African Violets, or Saintpaulia Ionantha, are common houseplants that will bloom multiple times a year when cared for properly.
These gorgeous potted plants have small but bright pink, purple, blue, or white blossoms with velvety green leaves.
When leaves start to yellow on an African Violet, it’s not only unattractive, but it could indicate a more serious issue with your plant.
What Are Yellow Leaves?
Different leaf issues signal a variety of potential health issues for your potted plants. So, it’s essential to clarify what we mean by yellow leaves on African Violets.
In this case, we’re referring to leaves that turn from typical bright or dark green to a light yellow color.
White or brown spots on African Violet leaves are a different problem and could signify a deeper issue. But if you’ve noticed your African Violets leaves are turning yellow, then you’re in the right place.
Below we’ll cover common causes for yellowing as well as a few solutions you can try.
What Causes African Violet Leaves to Turn Yellow?
A shortage or oversupply of any one thing can turn an African Violet’s leaves yellow. That said, their outer leaves will also turn yellow and drop off as the plant ages.
Losing leaves in that manner is entirely natural, and it shouldn’t happen very often. When it does happen, it will only be the lower leaves, which tend to be the oldest.
If you find younger leaves seem to be yellowing, it’s time to troubleshoot the problem. Something vital is in short supply or excess; your job is to figure out what.
Water Issues
African violets are picky when it comes to watering. The leaves don’t like water droplets and may turn yellow if you’re not watering close enough to the soil.
They’re also sensitive to overly cold or hot water. If you use ice water or hot water on an African Violet, the fragile leaf cells collapse and create yellow spots.
Learn about Wick Watering African Violets
Lighting Problems
Most plants need light, and African Violets are no exception. However, too much light will cause your plant to struggle, and too little light can cause yellow leaves.
Poor Nutrition
Poor soil or lack of fertilizer can also cause yellow leaves. When this happens, the leaves are no longer fuzzy or velvet-textured either.
How to Fix Yellow Leaves
In many cases, yellowing leaves are fixable with organic methods. We recommend changing:
- Watering methods
- Plant’s placement
- Perhaps changing the soil to solve all possible issues
Water Fixes
Specialized watering cans with long, narrow spouts are available for African Violets. They allow you to water beneath the leaves, close to the soil.
By using one of these watering cans filled with room temperature water, you may solve the yellow leaf problem.
If you live in a low-humidity area, you can also try placing the pot in a saucer filled with pebbles and a little water. With this technique, roots should pull water up from the saucer, keeping the leaves dry.
It’s important to change the water every couple of days to prevent gnats from gaining ground.
Light Changes
If your African Violet is in an office or an area of low-light, try moving it to a southeastern or western-facing window. There, it should get bright but indirect light, which African Violet’s thrive on.
Make sure the plant’s pot is about 3″ inches back from the windowpane to ensure a maximum amount of light is reaching it through the glass.
Fertilizer and Soil Solutions
In terms of fertilizer, use one formulated for African Violets and don’t use it more than once a month during the growing season. You may want to drench the soil 3-4 times per year to remove excess salt buildup, as well.
If you’ve had your African Violet for more than two years, you should also re-pot your plant. Soil nutrients don’t last forever, and fresh soil may be all you need to prevent yellow leaves.
It’s important to note that African Violets don’t like traditional potting soil. They prefer sphagnum peat moss, which you can find at most garden stores.
As for the yellow leaves that are already growing, you can pinch them off. This should encourage new, healthy growth.
If these solutions don’t fix your yellowing leaves, there may be a deeper issue at hand. In these cases, you may have to turn to nonorganic methods such as fungicides or pesticides to help.
Put these tips to use, and before you know it, your African Violet will have healthy, velvety green leaves.