Why Is My Monstera Adansonii Turning Yellow

Moisture can harm Monstera Adansonii. If you overwater it, the leaves have a tendency to turn yellow. Its foliage turns yellow and is scorched when exposed to strong sunshine. Too much fertilizer is a less frequent cause of yellow leaves on Monstera Adansonii. By providing your Monstera with strong indirect sunshine and watering it only when the soil is nearly dry, you can resolve these issues. You can minimize the harm caused by overfertilizing your plant by scooping the fertilizer and flushing it. The stress of environmental changes and shipping may also be to blame for the fading of the leaves.

Why are the leaves on my Monstera Adansonii yellowing?

The bad news is that yellow monstera adansonii leaves can have a variety of causes, so figuring out the real problem and fixing it may need some investigation.

Verify your plant’s nutritional requirements, light requirements, and soil conditions.

Incorrect Watering

Improper watering is the most frequent cause of houseplant problems in general, including yellowing leaves.

Parents of indoor plants typically fall into one of two categories: either overwaterers, who love their plants to death by watering them excessively or too frequently, or underwaterers, who may water too sparingly or forget to water at all.

Overwatering Monstera Adansonii

The first thing you should do if you observe yellow leaves is to examine the soil’s moisture content. You can do this by feeling the soil with your finger, using a chopstick-like wooden stick, or using a moisture meter.

Your plant may have been somewhat overwatered if the top few inches of soil still feel moist to the touch, if the stick emerges wet, or if the moisture meter reads more than 5 or 6 days after your previous watering.

Observe which leaves appear to be turning yellow as well. Overwatering is most likely to be to blame if the bottom leaves begin to yellow first, feel soft, or have any dark-brown patches.

The immediate fix may be to just stop watering your monstera adansonii until the soil has had a chance to dry out, but there are a number of other elements that affect how rapidly your plant can use water, so you should consider those as well.

Initially, check to see if the soil and pot are draining properly. Make careful to repot into a fast-draining potting mix like our Premium Monstera Soil and a pot with drainage holes if the soil is too dense or compacted, or if the vessel lacks drainage holes.

Examining the lighting conditions for your monstera adansonii is another smart move. For this particular kind of monstera to be healthy and utilize water well, it need a lot of bright, indirect sunlight. You may want to transfer it to a sunny location where it will receive indirect light (but not direct, hot afternoon or midday light) or supplement with a grow light if it doesn’t receive strong light for the majority of the day.

We suggest these bulbs that you can simply put into standard lighting fixtures if you do decide to buy a grow light.

Underwatering Monstera Adansonii

Yellowing of a monstera adansonii’s leaves is another effect of submersion. (Yes, it’s frustrating. Over- and underwatering can also result in problems.)

Observe which leaves are yellowing to distinguish between a plant that is overwatered and one that is underwatered. Underwatering is the likely cause if leaves appear to be turning yellow all over the plant rather than only at the bottom, especially if the yellowing is accompanied by dry, light-brown areas.

Make sure to assess the soil’s moisture content as well. Your plant probably needs water if the top half of the soil feels bone dry to the touch, if a wooden stick emerges entirely dry, or if a moisture meter reads 3 or lower a few days after your previous watering.

Give the dirt a thorough soak, then allow it to completely drain. (Does your pot have drainage holes?) If your plant is badly dehydrated and the soil is absolutely dry, you might need to repeat this procedure a number more times.

Direct Sunlight Exposure

These plants thrive in direct, bright sunlight. The leaves, however, may begin to lose their color if the plants receive too much direct sunshine, particularly during the middle or afternoon when the sun’s rays are more intense.

Examine your monstera adansonii’s lighting setup if over- and underwatering don’t appear to be the issue. Is it positioned in a window that faces west or south? Do the sun’s rays ever directly hit the leaves after ten o’clock in the morning? Are the leaves yellowing first in the area nearest to the window?

