might water too lightly or forget to water altogether!
Overwatering Monstera Adansonii
If you notice yellow leaves, the first thing you’ll want to check is the moisture level of the soil. You can do this by sticking your finger in the dirt to test by feel, with a wooden stick like a chopstick, or with a moisture meter.
If the top few inches of soil still feel wet to the touch, if the stick comes out wet, or if the moisture meter reads higher than 5 or 6 several days after you last watered, your plant might be a bit overwatered.
Also, pay attention to which leaves seem to be turning yellow. If the lower leaves are yellowing first, feel soft, or have any dark-brown spots, overwatering is most likely to blame.
It’s tempting to simply stop watering your monstera adansonii until the soil gets a chance to dry out—and that can be part of the immediate solution—but there are several factors that determine how quickly your plant is able to use water, and you’ll want to assess those as well.
First, make sure your pot and soil are draining well. If the soil is too dense or compacted, or if the pot doesn’t have drainage holes, make sure to repot into a fast-draining potting mix like our Premium Monstera Soil and a pot with drainage holes.
It’s also a good idea to evaluate your monstera adansonii’s lighting conditions. This variety of monstera needs plenty of bright, indirect sunlight to stay healthy and use water efficiently. If it’s not getting bright light for most of the day, you might want to move it to a sunnier spot where it will get indirect light (but not direct, hot afternoon or midday light) or supplement with a grow light.
If you do decide to get a grow light, we recommend these bulbs that you can just screw into regular lighting fixtures.
Underwatering Monstera Adansonii
Underwatering can also cause a monstera adansonii’s leaves to turn yellow. (We know, frustrating! Both over- and underwatering can cause similar issues.)
A good way to differentiate a plant that’s overwatered from one that’s underwatered is to notice which leaves are yellowing. If leaves seem to be turning yellow all over the plant instead of being concentrated at the bottom, especially if the yellowing is accompanied by dry, light-brown spots, underwatering is the likely cause.
Make sure to check the moisture levels of the soil as well. If the top half of the soil feels bone-dry to the touch, if a wooden stick comes out completely dry, or if a moisture meter reads 3 or lower a few days after you last watered, your plant probably needs a drink!
Give the soil a good soak and let it drain completely. (Your pot has drainage holes, right?) You might need to do this a couple of times if your plant is severely dehydrated and the soil is completely dry.
Direct Sunlight Exposure
Leaf scorch can also cause yellowing monstera adansonii leaves.
These plants do best in bright, indirect sunlight. However, if the plants get too much direct sunlight, especially during midday or afternoon when the rays of the sun are more severe, the leaves can start to lose their coloring.
If over- and underwatering don’t seem to be the problem, take a look at your monstera adansonii’s light setup. Is it sitting in a west- or south-facing window? Do the sun’s rays ever fall directly on the leaves after about 10:00 a.m.? Are the leaves closest to the window yellowing first?
These are all signs that your monstera adansonii might be unhappy with its light situation. Adjust as needed!
An east-facing window is usually best because your plant might get a bit of gentle morning sun and enjoy plenty of indirect light throughout the day.
If moving your plant isn’t an option, you can also try hanging a sheer curtain to filter the sunlight so it isn’t blasting your monstera’s leaves so directly.
Nitrogen Deficiency
Another common cause of yellowing leaves that you’ll want to consider is nutrient deficiency, specifically nitrogen deficiency.
Nitrogen is, among other things, key in the production of chlorophyll, which allows plants to convert sunlight into energy and gives plants their green color. If your monstera adansonii’s leaves aren’t lovely and green, chlorophyll production might be down due to low nitrogen levels.
If your plant seems to be happy with its light conditions and the moisture level of the soil is appropriate compared to when you last watered, think about the last time you repotted or fertilized your plant.
A potted plant like your monstera adansonii can use up all the nutrients in its potting soil in just a few months, so if you don’t start fertilizing around then, you might end up with a sad, yellow monstera. It’s also important to repot your plant every year or so into fresh, fast-draining, nutrient-rich soil, not just to give it room to grow, but to replenish nutrients in the soil.
If you haven’t been fertilizing your plant, now’s the time! We recommend using Monstera Plant Food with each watering to provide the right amount of nitrogen and other necessary minerals to your plant so it can grow strong stems, healthy roots, and gorgeous, green leaves!
Note: If you determine that nitrogen deficiency is the cause of your yellowing leaves, there’s a small chance the leaves will heal once you start fertilizing. You can prune them off if you want to, but they could bounce back!
How to Fix Monstera Adansonii Yellow Leaves
Once you know the root cause of your yellow monstera leaves, you can fix it! But sometimes it isn’t as simple as just dumping more water on your plant or waiting longer between watering days. You don’t want this problem happening again, so sometimes you need to make some bigger adjustments to your plant’s environment.
Soil and Drainage
The most common cause of overwatering isn’t actually watering too much or even too often. It’s poor drainage!
