Are you wondering why succulent leaves turn yellow or brown? I have been a succulent collector for a while now and this has been a common problem for succulents. Succulents can suffer from turning translucent, yellow or brown problems if they don’t have the right growing environmental conditions.
In general, succulent leaves turn yellow or brown mainly because of the overwatering, lack of airflow and humidity issues. Overwatering is mainly due to the lack of enough drainage in the soil mix and the succulent still have enough water reserves in its leaves. The high humidity environment and lack of airflow are not ideal for succulents. Succulents also absorb water through their leaves, hence the excess moisture in the air can be detrimental to the plant.
I will discuss in more detail why the succulent leaves turn yellow or brown. I will share with you some tips and tricks on how you can avoid and save your succulents to succumb to this common problem.
Reasons why succulent leaves turn yellow or brown?
Reason # 1: Overwatering
Overwatering is one of the main reasons why succulent leaves turn yellow or brown. Overwatering is a result of the succulent soil mix doesn’t have enough drainage for the water to flow through and saving the roots to sit in excessive water within the soil medium.
I always encourage the newbie succulent growers to ensure that their soil mix has a good ratio of drainage-enhancing medium e.g. horticultural grit or perlite.
Another reason why overwatering occurs in succulents is due to excessive frequent watering. This is one of the common mistakes of a beginner succulent grower. Succulents thrive in an arid and dry environment, so they typically do not require so much water. Succulents’ stems and leaves tend to hold water reserves as well, so they will always have enough water supply for prolonged periods of dryness.
Read more: Benefits of Rain Water for Plants: Why You Should Use it?
Reason # 2: High Humidity
High humidity is one of the reasons why succulent leaves turn yellow or brown. Succulents natural habitat is an arid and dry environment. It is important for succulents to have a low humidity growing environment.
Succulent leaves tend to absorb moisture from the air, hence it is important to ensure that the growing environment has low humidity. Failure to keep the humidity down can result in damaged translucent yellow or brown leaves.
Based on my personal experience, I ensure that my succulent environment has low humidity by using a dehumidifier indoors to collect excess moisture in the air and with the help of the humidity gauge.
Reason #3: Lack of Airflow
Lack of airflow is another cause of why succulent leaves turn yellow or brown. Due to the stagnant air and lack of good ventilation, succulent leaves tend to absorb the build-up of moisture. This cause the leaves to turn yellow or brown and translucent due to the excessive water in their system.
To promote a good airflow within the grow tent and indoors where I keep my succulents, I always leave a gap on my tent and crack on the windows to ensure the air would circulate.
Reason # 4: Plant Shock
Plant shock is a thing for our dear plants. Some of the common reasons why plants enter a shock phase are when they were transplanted, sudden increase or decrease of weather, humidity, excessive sunlight etc.
The transplant shock is expected from the plants that have recently arrived in the post or transplanted from point A to B. The most common culprit for succulents is the weather changes.
It is inevitable that especially if you are living in a place where there is winter, you will get to experience a sudden drop in temperature. This can also cause your succulents to lose their leaves or turn them yellow or brown then become mushy.
Can yellow succulent leaves recover and turn green again?
Unfortunately, once the succulent leaves turn yellow due to the damage caused by overwater, high humidity and lack of airflow they would not recover and turn green again.
If the stem is still healthy, there is a chance that a new leaf or bud will grow from the stem node or grow point.
Should I remove yellow leaves from succulents?
It is ideal to remove the yellow leaves from succulents once it has been damaged. If the damaged leaf is left on the plant, this can potentially cause fungus and mildew spores. This will cause more problems for the plant and fungal infection in your succulent collection.
How do you fix yellow succulent leaves?
Fixing succulents with yellow or brown leaves is pretty easy. Removing the damaged leaves is important to promote airflow and prevent fungal rot. Also, ensure to move the succulent plant to another location if needed if it suffers from high humidity and lack of airflow.
If the succulent plant suffers from overwater, it is ideal to repot the plant into a fast-draining soil mix. This will ensure that the plant will have a better chance of survival and not sit in excessive water in its medium.
I hope that this blog post helped you in resolving your problem with your succulents. Happy growing!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ryazan Tristram
Succulent and houseplant collectorI’m Ryazan, confessed succulent-holic and proud plantita (plant mom) based in Birmingham, UK. Proud succulent hoarder for a couple of years now and my collection keeps growing! Let me help you to turn your home into a succulent and houseplant oasis that you will love!
Succulent, King Midas Echevarria, dropping leaves.
Feel it’s due to overwatering & too far from sunlight.
Moving it closer to sliding glass door & letting it dry out.
Will watch for + result!
Oh dear!! Yes, try to dry out the soil of the succulent first. I hope the roots are still ok and not yet damaged due to overwatering.