A native to South Africa, jade plants are one of the most liked indoor plants. They are versatile, pretty, and never demand regular care to grow.
However, the jade plant leaves turning yellow is a common and serious issue that requires immediate attention.
Without proper care and treatment, this problem might lead to the plant’s death.
Multiple reasons are responsible for this. Sometimes it occurs due to natural phenomena, but at times, your carelessness and over-protectiveness are liable for this.
Therefore, we are writing this article to assist you in identifying the causes and ways to fix them.
Why do your jade plant leaves turn yellow?
As mentioned before, you might face the yellow leaves problem for several reasons. These plants are easy-going and resilient, and they can also endure a lot of stress.
However, they are susceptible to some difficulties. Common issues include over and under watering, temperature fluctuations, pests attacks, improper lighting, and many more.
So, do you want to learn more? Well, let us begin with the inadequate watering issue, and then we will move into other reasons so that you can grow your jade plant without spotting any yellow leaves.
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1. Inappropriate watering
The most prevalent cause of the jade plant yellow leaves problem is overwatering. As you might know, jade plants belong to the succulent family.
Therefore, they never demand much water compared to other plants. In the extreme summer season, it needs water once a week.
Besides, in some cases, you are not required to water them for a month as well. But many gardeners water their jade plant often, and as a result, it can become waterlogged, and they will notice its leaves turning yellow.
If you give excessive water, the jade plant sits in wet and soggy soil.
As a result, the roots absorb excess water, and the leaves can swell. Without getting nutrients and water, the leaves will turn yellow in the end.
Apart from the summertime, you should water it less in winter.
Remember that the jade plant goes in the dormant period in wintertime, and that is why it will need even less water.
So, water it occasionally to keep the plant healthy. Otherwise, it might cause the leaves to turn yellow and fall off eventually.
Apart from overwatering, many people are too cautious in giving water to their jade plant.
Though the plant requires less water, you should water it often to avoid many problems.
One such issue is yellow leaves. If you do not offer the required water to your jade plant, it will not survive.
As a result, you will see the leaves turn yellow and crispy on the edges. As many people overlook the under watering issue, it is a common reason responsible for the yellow leaves problem.
2. Improper drainage
An inadequate drainage system often leads to yellow leaves issues. A proper drainage hole will let in excess water and prevent waterlogging.
But people often grow the jade plant without looking into this matter, and as a result, when they give excess water to the plant, they will face water logging issues.
It is catastrophic as it will cause root rot as it will absorb all the excess water.
Ultimately, you will see the leaves slowly turning yellow due to a lack of water and nutrients. Therefore, always make sure to select a pot with appropriate drainage holes to bypass this problem.
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3. Excessive fertilizer
If you are a gardener or a plant lover, you will probably know the repercussions of feeding too much fertilizer to any plant.
Many people think if they feed a little extra, the plant will grow healthy and quickly.
However, like every plant, a bit of fertilizer offers a jade plant the required nutrients, but you do not need to use it a lot. All you can do is add nutrients to the soil every other week in the growing season.
But several jade plant types do not demand fertilizer more than twice during the off-season.
Besides, some jade plant growers give fertilizer directly to the earth, and as a result, their leaves slowly turn yellow.
That is why it is a significant cause of the yellow leaf problem.
According to expert gardeners, people should combine the fertilizer with water to dilute the nutrients. Therefore, excessive fertilizer can lead to yellow leaves issues, and that is why you must look at it to keep your jade plant healthy.
4. Nutrient deficiency
Though it is a rare reason behind the jade plant yellow leaves issues, these plants can develop nutrient scarcity.
It happens due to the negligence of the gardener.
When the plant has been in the same container for many years, the soil gets infertile, and as a result, it cannot absorb the necessary nutrients from the earth.
This deficiency leads to yellow leaves problems that you can never recover from. So, consider this cause to offer your jade plant a trouble-free life.
5. Temperature issues and improper lighting
Jade plants can survive in warm temperatures of 18-30 degrees C. It can also tolerate temperatures outside the above range.
But sudden and frequent fluctuations in temperature are problematic to the plant.
If the temperature goes down below 4 degrees Celsius, it will be stressful for the plant in yellow leaves.
