What to Do When Snake Plant Leaves Turn Yellow? Detailed Solutions

The snake plant is also known as bowstring hemp, Saint George's sword, and so on. It is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Sansevieria in the family Asparagaceae (formerly Liliaceae). Its rhizome grows in a creeping manner, the plant can reach about 1 m in height, the leaves grow in clusters and stand upright, and it has horizontally creeping rhizomes. When grown at home it often does not bloom, and it is mainly grown for its foliage. Now let us take a look at what to do when snake plant leaves turn yellow!

What to do when snake plant leaves turn yellow?

1. The snake plant is fairly drought-tolerant, and its roots are somewhat fleshy. If the soil drains poorly and lacks air, the roots readily rot, and once the roots are damaged, the leaves will of course wilt.

2. The snake plant lacks sunlight. Even indoor plants need sunlight; without sufficient light they will wither. Now that spring has arrived, it is recommended to place it somewhere with fairly abundant sunlight.

3. The snake plant has been exposed to wind. This is what older flower growers say, because the snake plant cannot be placed in an overly ventilated environment.

4. The snake plant lacks trace elements such as iron, calcium and magnesium. At this time the corresponding trace elements should be supplemented in appropriate amounts.

5. Yellowing leaves on the snake plant may be due to the root system being too well developed. In this case it needs repotting.

6. The snake plant may have pests or diseases. If repotting during this period, it is best to turn over and sun-dry both the pot and the potting soil.

How to grow the snake plant

1. Soil: The snake plant is not demanding about soil and can be managed fairly extensively. It likes loose sandy soil and humus soil, and tolerates drought and poor, thin soil. For pot culture, use 3 parts fertile garden soil and 1 part coal cinders, then add a small amount of soybean cake crumbs or poultry manure as a base fertilizer. It grows very robustly, and even when the pot is packed full it does not stop growing. Generally repot once every two years, in spring.

2. Light: The snake plant grows well under conditions of sufficient light. Apart from midsummer, when direct blazing sun must be avoided, it should receive plenty of sunlight in the other seasons. If it is placed in a spot indoors that is too dark for too long, the leaves will darken and lose their vitality. However, an indoor potted plant must not suddenly be moved into the sunlight; it should first be acclimated in a dark spot to avoid scorching the leaves. If indoor conditions do not allow it, it can also be placed somewhere fairly close to sunlight.

3. Temperature: The snake plant is native to western Africa and southern Asia, and is distributed in tropical Africa and India. The suitable growing temperature is 20-30°C, and the overwintering temperature is 10°C. In winter the temperature must not stay below 10°C for long, otherwise the base of the plant will rot, causing the death of the whole plant.

4. Water: The snake plant should be watered in moderation, following the principle of preferring dry over wet. Usually wipe dust off the leaf surface with clean water to keep the leaves clean and glossy. In spring, when new plants sprout at the root crown, water a little more to keep the potting soil moist. In the hot summer season the potting soil should also be kept moist regularly. After late autumn the amount of watering should be controlled, keeping the potting soil relatively dry to enhance cold resistance. During the winter dormant period, watering should be controlled to keep the soil dry, and watering should avoid pouring into the leaf clusters.

5. Fertilizing: The snake plant does not demand much from fertilizer. If only nitrogen fertilizer is applied for a long time, the markings on the leaves will fade, so a compound fertilizer is generally used. Fertilizing should not be excessive. During the peak growing period, fertilizer can be applied 1-2 times a month, in small amounts. Standard compost can be used when repotting, and in the growing season a thin liquid fertilizer can be applied 1-2 times a month to keep the leaves verdant and thick. Cooked soybeans can also be buried evenly in the soil at the edge of the pot in 3 holes, 7-10 beans per hole, taking care not to let them touch the roots. Stop fertilizing from November to March of the following year.

Pest and disease control for the snake plant

1. Bacterial soft rot

[Symptoms] After infection, the leaves change from green to light yellow to grayish yellow, and a water-soaked soft rot appears at the base of the stem near the ground. In the later stage the affected leaves readily topple and break. When the rhizome is infected, it shows straw-yellow soft rot, and the roots rot and die. Roots also turn black, rot and die when waterlogged. The disease is especially severe in spring and summer with high temperatures and frequent rain, and in typhoon and heavy rain weather. The pathogen is caused by bacteria.

[Control] In winter and spring, keep the temperature above 10°C and control watering; in the hot midsummer weather, provide slight shading. In the vigorous spring and autumn growing periods, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to improve disease resistance. It is best to choose disease-free soil, burnt soil, or soil sterilized by heat before planting. Diseased leaves found should be cut off and burned promptly. In the early stage of the disease, you can use medical streptomycin sulfate at 2000 times dilution, 47% Kasumin wettable powder at 700 times dilution, or 30% Ludewo suspension concentrate at 500 times dilution, spraying once every 5-7 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays.

2. Fusarium leaf spot

[Symptoms] Fusarium leaf spot, also called leaf spot disease, first appears on the leaves as round lesions, whose diameter can expand to 12 mm. They are slightly sunken, light reddish brown, with a pale yellow edge. The lesions are scattered, covering the whole leaf; the center of the lesion dries up and falls off, forming a hole. When several lesions merge and girdle the leaf, the part above the diseased area dies. The pathogen is a fungus of the order Sphaeriales in the subdivision Deuteromycotina. The disease occurs easily in hot, rainy seasons.

[Control] Reduce soil moisture. In the early stage of the disease, you can use Bordeaux mixture, 53.8% Kocide 2000 dry suspension concentrate at 1000 times dilution, or 47% Kasumin wettable powder at 700 times dilution, spraying 2-3 consecutive times, once every 5-7 days.

3. Anthracnose

[Symptoms] The lesions begin at the leaf tip or leaf edge and are brown; the lesion surface shows obvious or indistinct concentric rings, and scattered or regularly arranged small black dots form on the diseased leaves. The pathogen is a fungus of the subdivision Deuteromycotina, called Colletotrichum sansevieriae. In the south, high temperatures together with shaded, humid conditions favor the disease, and it is especially severe from April to June.

[Control] In winter and spring, cut off diseased leaf parts and withered diseased leaves, and apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. In the early stage of the disease, promptly spray 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 800 times dilution, or 75% chlorothalonil + 70% thiophanate wettable powder (1:1) at 1000 times dilution.

4. Arrowhead scale

[Symptoms] Adults and nymphs gather on young branches and leaves to suck sap, causing the leaves to turn grayish green or yellow, and causing the whole plant to wither.

[Control] The best time to apply pesticide is during the dispersal and migration period of the nymphs, when the insect body has no wax powder or shell and its resistance to chemicals is weakest. You can use 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 500-1000 times dilution, or 50% malathion emulsifiable concentrate at 600-800 times dilution, 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 800 times dilution, 25% phosmet or insecticide or 30% fenbromophos and other emulsifiable concentrates at 400-600 times dilution, or 50% phenthoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-2000 times dilution.