Why do the leaves of spathiphyllum turn yellow and what to do to save the plant?
Spathiphyllum is not capricious and quite easy to care for. Knowing this, some gardeners neglect the basic rules of plant maintenance. As a result, yellowing of the leaves of spathiphyllum may begin. To help the flower, it is important to correctly establish what it happened from, take the necessary rescue measures in a timely manner and avoid mistakes in the future. This article describes why the leaves of spathiphyllum turn yellow and what to do to save the plant.
What is yellowing?
Definition
Yellowing leaves is the process by which the tips or the entire surface of the leaf blades turn yellow, turgor of leaves sharply decreases.
Appearance
Attention! If old leaves turn yellow and die, this is a natural process of plant renewal.In the event of a mass lesion, the tips or edges of the leaf plates, as well as the entire leaves, may turn yellow. Gradually, all leaves turn yellow. The plant looks unhealthy and wilted.
We explained here why not only the leaves turn yellow, but also other parts of the spathiphyllum, and also what to do in this case.
Photo
Next, you can see what the leaves of spathiphyllum look like if they turn yellow.
Causes
Wrong watering
Spathiphyllum loves water, but painfully reacts to waterlogging and waterlogging of the soil.
Signs:
- A yellow border is formed at the edges of all leaf blades, which blackens and dries over time.
- The plant becomes lethargic.
Hypothermia
Low temperature in the room or frequent prolonged drafts can lead to yellowing of the leaves along the edges.
Exhaustion
Important! Spathiphyllum blooms long enough. This process requires a lot of nutrients. If during flowering special care is not provided, the plant loses strength and is depleted.Signs:
- Yellowing of the leaves begins from the lower tier, spreads evenly and quickly.
- Without timely assistance, all leaf plates wilt on the plant.
Direct sunlight
When exposed to a bright scorching sun, burns appear on the spathiphyllum.
Room air is too dry
The culprits of low humidity in the apartment are most often heating radiators.
Signs:
- First, the ends of the leaves turn yellow throughout the plant.
- Then they die off very quickly.
- Over time, damage extends to the entire surface of the sheet plates.
Diseases and Pests
With proper care, spathiphyllum is very rarely ill. Most often, the plant is affected by the fungus.
Spore or pests can enter spathiphyllum from the affected soil or from nearby plants.
Signs:
- All leaves of the plant turn yellow.
- White plaque forms on the underside of the leaf plate, or insects sit that can transmit disease.
Effects
If you do not urgently take appropriate measures to save the flower, over time, all the leaves of the plant turn yellow. Spathiphyllum wilts, then dies.
Step-by-step instructions for resuscitation of a flower
- Find out the cause of the lesion.
- Urgently provide the flower with appropriate assistance.
With exhaustion
Immediately transplant spathiphyllum:
- Prepare a new pot, which should be slightly larger than the previous one.
- Prepare fresh soil.
- Extract the plant from the pot, shake the root system from the old soil, while maintaining small roots.
- Place the drainage layer in a new pot.
- Pour a little new substrate.
- Put the plant in a pot.
- Spread the roots.
- Fall asleep on top of the ground without deepening the growth point.
After transplantation, do not feed for a month. As soon as the yellow leaves remaining on the plant are finally wilted, remove them and begin to give fertilizers. At first, half the usual dosage is enough. Portions of top dressing should gradually be brought to normal.
Important! If the spathiphyllum has grown greatly and transplantation is difficult, it is necessary to remove the top layer of the earth with a thickness of 4-5 centimeters. To fill up new soil. Do not change the feeding mode.When exposed to direct sunlight
In summer, you need to shade a plant located on the windowsill, a thin light curtain or a piece of white cloth.
It is impossible to rearrange spathiphyllum inland. The plant will suffer from a lack of lighting.
At low humidity
It is necessary to remove leaves that are completely yellowed. You can fix the problem of dry air in the following ways:
- Cover the batteries with a damp towel or thick blanket.
- Fill water tanks and place next to the plant.
- Place a tray with pieces of wet sphagnum, peat or expanded clay on the windowsill. Add water to the tray if necessary.
- Spray air around spathiphyllum regularly.
- You can use a humidifier.
