Kalanchoe leaves turning yellow - after investigation, it turned out the office windows were never opened

A few days ago at the office, the manager was admiring the plants in the office and pointed at a plant that had not bloomed, asking what flower it was and why its leaves had turned yellow. When Huahua later passed by, she discovered that it was actually the leaves of the Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) that had turned yellow.

So Huahua quickly thought about whether something had gone wrong to make the periwinkle leaves change. Yellowing leaves are not a big deal - with careful care they will recover. Just do not let the leaves keep turning yellow, because that could affect whether the kalanchoe blooms in the future. A kalanchoe that does not bloom - does that not sound a bit off?

First, Huahua observed the kalanchoe leaves to see whether there were any signs of pest damage. You should know that if a kalanchoe gets infested by pests, those pests will gradually suck the sap from the leaves, causing the leaves to turn yellow and wither. After checking the leaves, luckily there was no pest damage.

Next, Huahua thought about whether it was because the kalanchoe had not been watered recently. But someone at the office waters the plants on schedule every day, so this problem should not occur. Still, Huahua should remind everyone that kalanchoe is not tolerant of waterlogging, so normally water it as little as possible. If root rot occurs, that would be troublesome. If the kalanchoe leaves really did turn yellow because of overwatering, then the only option is to pour out the excess water and leave it in a cool place to dry out.

If it is not a watering problem, then could it be a fertilizing problem? Recently at the office, the plants had not been fertilized often either, so this can be ruled out. If a kalanchoe is overfertilized, it can also cause the leaves to turn yellow. This is basically because too much fertilizer burns the kalanchoe's roots; once the roots are damaged, the leaves naturally turn yellow and show corresponding reactions. So everyone must pay attention: when fertilizing normally, be sure to dilute the fertilizer before applying it to the plants, otherwise the plants may very well die.

Then could it be a shading problem? Probably not either. Although the plants at the office are placed by the windowsill, a building in front blocks part of the sunlight, so it can be considered a spot with indirect light. This kind of indirect light will not make kalanchoe leaves turn yellow; only intense sunlight in summer will do that.

If none of the above reasons apply, then it can only be a ventilation problem. Since autumn has not fully arrived yet, the office still has the air conditioning on and the windows closed every day. Once the air stops circulating, plants inevitably "get sick". So the cause of the problem was finally found - it was because there was no ventilation. Now that Huahua knew the reason, she quickly moved the kalanchoe to a ventilated place.

After this incident of the kalanchoe leaves turning yellow, did you learn anything along with Huahua? No? Then read it a few more times!