What to Do When ZZ Plant Leaves Turn Yellow? Causes and Prevention Methods

The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is an extremely popular potted plant, and there are many growers in our country, with relatively high demand for cultivation. When growing it, people often run into the problem of yellowing leaves. Because of batch cultivation, it can be somewhat difficult for everyone to find the cause. Below, the editor will introduce some common causes to give everyone a direction for judgment.

1. Waterlogging

When cultivating in batches, people are not very meticulous about watering, and some farmers may even choose drip irrigation, which causes the ZZ plants to receive water very unevenly. Some ZZ plants closer to the water outlets will experience waterlogging; just drain the water promptly once discovered. When watering daily, try to water each plant individually to avoid waterlogging.

2. Excess Fertilizer

Fertilizing is an important matter for ZZ plants, but too much fertilizer can also cause their leaves to turn yellow. The reason is still that fertilizer accumulates at the roots, causing nutrient excess at the roots. Too many nutrients are passed to the leaves, and the leaves cannot break them down, resulting in fertilizer burn, which is especially obvious on some older leaves. At this point, control the amount of fertilizer, pause fertilizing first, let it absorb for a period, and immediately remove any obvious fertilizer present.

3. Strong Light

Friends who grow ZZ plants generally build greenhouses, and the greenhouse materials are mostly transparent, because in everyone's fixed way of thinking, plants love light. In fact, this can easily cause ZZ plants to wilt due to strong light, and eventually nutrient transport cannot keep up, causing the leaves to turn yellow. So it is best to build a shade shed, and try to let the relatively less scorching sunlight of the morning or afternoon meet the nutritional needs of the ZZ plant.

4. Soil

Soil is also a very important factor. Basically all plants have their own preferred pH level, and the ZZ plant is a plant that prefers slightly acidic soil. Generally, a pH of around 6.5-7 is most suitable for its growth. The soil should also have good permeability, and a mix containing a certain amount of sand is a good choice. For yellowing caused by soil, it is best to replace the soil promptly.

5. Diseases

Many diseases of the ZZ plant can cause the leaves to turn yellow. To judge whether it is caused by disease, just look at its roots. If the roots show serious discoloration, then it is undoubtedly caused by disease. Common brown spot disease, late blight and the like all begin with yellowing leaves in the early stages. At this time, first move away the affected plants to avoid infecting more plants, then remove the affected parts, and finally spray medication for treatment.

When cultivating ZZ plants, everyone should still be more careful. Check carefully every few days, and especially pay attention to the color changes of each plant's leaves. Also, do not plant them too densely during cultivation, because the ZZ plant is a plant with low gregariousness, and excessive density can easily trigger certain problems.