Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Monstera deliciosa leaves keep turning yellow

alice.slho_TLn9bmEalice.slho_TLn9bmE Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Hi all,

they said monstera are easy house plants but i'm on my 3rd pot now, and the latest one is still the same. Ie the leaves turned yellow. Be it existing leaves or new leaves. I have reduced watering to once a week or once every 1.5 week. I water little and there is drainage in pots. Still the leaves turned yellow. I tried to move it away from the glass door to test humidity and it's the same. Anyone has advice please? I am hoping mine will grow!
«1

Posts

  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    I find with large houseplants such as this that it is best to give them a good soak once a week. I put two or three inches of water (plus some plant food) in the outer pot (or plant saucer) and let the plant soak up as much as it needs overnight then drain away any water that is left. The plant doesn't like being in direct sunlight so if your glass door is an outer door then the plant may need to be moved to a slightly shadier spot.

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Is it easy to remove the root ball (soil and all) to have a look at the roots?  Are they rotting or is it really dry at the bottom of the pot?  Mine is growing happy here in arid Utah, so I don't think high humidity is needed to keep them happy.  I repotted mine in potting compost mixed with orchid bark and sand from my kids sandbox (the rough kind, not the soft white sort). Probably 50% potting compost, 25% each of the others.  It's pretty free draining, I water mine about once a week with a good soak.. but only after sticking my finger a few inches into the soil to see how damp it still is.  
    Utah, USA.
  • alice.slho_TLn9bmEalice.slho_TLn9bmE Posts: 7
    I have never tried the plant soak since I read from internet that too much water could resulted in the yellow leaves. So is fluctuations in humidity levels. Thus I move it away from the glass door already and still the same. I will indeed have to check the root ball and re pot probably. Thank you so much to this community. 
  • Shauna2021Shauna2021 Posts: 53
    Hi, is it possible to see a photo where the size of the pot is visible? I has a monstera and the oldest leaves kept rapidlyy turning yellow - it just needed repotting or feeding, I think, and has since stopped. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Houseplants have to live in the same compost for a long time with very little action from bacteria and fungi to keep the compost sweet and alive.
    Over time, salts can build up in the compost which will have an impact on the plants health as there are few bacteria and fungi to break them down.
    Even if you just use tap water, salts in the compost will slowly build up.
    If you feed as well, then unused salts in the fertilizer will build up too that can lead to an unhealthy environment for the roots.

    About every 3-4 months I take my houseplants outside (or put smaller pots in the sink) and give them a really thorough drench with rainwater  (in cooler months I fill the watering can and leave it indoors for 24hrs to come up to room temp) to flush out any unused build up of salts.

    All my houseplants are fed with seaweed extract about every couple of weeks between March and Oct.


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • alice.slho_TLn9bmEalice.slho_TLn9bmE Posts: 7
    Thank you so much for everyone's help. Thanks to Shauna2021, I took a picture of the pot (from the gardener, I didn't change it) as well as the leaf in front of the yellow one and discovered pests! That is likely to be the reason for the yellowing leaves. Anyone has solution how to treat it? 
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    There is nothing wrong with giving plants a good soak. The danger lies in letting the pot sit in water as that causes the roots to rot. An overnight soak will let the soil take up as much water as it can hold and in the morning you can throw out the remaining water and let the pot drain for a while before placing it back in its outer pot or on a plant saucer.
    The pot your plant is in at present is too small and it could do with repotting into the next size up.
    It looks as though your plant may have spider mites but the photo isn't quite sharp enough to be sure. If there is fine webbing around the leaves then it is certainly spider mite.
    You can remove the badly affected leaves then wipe the rest of the leaves and stems with water and make sure the plant is quarantined to stop the pests infesting nearby houseplants. I am currently dealing with a banana plant that has aquired these little darlings and it is getting a regular wipe down with some wet cotton wool and I will keep a very beady eye on it until such time as I am certain the bugs have been eradicated. If the infestation is beyond that sort of low key control then the RHS has a lot of advice on the subject. https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/glasshouse-red-spider-mite
    Good luck. Your plant has the potential to grow into a massive beauty. Don't be afraid of it and for god's sake, don't let its roots anywhere near the walls.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I think I see the problem - aphids or other sap-suckers.  See this zoomed-in section from your photo's above:

    All the advice you've received above is good, but you need to get rid of the aphids first. :)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • alice.slho_TLn9bmEalice.slho_TLn9bmE Posts: 7
    Thank you so much @BobTheGardener . Do I have to cut away the yellow leaves, wipe the aphids away from this leave or do I also have to cut it away? 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    You need to kill them over the whole plant, really.  As it's a non-flowering houseplant in most situations, I'd have no problem in spraying it with a bug spray designed for indoor use.  If you really don't want to use an insecticide, you could wipe both the top and bottom of each leaf, but you'll need to that every couple of days until they're gone, as you will always miss some!
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Sign In or Register to comment.