In case of improper watering
- Urgently remove the plant from the pot.
- Inspect the roots, remove rotten areas.
- Transplant spathiphyllum into new soil.
- Set up a watering schedule. The ground should be moist but not wet.
When affected by pests or diseases
At an early stage of pest damage, thoroughly rinse the bush with infusion of onion husks or ash from tree trees. It can also be used for spraying decoctions of poisonous or strongly smelling plants: tansy, valerian, mint, celandine. Broth Recipe:
- Slice raw materials.
- Put in an enamel container.
- Pour boiling water.
- Put on a quiet fire, not allowing to boil.
- After 20 minutes, remove from the stove.
- Cool.
- Strain.
- Drain the broth in a clean glass jar, tightly close the lid.
Spray the air with the resulting product no closer than 50 centimeters from the plant. Spathiphyllum needs to be processed carefully, from all sides. Perform this procedure in the morning and evening every 5-7 days. You can prepare a warm solution of laundry soap and treat the plant with this tool.
Important! With this solution, it is quite difficult to rinse a densely overgrown bush on all sides. In addition, the remedy is powerless against a pest such as whitefly.With a large accumulation of insects, any long-acting systemic insecticide must be used. Follow the instructions and the dosage indicated on the packaging exactly. If necessary, repeat the procedure after a week.
The green mass and soil in the pot should be treated.
With the disease, it is important to take measures to save the spathiphyllum as soon as possible. Here's what you need to do:
- Cut off all affected areas.
- Sections are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.
- Spray thoroughly with any systemic fungicide all parts of the plant. Leaves are processed on both sides.
- Prepare a fresh substrate and a new pot.
- To disinfect the soil with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or baking in the oven. Treat with phytosporin.
- Transplant spathiphyllum into new soil.
- Re-spray the plant with the drug.
- In order to restore the diseased flower as soon as possible, it is recommended to add zircon, epin or aloe juice to the water for irrigation.
What if the tips of the leaves turn yellow?
- Cut the yellowed ends of the leaves, slightly grabbing a healthy tissue.
- Establish why this happened.
- Carry out appropriate measures: eliminate harmful factors, properly care for the plant, maintain optimal conditions of detention. The main actions are the same as with the complete yellowing of the sheet plates.
Prevention
The main prevention is competent care, creating and maintaining optimal conditions for the growth of spathiphyllum.
With the beginning of the formation of buds, it is necessary to increase the dose of fertilizing. You can use any complex mineral fertilizer rich in potassium, phosphorus and boron. The nitrogen content should be small.
It is important to adjust the watering mode. You can determine the need for soil moisture in the following ways:
- Check the condition of the soil at a depth by digging the ground in a flowerpot.
- Plant a flower in a transparent pot. The absence of condensate is a signal for irrigation.
- Place a stick without bark in the soil to the full depth of the flowerpot. Take out after 15 minutes. You can see the moisture level.
- Put special beacons in the ground that change color when humidity changes at a certain height.
In order to prevent overcooling of the roots in winter, you need to make sure that it does not blow out of the windows. If the room is cool, it is recommended to place a foam plate or a piece of thick woolen fabric under the flowerpot. A cork stand for hot is suitable.
Aftercare at home
The main rules that must be observed when growing spathiphyllum at home:
- Lighting should be diffuse, without exposure to direct sunlight.
- In spring and summer, you need to provide air temperature in the range from +22 to + 24 ° C. In winter and autumn, one should not allow a decrease in indicators to +16 ° C or lower.
- In spring and summer, as well as during flowering, it is important to water spathiphyllum abundantly. In autumn and winter, soil moisture should be moderate.
- Avoid draining and waterlogging of the substrate.
- Maintain high humidity in the room, regularly spray the plant.
- From early spring to late summer and in the flowering phase, feed with complex, mineral fertilizers in a low concentration.
Gross violations of the conditions for growing spathiphyllum often cause yellowing of the leaves. The plant begins to wilt and may die. It is very important to establish the cause of this process in time. It is necessary to establish an irrigation regime, observe the feeding schedule, protect spathiphyllum from hypothermia and bright sun. Then the plant will delight the owner with a healthy appearance, green leaves and beautiful flowers.