Why zamioculcas turns yellow, and what to do to save it
Despite its unpretentiousness and envy-worthy endurance, zamioculcas sometimes makes its owners seriously alarmed. Why does the zamioculcas turn yellow, and what to do if the stems wither and the leaves dry? The answer to the florist's questions most often lies in mistakes made when leaving or a lack of attention to a guest from tropical, but not too humid regions of Africa.
Not taking into account the biological characteristics of the culture, the florist runs the risk of facing a situation in which the unhealthy zamiokulkas signals yellow spots, drying tips of leaf plates, loss of elasticity and juiciness of the stems. The longer the plant is in uncomfortable conditions, the more serious the consequences and external signs of malaise.
If the rules of home care are not followed, the zamioculcas turns yellow, the number of leaf lobes decreases, their color becomes visibly paler. But a lack of attention threatens not only a loss of decorativeness, but also rotting of the root system, the base of the shoots, their drying out or wilting due to the attack of pests.
Read also the article about lisianthus!
Why does zamioculcas not give new shoots?
The reason that the leaves of zamiokulkas turn yellow, lose their rich green color, or even wither, is often a lack of light. Unfortunately, flower growers forget about the change in illumination in the autumn-winter period.
The pot with zamiokulkas located in the back of the room needs to be rearranged closer to the window, when this is not possible, the culture is provided additional lighting.
To remedy the situation, a pot of the proper size is selected for an ornamental culture, a transplant or feeding of zamiokulkas with a complex composition is carried out.
Zamiokulkas has shriveled stem
What most flower growers mistake for the stem of the zamiokulkas and its pointed lanceolate leaves is actually a complex leaf. If the thickened petioles lose their elasticity, and the leaves of the zamiokulkas turn yellow, the reason may lie in the violation of watering rules.
In nature, the plant encounters drought and accumulates moisture in the powerful succulent leaves to maintain life. When the zamioculcas chronically receives less water, that is, watering is rare and superficial, this threatens with yellowing and wilting of all the aboveground parts. A similar situation is observed after the flooding of the soil, which led to damage to the root system.
Asking: "What to do, and why does the zamioculcas turn yellow?", The florist must analyze the care of the plant and find a possible cause of the pet's unhealthy.
If the stem of the zamiokulkas is shriveled due to overflow:
- the flower is taken out of the pot;
- carefully remove the soil and wash the roots;
- the damaged areas are removed with a clean sharp knife;
- slices on healthy tissue are sprinkled with charcoal powder and dried.
Having found signs of rot or fungal infection, a plant lover should not be limited to coal treatment. In this case, it is worth resorting to fungicides, which will destroy one of the causes of the problem, protect the roots and tubers in the future..
Planting zamioculcas is carried out in pots, slightly more than the volume of a healthy root system. The substrate should be loose, permeable to air and moisture. It is important that irrigation water does not accumulate in the soil, therefore, powerful drainage is made in the pot, and sand, perlite or vermiculite and charcoal are added to the soil.
When the leaves of zamiokulkas turn yellow after transplanting, this may indicate an incorrect selection of the substrate, which turned out to be too dense.
A similar situation awaits a grower if, in an effort to feed the plant, he incorrectly selected the concentration of active substances. Unable to cope with excess nutrition, Zamiokulkas experiences discomfort and weakens. That is why zamioculcas turns yellow, but what to do in such a situation? Unfortunately, even here you cannot do without transplanting the bush into new soil and washing the roots.
What to do if the leaves of zamiokulkas turn yellow, and then become covered with dark spots and dry quickly. Such symptoms indicate a too low temperature of the plant and excessive watering. Most often this happens when the season changes, when the grower did not have time to adjust the care. If the green pet's malaise is noticed in time, it will be enough to establish watering or transfer the pot to heat.
Zamioculcas pests
If the leaves of zamiokulkas turn yellow, the flower can signal a pest attack.
A plant that is brought out into the open air in summer is at risk of aphid infestation, which sticks to young shoots and back foliage. The insect brings the greatest harm to immature plants.
Therefore, after bringing the pot into the room, it is better to arrange a weekly quarantine for the zamiokulkas, and to identify pests, treat the greens with an insecticide.
In addition to aphids, culture is threatened by:
- spider mites that spread quickly in dry indoor air;
- scale insects falling on zamioculcas from the street or neighboring plants;
- thrips and mealybugs.
It is not enough to fight spider mites with systemic acaricides. Chemicals will only give a temporary effect if you do not take care of the yellowed zamiokulkas at home.
Systemic insecticides are used against scale insects, thrips and worms, and in relation to the last two pests, it will be necessary to carry out not one, but several treatments.
To avoid an unpleasant spectacle for the grower, when the zamioculcas turns yellow, the leaves of the flower wither and fall off, you can provide the plant with the optimal temperature of maintenance, lighting, watering and top dressing... We must not forget about the timely transplantation of decorative culture and careful attention to the selection of the substrate.