Yellow Leaves on Corn Plant- Most Common Reasons and Solutions

Do you have an issue with yellow leaves on Corn Plant? If so, read on to find out how to help your plant!

The Corn plant, also known as Dracaena, is one of those houseplants that are very low maintenance. Many people like having them around because they are easy to deal with, but have a nice look to them, as usually is the case with succulents.

However, the Dracaena plant can still get yellowing leaves, or a yellow leaf spot here and there, or even brown spots. Corn plants can get these kinds of problems because of many different causes. Problems with watering, temperature, disease, and even fertilizing can be the cause of your Dracaena plant’s leaves turning yellow. The good news is that the remedies for these issues with yellow leaves are quite easy to do, and you probably won’t have to put too much effort into it.

But first, let’s see what are the root causes here, and then we’ll tell you what it is that you should do.

Why Dracaena Plants get Yellowing Leaves

There are many causes for yellowing leaves on Dracaena plants. Down below, you’ll find some of the most common ones, and it’s very likely that one of them will be exactly what you’re dealing with.

Watering And Humidity Problems

Like any other succulent, Corn plants are sensitive to a lot of things regarding water.

This plant requires a regular watering schedule, so it’s easy to give them excess water or to not give them enough, it really can be a fine line.

So, the main things to avoid would be inconsistent watering and overwatering.

Overwatering can cause yellow leaves, or brown spots, and even a black stem.

The discoloration that occurs will be located in the center and the tips of the leaves.

Depending on where you live, your tap water and its content can be causing problems with your corn plants, too.

In some areas, higher doses of fluoride or chlorine are added in order to clear up the water, but that can be problematic for your plants.

Also, the overall humidity levels in your home can cause problems. Specifically, if your area is dry, it can cause brown tips on your Corn plant’s leaves.

But most commonly, too much moisture in the soil is the main cause of yellow or browning leaves of the Dracaena plant.

Temperature Issues

Dracaena plants thrive in tropical environments, as this is where they are originally from.

While they do like a warm environment, they prefer to be in indirect sunlight, so be sure to keep the pots out of direct sun exposure.

If your Dracaena plant is in a room where you have an air conditioner, it’s very likely that this is causing the leaves to turn yellow.

If your Corn plant is placed outside, make sure that you bring it inside when the temperature drops below 55°F (12°C), especially in the evenings.

Some other issues that can occur, and that can be an indication for you that the temperature is the root problem, are drying leaves, as well as leaves that are curling in towards themselves, and even a stem that is tilting away from the sunlight.

Diseases

Ad with any other plant kind, Dracaena plants can get diseases.

The most common ones that attack Corn plants are root rot, leaf spot, and flicking. Here’s how each one of these looks:

• Root Rot is very easy to notice, as it goes with brown and yellow leaves and a soft and black stem. This specific issue is usually caused by some kind of fungus or overwatering. Or, the fungus can appear because you’ve been overwatering your Dracaena plant.
• Leaf Spot comes with brown or black spots all over the leaves, and yellow halos on the leaves. Another thing that can happen is that the leaf tips can get black and curl. Most often, this is also a consequence of fungus.
• Flecking usually happens when your plant is deficient in something. You can recognize flecking by yellow and white spots on the tips.

While diseases can be detrimental to your plants if you act accordingly once you notice them, getting rid of them won’t be much of an issue.

Don’t panic, but make sure that you take the situation seriously.

Fertilizing Issues

As we briefly mentioned, lack of some nutrients can be damaging for good plant health, as it is with humans.

Just like you feel bad when some important nutrients are lacking from your diet, the same can happen with the Dracaena plant, and the way it will signal that to you is with leaves that are turning yellow.

The Dracaena plant is actually very sensitive to fluoride, and if your water also has high doses of it, fertilizer with fluoride in it can just make things worse.

When managing nutrient deficiencies with fertilizing, make sure to take into consideration where your plant lives, as indoor Corn plants require way less fertilizer than the ones on the outside.

