What to do when the leaves of a ZZ plant turn yellow? Here's how to handle it correctly

The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is a shade-tolerant foliage plant of the Araceae family and has become a popular indoor ornamental plant in recent years. Its leaves resemble strings of coins, which is why it is called the money tree. However, many people find that the leaves turn yellow after keeping one for a while, without knowing the reason. Below, let's take a look at the causes of yellowing leaves in ZZ plants.

1. Improper watering

The ZZ plant likes a warm, hot and slightly dry environment and is fairly drought-tolerant, so it should not be watered too much, lest the leaves turn yellow. In daily care, simply spray some water on the leaves regularly to wash off the fine dust attached to them, and at the same time be sure to provide some shade. When the room temperature is above 33°C, spray water once a day to keep the soil only slightly moist. In winter, be sure to spray water on the plant surface and the surrounding environment so that the relative air humidity stays above 50%. After autumn, reduce watering, or replace watering with spraying, to help the newly sprouted tender leaves survive the winter safely. In winter, note that the soil should not be too wet; slightly dry is preferable, otherwise at low temperatures overly wet soil can very easily cause root rot and death, or even the death of the whole plant.

2. Improper fertilizing

The ZZ plant likes fertilizer fairly well, but the amount must be controlled properly. During the growing season, you can apply a diluted mixture of urea and monopotassium phosphate 2-3 times a month. After autumn, to help it overwinter safely, stop applying nitrogen fertilizer and apply 0.3% monopotassium phosphate solution 2-3 times in a row to promote the hardening and filling out of the young leaf stalks and newly sprouted leaves. When the temperature drops below 15°C, stop fertilizing immediately, so that low temperatures do not cause fertilizer burn to the roots.

3. Soil problems

Insufficient soil acidity is also one of the causes of yellowing leaves in ZZ plants. Because of the special climate of its place of origin, the ZZ plant developed strong drought resistance, so the growing soil should preferably have good permeability, with the pH adjusted to between 6 and 6.5, that is, slightly acidic. Since the ZZ plant has large tubers and a well-developed root system, choose a blue-and-white porcelain pot or purple clay pot with a deeper bottom for planting, but put plenty of small stones, brick pieces or bark chunks in the bottom of the pot to create a well-aerated environment for its roots.

4. Pests

Pests are also a cause of yellow leaves in ZZ plants. In poorly ventilated and dim environments, ZZ plant leaves are very susceptible to scale insects, which causes yellow leaves. So you can use clear tape to stick off the insects on the ZZ plant, or use a wet cloth to wipe off the live insects, or during the peak hatching period of the nymphs, spray a 1000-fold dilution of 20% buprofezin wettable powder, which gives good pest control results.

The above is an introduction to what to do when the leaves of a ZZ plant turn yellow. We hope it helps you. For more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.