What to do when osmanthus leaves turn yellow? Cause analysis and solutions
Osmanthus is one of China's ten traditional famous flowers, itself a widely renowned flower variety, and on top of that, once it blooms its fragrance spreads in all directions, rich yet not pungent, and smelling it makes one feel refreshed. That is why many people like to keep a pot of it at home. But when growing it, people often run into yellowing leaves, which is actually caused by improper cultivation. Today Qinnong Net will explain to everyone what is going on when osmanthus leaves turn yellow.
1. Improper watering causes yellow osmanthus leaves
Improper watering means watering too much or too little, and both situations can cause yellow osmanthus leaves. Watering too much causes waterlogging in the pot soil, which leads to some fibrous roots rotting and a weaker ability to absorb nutrients, thus producing yellow leaves; watering too little, on the other hand, happens because the water supplied is less than the amount evaporated by the leaves, and the water cannot meet the demand, causing the leaves to turn yellow.
Solutions:
These two situations are completely different, so the ways of dealing with them are different too. If it is overwatering, you need to immediately control watering and fertilizing, often loosen the soil around the flower to increase air permeability, and in severe cases take the plant out of the soil and replant it in relatively dry soil; if the yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, move the pot to a shady place to reduce evaporation, and at the same time you can spray a little water on the leaves. By no means pour a large amount of water into the soil, as it easily causes the plant to die.
2. Alkaline soil causes yellow osmanthus leaves
Osmanthus is mostly adapted to the climate of subtropical regions, where the soil is mostly acidic. If the soil is alkaline, the osmanthus grown in it may grow poorly, bloom far less, and also develop yellow leaves.
Solutions:
Usually after planting we should spray a 0.1% to 0.3% magnesium sulfate solution to improve the acidic environment in the soil, or we can apply ferrous sulfate solution or small granules to the soil, which both makes the soil slightly acidic and increases soil fertility, promoting osmanthus blooming.
3. Improper fertilizing causes yellow osmanthus leaves
Likewise, improper fertilizing means fertilizing too much or too little, and these two situations can also cause osmanthus leaves to turn yellow. Fertilizing too much, especially too much nitrogen fertilizer while lacking phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, easily causes leaves to turn yellow; the specific signs of this situation are new leaves being thick and fleshy with most leaf surfaces uneven, while old leaves gradually turn yellow and fall off; fertilizing too little, on the other hand, means nutrients cannot keep up with the plant's growth, showing as weak branches and leaves, with thin and yellow leaves.
Solutions:
If it is overfertilizing, immediately stop fertilizing, increase the amount of watering so the fertilizer flows out through the drainage holes, or directly replace part of the old soil and rinse the soil ball with water, then replace it with new growing medium and replant; if it is underfertilizing, promptly repot, take the plant out, switch to a pot one size larger, fill it with new loose and fertile growing medium, and replant it properly. After watering thoroughly, place it in half-shade to recover. Once it resumes growth, apply a dilute liquid fertilizer or compound chemical fertilizer.
The above is what Qinnong Net has introduced about the causes and solutions for yellowing osmanthus leaves, and we hope it can be of some help. Besides its ornamental use, osmanthus can also be used as the raw material for making osmanthus tea; the brewed tea has a pleasant fragrance and is loved by many people. If you are interested, why not also try the osmanthus you grow at home, it will surely have a distinctive flavor!