Solutions For Yellowing Dracaena Leaves

The solutions that you can use when Dracaena leaves turn brown or yellow are quite easy to find and to do a little DIY.

Here are the solutions for each of the mentioned causes.

How To Fix Dracaena Watering Problems

As already mentioned, overwatering is quite a big issue with Dracaena plants, as they don’t like being consistently moist.

The best way to deal with this is to create a watering schedule that your Dracaena likes.

The best way to go around watering is to water your plant and have a bit of wet soil, and then simply let the soil dry, and don’t add any water until it’s completely dried again.

To deal with low humidity levels, you should find a good humidifier for the room. Another solution for yellowing caused by low humidity is to mist the Dracaena with water from time to time.

If you find out that the content of your tap water is creating issues, then you should opt for using distilled water or filtered water for watering Dracaena.

But, the most common cause for yellowing tends to be overwatering, as people can panic when they see the potting soil drying out.

Remember, excess water can also be the cause of root rot fungus, and you definitely don’t want that.

How To Fix Temperature Issues

The two things Dracaena likes for sure are warm temperatures and bright sunlight.

But not direct sunlight.

If you have a Dracaena that has yellowing leaves then you should immediately find a way to relocate it.

When exposed to the Sun directly, the leaves will absolutely turn yellow, and they can even start turning brown at some point.

The most obvious solution here is to make sure to keep your Dracaena inside when the temperatures drop, and to always keep a thermometer close.

Make sure that your Dracaena is not in a room with air conditioning, and that you don’t keep an open window overnight near it.

If your Dracaena is cold, you’ll need to relocate it to a room that gets more sun, and if it’s too hot, then place the pot in a cooler location, just be sure that there is no direct light shining onto it.

While too much light won’t cause yellowing, the Dracaena won’t be as vibrant and green as it can be when the conditions are good.

How To Deal With Dracaena Pests and Insects

Different pests can cause Dracaena yellowing, and depending on what the root issue is.

The first thing to check for is root rot.

To make sure the roots are okay, you’ll have to remove the plant from the soil and see what the roots look like.

If they are black and wet-looking, the plant roots are probably rotting.

The best solution for this is to take a healthy cutting from the plant because the parent plant will most likely die.

Remember, excess water is the main cause of this, so make sure that your plant doesn’t have wet soil all of the time.

Another possible disease is leaf spot.

The first thing you do when you realize that your plant has leaf spot is to move it away from other plants you might have, as it can spread.

Then, after making sure that your tools are sterilized, cut away the parts of the leaves that are turning yellow.

After that, you should make a solution out of baking soda and mineral oil and spray the affected areas of the plant.

Finally, your plant can be affected by flecking.

This problem requires more complicated care, as flecking is basically a sign that your plant is lacking nutrients.

The plant care plan for getting rid of flecking should be as diligent as possible.

To provide all the plant care that is needed, you have to make sure that all of the conditions are the best.

Your watering schedule should be perfected, the place where you keep your plant should also have perfect conditions regarding humidity, temperature, and fertilizing.

How To Deal With Fertilizer Issues

While fertilizing your plant can have many great benefits, you have to make sure that you’re using the right fertilizer and that you are doing it appropriately.

The main way to see that the fertilizer is causing problems to your plant is to check whether there’s perlite in the soil.

Make sure that you change your soil and the potting mix every two years, so there’s no fluoride build-up.

Another thing to keep in mind if you wish to avoid yellowing is that the fertilizer you use should be water-soluble and balanced.

During the growing season, you should fertilize the plant every two weeks, as the periods of rapid growth are when it needs it the most.

The ideal fertilizer for the best plant care results is a fertilizer that has a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratio of 3-1-2.

When there’s no new growth and the growing season isn’t active, you don’t have to fertilize.

When your Corn plant is still a new plant, you should not fertilize it, you need to wait at least for a month until you start, as it needs to adjust to the new environment.

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