Can yellow leaves turn green again and how can you fix it?

You see how the streets change when the fall season comes: leaves at autumn trees start to fall and turn yellow, red, and orange, and you feel the pumpkin smell and drink hot tea or coffee. But can yellow leaves turn green again at your plants? 

Can yellow leaves turn green again?

If your plants have yellow leaves, it means that they are under the stress. 

There are many reasons for it, starting from rare watering and bad lightning, ending with the process of acclimatization, too high or too low temperature and various diseases. 

So the answer is “no”, they cannot turn green again. 

If you see that your plant has a few yellow leaves, or it has only started to change color, you can save it and help if you quickly find a cause of it. Yellow leaves are like a sign that something goes wrong. Sometimes, if the reason for stress is serious enough, you cannot return the green color even if you know what has led to the change.

Why do the leaves turn yellow?

In leafy, there is a chemical which reflects the green light. It is called “chlorophyll”. Chlorophyll has its role in the process of photosynthesis. When the chemicals break down, the leaf loses its green color. 

The yellow color is always in the leaves, so the foliage does not change color. When the chlorophyll is dominant, the leaves are green, but when it reduces, the leaves are turning yellow. 

Should you remove yellow leaves from plants?

The yellow leaves do not produce energy anymore from the moment when they are completely yellow. So you can discard it. But the plant itself can also let the yellow leaf drop without your help.

If you do not want to wait till the yellow leaf falls by itself, you may try to tug it. If it is hard, and you see that the leaf is not ready to detach, you should stop and instead use scissors. Please sterilize them before using. Rubbing alcohol or any other proven source can help.

If you see that the leaf is partly yellow and this leaf does not spread pathogens, you can cut the yellow part and in this way save the green one and prolong its lifetime.

Reasons why there is a yellow leaf in the plant

As you have read before, there are different causes which lead to the changing color in your plants. Here you may read about the reasons why leaf turns yellow :

Plant’s natural life cycle

As your plant leaves grow, they become older and you have aging foliage. The new plant’s leaves shut the previous ones, and so the aging leaves lose their green color and become yellow. According to this, the lower leaves are more mature than the higher ones. It is hard to predict how fast the leaf will change its color.

Too much water

This reason is the common one for all owners of plants. You may think that if you water them more, they will be healthier, but it does not work like that, you even make the leaves turn yellow instead. If the overwatering is the reason for your plant’s leaves turning yellow, you will see several yellowing leaves turn at once.

Photosynthesis requires nutrients and humidity. If the soil is too wet, it is hard for leaves to achieve it. So, when you are going to water, check whether the soil is damp or not.

Overwatering may cause not only the plant’s yellow leaves, but also root rot. Root rot can decompose the soil and completely kill the plant.

To solve the problem with overwatering, you should let your soil become completely dry and then water again.

If you noticed early that your soil is too wet, you can save your leaves from turning yellow, but if the process has started and the damage is significant, you cannot do anything for your leaves to turn green.

Too little water

Your plant’s roots may choke if the soil is too wet, and your houseplant cannot transfer water to the leaves. But it’s not very common. If you see the soil dry and the leaves turned yellow, you may suppose this variant.

Poor water quality

When you live in the city, you may notice that tap water contains chlorine. When you water your plant, you can affect it. It is not the chlorine that can contaminate the soil, but if you see that plant leaves turn yellow, you can try to change the water: purified, for example, or rainwater.

Bad lighting

In both situations, when the leaf reflects too much light or too little light make it turns yellow. You may suppose this problem with yellowing leaves if you see that the furthest from the light leaves start turning yellow.

Lack of nutrients

This is a rare problem you can face when you have yellow leaves. But if the nitrogen deficiency is the reason for leaves turning yellow, you can add the fertilizer, but you should be careful because over fertilization can cause the same issue.

You may also be interested in: Menards Fertilizer Vs Scotts (Which is the Superior Choice).

Problems with pH

Before planting something, you should check the pH level it requires, then check your soil and use some modest applications if needed.

Low humidity level

If your plants lack of humidity, they arise yellow leaves instead of green ones. You may put a humidifier near your plant place so your plants will not feel dry anymore.

Small container

Sometimes your root bounds may have no free space for growing, so you should find a larger container for your plant because this is also a reason for yellow leaves.

Shock after transplantation

In this case, if it is the cause of having yellow leaves on your plant, you should just take care of your plant more, and then it may help you with your yellow leaves turning green again.

Spreading of pests and diseases

It is one of the most serious problems you can have with your herb because it leads not only to the leaf yellowing but also to the holes and even damage to green leaves. If you find the reason quickly, you can reduce leaves to turn yellow and then will green ones grow.

Should you remove yellow leaves from the plant?

If the reason is poor watering or missing nutrients, you can remove yellow leaves. You should cut at the base of it, so the young leaves will have enough light and nutrients and new green leaves will grow.

If the problem lies in pests or disease, you should remove all the leaves, when yellowing starts, and wait for new growth after you put fertilizer.

How do you revive a plant with yellow leaves?

It is almost impossible to stop it if the leaves are turning yellow. But you can prevent your plant from nutrient deficiencies, dying leaves, and insufficient light if you know the requirements before planting and take care of your plants effectively and then the green leaves will come back to you.

Can you fix a yellow leaf?

As you may have read before, it is hard to fix a leaf, but you can prevent it if you know why most plants have this issue. You may consider next notes:

• Water your plants regularly
• Check your soil
• Use fertilizer if there are pests and diseases

Conclusion

You may be very upset if you see your leaves falling, and I will understand you. Falling yellow leaves does not always mean that you are a bad owner of plants. Sometimes they are just too old to grow and cannot live anymore. It is sad, but you cannot do anything with it.

However, there are different problems you may have besides lifespan: lightning, soil problems, pH problems and many others. If you want to know how to solve them, read the previous paragraphs.

Anyway, do not just throw your plant if you see yellow on its leaves: sometimes you can save it and you will see young green leaves. Just keep in mind previous advice and everything will be okay with your foliage.