As houseplants known for its sharp green foliage, it can be concerning when the snake plant leaves start to turn yellow and soft. Here are the most common reasons for snake plants that turn yellow and steps you can take to revive the plant to its former glory.
Soft yellow snake plant leaves typically appear due to overwatering. Snake plants don’t actually need much water. You just need to water once the topsoil starts to feel dry. Problems like yellow leaves can be easily avoided by making sure the snake plant is potted in well-draining soil.
It’s important to note that the size of the container can indirectly affect the moisture contained in the soil. The potted soil could be holding more water than the plant needs if the container or pot is too big for the snake plant. A wet environment would encourage the development of fungus which, in turn, can increase the risk of the leaves turning yellow and soft.
Snake plants can also turn yellow and soft if it doesn’t get enough sunlight. In order for the snake plant to thrive, you will want to place it in an area of the house or office space that gets at least five hours of indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight isn’t recommended as too much light exposure can discolor the leaves and stems of the plant.
Snake plants might be resilient houseplants but you still need to make sure that it is growing in healthy soil. Haven’t fertilized the soil in a long time? An organic all-purpose houseplant food should work just fine.
Generally speaking, it’s unlikely for yellow snake plant leaves to turn yellow again but if you do catch the development of yellow and soft leaves at an early-enough stage then it might be possible to revive them. This, however, is dependent on you finding the cause as soon as possible and making the appropriate changes to reduce the amount of stress on the plant.
My snake plant is turning yellow at the base. The leaves are also turnign wrinkly and soft. I haven’t changed anything recently. What would explain the poor state of my snake plant?
I think my snake plant is suffering from root rot and this in turn is causing the yellow leaves. What’s the safest way of handling a snake plant suffering from root rot. Please suggest! This plant means a lot to me.
I recently repotted my snake plant and the leaves are now starting to turn yellow. I am hoping this is a temporary phase as the plant gets used to its new environment. Is there anything else I can do to aid my snake plant’s recovery process?