The leaves will then fall off due to this temperature issue. Therefore, you must follow the necessary steps to recover the plant and protect it from temperature fluctuations.
Apart from the temperature issue, jade plants are also susceptible to inappropriate lighting.
If the plant does not get its required sunlight, it will result in yellow leaves.
When growing a jade plant, you must remember that it demands direct sunlight for its proper growth and development. On the contrary, young jade plants need less direct sunlight.
But as people overlook this fact, their jade plant leaves turn yellow, and they have to face several other complications.
Without adequate sunlight, the leaves can begin to wither, become yellowish, and fall off. That is why you must combine both direct and indirect sun rays for the plant to avoid such issues.
6. Aging
Sometimes, you will notice your coveted jade plant leaves turn yellow or fall off for natural reasons. The leaves will get old and unhealthy as the plant ages.
Naturally, the leaves will switch their color and fall off eventually to allocate space for the development of new leaves.
Though the jade plant can survive for decades, after a certain point, the leaves are bound to die.
But remember that it needs years for this issue. Therefore, if you notice the yellow leaves early, you must avoid the age-related problem.
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7. Pests attacks
You can call it a natural cause of yellow leaf problems. A pest attack can lead to the root and leave damage, resulting in the jade plant leaves turning yellow.
The most obvious infestation in a jade plant is mealybugs.
As their appearance is white cotton-like masses, you will locate them on the stems and leaves.
They prefer to suck out the nutrients from the leaves, and as a result, the leaves get unhealthy and cause occasional yellowing of the leaves and yellow spots.
Besides, look for other pests as, apart from the mealybugs, multiple insects can attack your jade plant responsible for this problem.
8. Diseases
Like every other succulent, the jade plant is also prone to several diseases. Sometimes the yellow leaves on your coveted jade plant occur due to infection or disease.
Some prevalent infections that might contaminate a jade plant involve root rot, bacterial soft rot, and powdery mildew.
Besides, overwatering and high humidity give birth to many diseases, and in the end, the leaves get yellow and fall off.
How do I treat yellow spots on my jade plant?
Whenever you discover your jade plant’s leaves turning yellow, you must deal with the problem to keep the plant healthy.
Treating this issue is not a difficult task as with some simple steps and considerations, you can prevent yellow leaves problems with ease.
So, if you face such difficulties, read the below section and follow the guidelines to heal your jade plant’s leaves.
1. Customize your caring schedule
- When you overwater your plant, you will see the leaves are getting wet or squishy. To deal with it, you need to stop watering it until the soil gets dry. Besides, if you notice the leaves have crispy edges and are dry, you must water the plant more often.
- You might also discover that the plant does not get sufficient lighting and cannot adjust to the temperature. Hence, keep it in a bright area so that it can get its required light. Besides, you should set it in a place where the temperature does not fluctuate much.
- Proper fertilization is another crucial consideration to treat yellow leaves issues. You must feed the jade plant less in its dormant period and feed it more often during the growing season.
- Apart from the above, you need to prepare a well-drained potting mix and select a pot with enough drainage holes. It will prevent root rot, and the leaves will also stay healthy. Besides, you should use pesticides often to protect the plant and its leaves from pests infestation.
2. Cut and Repot
If you cannot fix the issue by following the above methods, cut the damaged leaves and repot the plant immediately. But for this, you should follow the below steps-
- Take a new container and fill it with a well-drained potting mix.
- Place the plant and gently fill the soil.
- Place the container in a semi-bright area and give it a bit of water.
- Make sure that the soil drains and dries before you water it.
3. Look after the plant
The more you look after your jade plant, you can get rid of yellow leaves and other issues.
The frequent inspection will assist you in locating small changes that might develop into more critical ones.
Therefore, to protect the plant from the yellow leaves issues, take more care of your pretty jade plant.
Wrapping it up
So, you can say that the jade plant leaves might turn yellow or fall off due to the above reasons.
However, we can say that they are mostly related to how you treat your plant. Remember that excessive caring is unfruitful as you must allow your plant to grow naturally.
Therefore, if you change your routine and follow the guidelines stated above, you can get rid of this issue with ease.
Not only this, but you can also prevent this problem in the future and offer your coveted jade plant adequate growth and development without any hindrance.