These are all indications that the lighting conditions may not be ideal for your monstera adansonii. Adapt as necessary!

The greatest windows for plants are those that face east since they may receive some morning sun and receive a lot of indirect light throughout the day.

If transplanting your plant is not an option, you might consider hanging a sheer drape to block the sunshine from directly hitting the leaves of your monstera.

Nitrogen Deficiency

Consider nutritional deficiencies, especially nitrogen deficiencies, as another major cause of yellowing leaves.

Among other things, nitrogen is essential for the synthesis of chlorophyll, which gives plants their characteristic green color and enables them to absorb and transform sunlight into energy. If the leaves on your monstera adansonii aren’t lush and green, low nitrogen levels may be to blame for the decline in chlorophyll production.

Consider the last time you replanted or fertilized your plant if it appears to be content with its lighting and the soil’s moisture level is suitable compared to when you last watered.

If you don’t start fertilizing around that time, your monstera adansonii may end up with a depressed, yellow appearance because a potted plant like that can quickly consume all the nutrients in its potting soil. Repotting your plant into new, quick-draining, nutrient-rich soil about once a year is very crucial, not just to give it room to grow, but also to replace the soil’s nutrients.

Yellow Leaves With Black Spots

Act quickly if the leaves on your monstera plant are turning yellow and getting black patches. Your monstera most certainly has root rot, which, if left untreated, can swiftly kill your plant.

Repot your monstera into new soil and a clean pot to treat root rot. Remove as much soil as you can from the root ball, and then cut off any rotten roots. Make sure the soil and new pot both drain well.

Once your plant has been repotted, put it in a location with plenty of bright, indirect sunshine and water it less frequently than normal. Use our Root Supplement when you water to help the roots heal and stop additional infection.

Yellow Leaves With Brown Spots

What if your leaves are browning and turning yellow? Here, the texture and color both play a significant role.

Your plant is likely underwatered if the areas are light brown, dry, or crispy; check to see if the soil is dry.

You should repot your plant as soon as possible if the areas are mushy and dark brown, as this indicates possible root rot.

You might have a bacterial infection if the spots are dry and more medium brown, however this is uncommon. Yet another thing to think about! Try carefully removing the afflicted leaves using clean hands and tools after ruling out dryness and root rot, then repotting the plant as you would for root rot. That ought to stop the virus from spreading (no pun intended).

Yellow Leaves With Brown Edges

You can have a nutritional shortage if the leaves on your monstera are yellow with crisp, brown edges. Chemical burn from too much fertilizer is another possibility. Finding out when you last fertilized is the greatest method to discern the difference. A white crust on the soil’s surface may indicate overfertilization and the accumulation of certain minerals in the soil. Here’s how to stop monsteras from overfertilizing.

Check the soil’s moisture content because the plant could also be underwater.

Should I Cut Yellow Leaves Off Monstera?

Yup! When a leaf turns yellow, it no longer benefits your plant and instead becomes a drain, thus your monstera is better off without it. Remove any yellow leaves you spot using clean shears, but first inspect your plant to see whether there’s a problem that needs to be fixed or if this is just a typical, healthy amount of leaf fall.

Should I remove the golden Monstera leaves?

Getting Rid of Yellow Leaves While yellowing Monstera plant leaves can be removed to preserve the beauty of the plant, care must be taken if pruning is done to the rest of the plant. To maintain the size and shape of the plant, occasional trimming may be required. It is advisable to avoid taking out more than a third of the entire plant at once.

Yellow Monstera leaves—can they regrowth?

Yellow leaves are beautiful in the autumn on trees like gingko and quaking aspens. However, if you notice a large number of them on your fern, green-leafed pothos, or other indoor plants, it can be a concerning sight. However, it’s not always a terrible thing.

All year long, tropical plants maintain their leaves. But the life cycle of houseplant leaves exists (like all living things). Each leaf ages, gets yellow, and eventually dies. It’s not a problem if one or two leaves are yellow. However, if several leaves start to turn yellow, it’s time to intervene.