If your pot or soil doesn’t drain well, your plant’s roots will end up sitting in water for far too long, which can eventually cause them to drown and even rot. Yellowing leaves are an early sign of this problem, so if you determine that your plant is discoloring because it’s overwatered, you should make sure things are draining properly.
If you haven’t repotted in a while, the soil could be hard and compacted, which can prevent it from readily absorbing water and also from releasing water once it does absorb. This can lead to symptoms of both overwatering and underwatering!
If your soil is too dense to begin with, it might hold on to water for too long. A monstera adansonii does best in a light, peaty soil that drains well. We love this recipe, and our Premium Monstera Potting Soil is also perfect for all varieties of monstera. And it’s ready to go right out of the bag!
If you use another bagged soil, it’s always a good idea to mix in some perlite, vermiculite, or orchid bark to aerate the soil and increase drainage.
And your pot has drainage holes, right? If not, get your plant into a pot with some holes—fast!
Moisture Meter
A moisture meter is our favorite tool for keeping a close eye on the moisture level of a houseplant’s soil because it shows you what’s going on inside the root ball and deeper in the pot instead of just the top few inches you can feel with your finger.
It’s possible for the root ball to be soggy while the top few inches of soil are dry, so a moisture meter is an indispensable tool in any indoor gardener’s arsenal.
We love this meter because it not only measures moisture, but also light and soil pH! Get it on Amazon here.
Check for Root Rot
If your monstera adansonii’s roots sit in soggy soil for too long, they can start to rot!
You might notice dark-brown or even black spots on the leaves, and possibly a bad smell. If you see any of these signs, you may need to unpot your monstera to inspect the roots. If they’re dark, mushy, or smelly, you’ve got root rot! This condition can quickly kill your monstera, so it’s important to treat quickly by pruning the rotten roots, repotting into fresh soil, and using a healing root supplement when you water.
Fertilization
If your plant is yellowing due to nutrient deficiency, make sure to start fertilizing regularly with a liquid fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 5-2-3.
Monstera Plant Food is perfectly balanced for monstera plants and is gentle enough to use with every watering so you won’t have to remember a schedule or worry about over- or under-fertilization!
Other Monstera Common Leaf Problems
Yellowing isn’t the only way monstera leaves might tell you they’re unhappy. Here are some other, more severe signs to watch for and what to do about them.
Monstera Adansonii Black Leaves
If your monstera adansonii leaves are turning black, it could be a few things.
If a few whole leaves are black and droopy, especially on one side of the plant, check for drafts. Your plant might have frozen! This can happen if a plant is left in a cold car or moving van for too long, or if there is a severe draft nearby.
Monstera Adansonii Leaves Curling
Curling leaves is usually a sign of dryness from low humidity. Monstera adansonii is a tropical plant, so it appreciates a fair amount of humidity!
If your plant’s leaves are curling but not crispy, you can still save them.
First, get your plant away from any heaters, vents, AC units, fireplaces, etc., that might be emitting dry air and drying out the leaves. Then place your plant’s pot on a humidity tray (get one from a gardening store or just fill a shallow tray with water and pebbles) or set up a humidifier nearby. If you have other houseplants, try putting your monstera adansonii closer to them so it can benefit from their respiration.
Your plant might also be happy in a steamy bathroom as long as there’s enough light!
You can also try misting your plant regularly, but keep in mind that this does carry a slight risk of spreading bacteria from leaf to leaf and may not be as effective as raising the ambient humidity.
Monstera Adansonii Black Spots
If you see black or dark-brown spots on your monstera adansonii leaves, check for root rot!
Root rot attacks the roots of plants when they stay wet for too long and harmful pathogens are present. The best way to treat this is to prevent the spread of infection and give the roots a chance to heal.
First, unpot the plant and prune away any rotting, smelly, dark, or slimy roots. (If there are any rotten roots, you’ll know!) Get as much of the old, soggy soil out of the root ball as possible so you can inspect all the roots. Rinse the roots under a hose or in the sink if you need to.
Then repot the plant into new, fast-draining soil and a clean pot with drainage. (This is very important. If you reuse the old pot, make sure you clean and sanitize it!)
Once you’ve repotted the plant, make sure it gets plenty of light (this will help it heal) and go easier on the watering for a little while. When you do water, use our Root Supplement to protect the roots from returning infection and to help them recover.
Make sure to prune any damaged leaves as well, using clean hands and sanitized tools to prevent spreading bacteria or fungus to other leaves.
Your plant should recover and start growing again within a few months!
Yellow Monstera Adansonii Leaves Are a Warning System
Leaves serve many purposes for a monstera adansonii. Think of them as an early warning system to alert you to problems with the plant so you, as its caretaker, can make adjustments! We recommend inspecting your plant’s leaves at least every time you water so you can catch problems early and take steps to solve them before a little issue becomes a big one.
Proper care is the best way to prevent these health problems, but sometimes, despite our best efforts, they still happen! The best way to deal with them is to keep a close eye on your plants, know what signs to look for, and act fast when you see an issue. Soon you’ll learn to read your plant’s leaves like a book!
Learn more about caring for these amazing plants!
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