Yucca palms turn yellow leaves quickly. We have helpful tips on how to counteract this unsightly sight.

Discolored leaves often indicate improper care

Yucca palms (Yucca), also known as palm lilies, are among the most popular indoor plants, some of which are also suitable for the garden. In the case of the exotic desert plants, the pointed and long leaves are particularly well-known, but they often serve as an indicator of incorrect care or diseases. We show you how to interpret discoloration of the leaves and what you can do about it.

Yucca Palm with Yellow Leaves: The Causes

Yellow leaves are quite common on yucca palms and can have various causes, for example:

  • Waterlogging/excessive humidity
  • Water shortage
  • Lack of light
  • Sunburn
  • Natural fall off through growth of trunk
Yuccas are used to extremely dry climates

In particular, increased watering often leads to problems with yucca palms, since the agave family (Agavoideae) are adapted to a very dry climate in their natural range.

Yucca Palm with Yellow Leaves: Countermeasures

First of all, it must be clarified which of the above causes is responsible for the discoloration of the leaves. If you water too much, you should reduce the amount and frequency of water and always pour off the water in the saucer. If you notice that the leaves are only turning yellow on one side of the yucca palm, the light intensity at this point is probably not sufficient. In this case, find another location for your plant so that it gets even and sufficient light. On the other hand, if the leaves are sunburned, you should look for a place where less direct sunlight hits the plant.

Yucca palm loses its leaves: what to do?

If your yucca starts to lose more leaves, this can be due to care errors (as mentioned above) or external diseases. As a countermeasure, the only thing that usually helps is taking care of people you knowadapt to mistakes. In an emergency, for example if rotten and soft spots appear, the affected parts of the plant should be disposed of completely.

Yucca palm: leaves have brown tips

In principle, too much water can cause brown leaf tips on the yucca palm - but the opposite is usually to blame. Especially in winter, many palm lilies are close to the heating and suffer from the very dry and hot air. Sunburn can also be expressed by the dark tips of the leaves. So try to keep the air moving around the room, keep the sun out of the window, and slightly humidify the air in winter.

The yucca feels most comfortable in a bright spot by the window

Yucca palm: The most common diseases and pests

In addition to the incorrect handling of the yucca palm in terms of watering and location, diseases and pests can also occur that cause problems for the plant. Introducing a few:

  • Root rot: Occurs as a result of waterlogging and eventually leads to the death of the plant. This can be remedied by repotting and watering reduction.
  • Powdery mildew: fungal disease that manifests itself as a white, furry coating on the leaves. A reduction in humidity prevents infestation.
  • Spider mites: Small white animals that thrive in very dry air. If infested, increase humidity by moderate water spray.
  • Lice: Above all, aphids and scale insects that eat the plant should be mentioned here. Our Plantura organic pest-free neem is recommended for successful and biological control. The spray is obtained from the seeds of the neem tree and effectively combats aphids and mealybugs.

You can find an overview of further care measures for the yucca palm in this article.

Category:

Houseplants