The most frequent causes of yellowing leaves are inconsistent watering (either too much or too little) or improper illumination (too much, too little). You must determine the cause of the issue in order to prevent other leaves from becoming yellow. Learn more about additional reasons why leaves could yellow.

Usually, when a leaf on a houseplant turns yellow, it is about to die. A leaf’s green tint is caused by chlorophyll. The plant abandons the leaf after it stops producing chlorophyll and starts utilizing any remaining nutrients in the leaf. Because of this, you usually can’t convert a leaf back to green once it turns yellow. (However, in instances of nutrient deficits, yellow leaf color occasionally becomes green again with therapy.)

There are numerous types of plants that naturally produce leaves with splashes and streaks of yellow. Variegation is what we refer to as when this occurs in healthy plants. When plants are exposed to more light, variegation may appear brighter.

Conclusion: It’s not necessary to panic if a few leaves turn yellow. The yellow leaf is like a warning light, therefore you should pay attention to it. It might be a normal shedding process or it might be an indication that something is wrong.

How frequently do I need to water my Monstera adansonii?

My eight Monstera adansonii plants receive water when the soil mixture is 1/23/4 dry. This typically occurs every 79 days during the summer and every 1420 days during the winter.

Keep your Monstera at a moderate moisture level. Depending on the size of the pot, the type of soil it is planted in, the area where it is growing, and the climate in your home, yours may require watering more or less frequently than mine does.

Two things: refrain from overwatering yours (this will cause root rot and cause the plant to die) and reduce the amount of watering you do throughout the winter.

Temperature

Your houseplants will also feel comfortable in it if you do. This Monstera enjoys a warmer climate during the growing season and a milder climate during the winter months when they are dormant.

Just make sure to keep it away from any drafts and from vents that provide either heating or cooling.

Humidity

The Monstera adansonii enjoys it, just like many tropical plants do. Despite being native to tropical rainforest environments, they thrive in our homes.

Your leaves may be reacting to the dry air in our houses if they have little brown tips. Many of the leaves of my indoor plants, including this one, have them because I live in hot, dry Tucson where the humidity level is typically around 25%.

My kitchen sink is big and deep, and it has a water filter on the faucet. I take mine to the sink every time I water it, spritz the leaves there, and then leave it there for about an hour to temporarily increase the humidity level. Additionally, it prevents dust from gathering on the leaves, which could impair the foliage’s ability to breathe.

I run the diffusers I have on my tables for 4 to 8 hours each day. Here in the arid desert, this seems to assist a little bit.

Fill the saucer with stones and water if you suspect the absence of humidity is the cause of yours looking stressed. Place the plant on the pebbles, but watch out for water collecting in the pot’s bottom or around the drain holes. I do that with some of my houseplants, and it also helps.

Fertilizing/Feeding

Every spring, I lightly apply worm compost to the majority of my indoor plants before covering it with a thin layer of compost. For tiny plants, a 1/4 coating of each is sufficient. For larger pots, I increase the layer to 1/21. You can learn more about my worm composting and feeding practices right here.

Eleanor’s vf-11 is used 23 times to water my Monstera adansonii over the warmer seasons of spring, summer, and early fall.

For her indoor plants, my buddy in San Francisco uses Maxsea Plant Food, which has a composition of 16-16-16. I’ve started applying this (at half strength) 2-3 times over the season, spread out between the Eleanors. As of now, so nice!

Tucson has a lengthy growth season, and indoor plants benefit from the nutrition these plant meals offer. For your plant, once or twice a year might be plenty.

Avoid over-fertilizing your plant, regardless of the type of houseplant food you use, as salts can build up and damage the plant’s roots. Brown patches will appear on the leaves as a result.

Since houseplants need time to rest in the late fall and winter, it’s better to avoid feeding or fertilizing them during those times.