My monstera keeps putting out healthy new growth, yet every few weeks one of the oldest leaves turns yellow and drops. It's not a sudden mass of yellow leaves and there are no visible pests. The pot drains, and I wait until the upper soil dries before watering. Is occasional lower-leaf loss simply part of replacing older foliage, or should I worry about roots and nutrient balance? I'd rather not disturb a plant that's otherwise doing well.
Figuring out why lower leaves yellow one at a time on an otherwise healthy plant
- houseplants
- figuring
- lower
- leaves
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3 replies
A lower leaf dropping now and then is pretty normal if the plant is pushing new growth. The key is whether it's one old leaf at a time versu...
A lower leaf dropping now and then is pretty normal if the plant is pushing new growth. The key is whether it's one old leaf at a time versus several leaves starting to yellow together.
That was my thought too. My monstera does this when it gets larger and starts spending more energy on the top growth, so I don't panic unless the pattern changes.
I would still keep an eye on how fast the soil dries. If the roots stay wet too long, you can get one-leaf-at-a-time drama before anything obvious shows up.
How long is 'too long' in your experience? Mine is in a brighter spot than it used to be, so the watering rhythm changed a bit and I'm not s...