8 Reasons Why New Growth Leaves Turn Yellow

Are your plant’s new growth leaves turning yellow?

When you see such leaf problems on your indoor plant, it often makes you wonder about the root cause of these issues.

And if you are a new gardener, you will probably find it a bit difficult to understand and fix this type of problem in your plants.

So, to make things a little easier, I have shared a few insights on this topic of yellow leaves.

I hope you find them useful.

New Growth Leaves Turning Yellow – Reasons Explained

Here is a list of reasons that can lead to the yellowing of new growth leaves – 

1. Underwatering

Underwatering or lack of water in the soil is the most prominent reason for this type of issue on your plant’s leaves.

When the plant doesn’t get enough water, it goes into survival mode.

This mode simply sends a signal to different parts of the plants to focus more on conserving energy than spending on growing new leaves or root systems.

Ultimately, it leads to slow growth, brown tips, leaf curl, wrinkly leaves, and yellow leaves issues.

2. Overwatering

Although overwatering is not a direct cause of this issue, it can surely lead to problems that are related to yellow leaves on the plant.

When you water your plant too much, the new leaves might start looking dull in the beginning and will turn yellow in a few weeks.

Usually, it happens because of the weakened internal system of the plant.

When the roots stop performing their tasks at an optimum level, you get to see such issues on your indoor plants.

3. Too Much Sunlight

Have you placed your plant in direct sunlight?

Even though sunlight is an essential factor for the plant’s growth, there are not many plants that like harsh sunlight for a long period.

So, when you place such plants in direct sunlight, they tend to show signs of pale yellow or light green leaves on the plant.

Since the young leaves are generally fragile in nature, they don’t require a lot of light for their growth.

But if they do receive more than the required amount of sunlight, you may see droopy and pale yellow leaves.

4. Lack Of Nutrients In The Soil

Like underwatering, the lack of nutrients is a major factor for new growth leaves turning yellow on the plant.

As you know, all plants like to receive most of their nutrients from the soil.

However, if there are not many nutrients present in the soil, the plant will struggle to grow at a standard rate.

As a result, you will see deficiency signs on the leaves of your plant.

And one of those signs is the yellow leaves problem!

So, what nutrients does a plant need to avoid this issue?

Here’s the list –

1. Boron
2. Iron
3. Magnesium
4. Manganese 
5. Sulfur
6. Zinc

These are some of the nutrients that your plant would need to prevent new leaves from turning yellow.

5. Environmental Conditions

Apart from nutrient deficiencies and watering issues, there is one more thing that plays a big factor in this issue.

And that is the environmental conditions!

When the weather becomes too hot and unbearable, it directly affects the fresh leaves of the plant.

Due to high heat, these new leaves either turn light green or yellow.

On the other hand, you may not see similar issues during cold weather.

It only happens in summer when the humidity levels go down, and temperatures soar during the daytime.

6. Root Rot

Root rot is another factor that can cause yellow leaf problems in certain indoor plants.

Apart from the color change, you will also see some more related issues on the leaves.

For e.g.,

The plant might shed some unwanted leaves, and the leaves may also start curling inwards.

You may also observe yellow or brown edges on the leaves due to the root rot issue.

7. Fungus Attack

Fungus attack problem is quite common in the indoor gardening world.

When the plant gets affected by such issues, the weaker parts of the plant go down first!

If your plant has fresh new leaves on it, the fungus will attack them instead of going for the more established branches and leaves.

And when it happens, the new leaves start to shrivel before turning yellow or brown.

Note: These leaves might not survive for too long, and it’s better to get rid of them as soon as possible.

8. Bacteria or Virus Attack

The bacteria or virus attack issue is quite similar to the fungus attack.

Some of its resultant damage is also similar to the one caused by different types of fungus.

The other common factor between these issues is they spread faster than most other issues.

Hence, you need to act upon them immediately if you want to save your plant.

Note: If you don’t address these issues well in time, the issue might spread to other plants in your garden.

And then, you won’t have any other option than to throw away the affected plants.

In the next section, I have shared some useful tips to prevent this issue.

So, do check them out.

7 Tips To Prevent New Growth Leaves From Turning Yellow

Here’s the list of tips for you –

1. Water Your Plant Properly And Regularly

That’s right!

You should always water the plant as per its needs.

Do not overwater it if the topsoil is already wet.

Check the moisture level in your soil before adding more water to it.

And in summer, you should also consider watering your plants more, as the excess heat evaporates the water quickly.

So, as you can see, you need to work on the watering schedule and frequency for your plants.

2. Keep Your Plants In Partial Sunlight

This should only be done when you feel the leaves are turning yellow because of excess sunlight.

More importantly, you will only have to do this task in the summer.

In other seasons, the sunlight the plants get is softer and more manageable. 

Therefore, the plants and the new growth leaves will not have any issues during the rest of the year.

So, move your plant near a place where it receives enough sunlight for a few hours in the morning.

You may also keep it in a shady place if the plant variety doesn’t require a lot of sunlight.

3. Add Fertilizers Regularly

Lack of nutrients can be a real problem in the plants’ world.

And the only way to fix this issue is by providing some quality fertilizers.

You should add these fertilizers regularly, depending on the size and requirement of the plant.

But do keep an eye on the quantity!

You don’t want to add too many of them, as it may cause root burn or leaf burn problems later.

Note: The leaves that have turned yellow will probably not turn green again even after adding fertilizers to the plant.

You will have to wait for the new growth to see the actual results of fertilizers.

4. Keep The Soil Dry 

Yes, you don’t want your plants to face unnecessary issues with wet soil.

For those who don’t know, the wet soil offers a great medium for bacteria, fungi, and other insects.

So, you need to ensure that the soil remains dry before you water it next time.

It will help in growing your plants without any issues.

5. Do Not Mist The Plants

I know many of us like to mist the plants.

Well, it does give your plants a fresh look, but it can also invite fungal infection on them.

When the leaves and branches remain wet, they provide a great surface for fungus to grow on the plant.

Hence, try to avoid misting your plants if the leaves are turning yellow.

6. Fix Existing Issues Immediately

Whether it is a root rot or bacterial problem, you need to fix them as soon as possible.

These are the problems that need your immediate attention, as they can kill the plant within a few days or weeks.

Once you fix these issues, the plant should start growing new green leaves and branches as it did previously.

7. Prune The Plants For Better Air Circulation

Pruning is an excellent method to keep your plants safe from external factors.

It helps in increasing the airflow between the branches, which eventually keeps the plant’s surfaces dry.

However, do not perform hard pruning if the plant is relatively small.

You should only do it when some of the branches have grown inwards instead of outwards.

In the next section, I have shared answers to some of the FAQs by the readers.

So, do take a look at them below.

FAQs