It used to be the case that you could only find African violets with purple flowers.
These days, breeders have coaxed all kinds of exciting hues out of the plants, with cultivars that bloom in pink, white, and even yellow.
I love to see the variety of colors out there, but where I don’t want to see odd coloration is on the foliage.
Let me clarify: there are variegated African violet types that sport enchanting whorls and swirls of cream and banana yellow that contrast with the green.
But leaves turning yellow when they aren’t supposed to? That’s a sign something is wrong.
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African violets might have yellow foliage for a number of reasons, ranging from water issues to lack of nutrients or even the dreaded root rot.
In our guide to growing African violets, we cover how to cultivate these attractive plants in your home.
And if you’ve noticed yellow leaves on your plants, this guide will help you figure out what’s causing it and how to resolve the issue.
Here are the common culprits we’ll discuss:
1. Not Enough Sunlight
Finding the perfect amount of light for African violets can be tricky. Too much and the leaves turn yellow, too little, and the same can happen.
In the case of too little light, you won’t see dry patches or discolored areas; they’ll be pale and wan all over. New growth will be leggy.
If your African violet never blooms, has pale leaves, and nothing else seems to be wrong, I’d put “too little light” at the top of your suspect list.
African violets can handle quite a lot more light than you might expect. In fact, they bloom best with some all-day dappled sun or direct sunlight in the morning. Ideally they want plenty of bright, indirect light.
Go ahead and move it into a slightly brighter location, but do it gradually.
If you move the plant too quickly, you’ll end up with the problem of sunburn. And that’s a whole other cause of yellowing foliage.
If necessary, you can also use supplemental grow lights. Place the lights 10 to 30 inches away from the African violets and leave them on for six to 12 hours a day, depending on how much natural light the houseplant is receiving.
2. Too Much Sunlight
When African violets are exposed to too much direct sun, it can cause burning on the leaves that turns them yellow.
As discussed above, these houseplants need bright, indirect light, and are ideally placed near a south-, west-, or east-facing window. But sometimes, that isn’t quite enough light to encourage flowering.
So perhaps you move the plant into a spot where it will receive some direct morning sun.
Before you know it, most of the leaves have turned yellow or tan and appear dry where the most intense sun hits them.
And when I say “you,” I mean me. I’ve done this a few times in my impatience to try and help my African violets produce flowers.
As long as the sun isn’t too intense, if you move your African violet to a brighter location, it will send out new foliage that is able to handle the brighter exposure.
I’ve found that direct morning sun for a few hours is fine. But any amount of afternoon sun in my area is way too bright.
If your African violet has sunburn, the best way to resolve it is to move the plant back to a darker spot and then gradually move it somewhere brighter – if you need to.
We’re talking about moving it into direct sun for maybe 30 minutes on the first day. You can add another 30 minutes or so every day for a week and then your plant should be ready for life in the limelight.
Prune off any sun damaged leaves as they won’t heal and they just drain energy from the plant.
3. Nutrient Deficiency
African violets are hungry! They are the Labrador retrievers of the plant world, happily eating from your plate as well as the leftovers on the countertop.
Well, that’s possibly an exaggeration about African violets, but not Labradors.
If you aren’t feeding your African violets almost every time you water, it’s possible that your plant is starving.
Labs will tell you they’re feeling faint with hunger by staring at you longingly anytime you walk in the general direction of the kitchen. Your African violet will tell you by its leaves turning yellow.
Typically, it’s the older, lower leaves that will change color. If all of the foliage is discolored, I’d look to other causes before nutrient deficiency.
Nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies are the most common, but a lack of any of the essential nutrients can result in yellowing leaves. To fix it, grab a mild, all-purpose food, dilute it to about a quarter strength, and feed the soil.
Every time you water after that, do so with fertilizer diluted to one-eighth strength.
I like Dr. Earth’s Pump and Grow food. It comes in a handy pump container and is made using waste produce scraps from grocery stores.
Dr. Earth Pump and Grow
It’s balanced and mild, with a NPK ratio of 1-1-1, so it’s perfect for African violets – and lots of other houseplants! Grab a 16-ounce bottle at Arbico Organics.
4. Pest Infestation
The other day I was marveling at how many critters in my garden were trying to make a meal of the various insects.
I watched as a downy woodpecker hunted through my mock oranges and an orb weaver devoured a wasp.
On the ground, my chickens scoured the soil, and a ladybug hunted aphids on my roses.
A few hours later, the bats left their box on my chimney and started scooping up the mosquitoes hovering nearby.
Outdoors, there are a lot of creatures that keep insect pests in check. Indoors, it’s a different story. There aren’t any birds or bats, and I regularly sweep out any spiderwebs.
So, when pests find their way into your home and onto your plant, it can quickly become a big problem. Without predators, they can reproduce and spread rapidly.
One of the most common signs of pest feeding is yellowing leaves. It might be stippling or it might be an all-over color change.
Not all houseplant pests will cause discoloration, though. It’s typically those that feed by sucking the sap out of the plant, like aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites.
Examine any specimens you suspect of being infested for anything that might look like a pest, including little oval bugs, webbing, or honeydew, which is the sticky feces they leave behind.
If you see any of those symptoms, it’s time to isolate the plant and spray it with a stream of lukewarm water over a sink or tub to knock off the pests. Then, treat it with an insecticidal soap once a week until you see no more signs of pest activity.
The discolored leaves may not recover, so you can prune these out if a large area of the leaf is affected. If it’s just an edge or a spot here or there, leave them in place to avoid stressing the plant.
5. Root Rot
African violets like moisture, but not too much. I love a good hour in the hot tub, but if I had to soak in it for 24 hours a day for weeks, I’d probably start turning yellow, too!
When you consistently overwater a plant, you’re essentially drowning the roots, preventing them from absorbing oxygen from the soil. That’s when the foliage changes color and might even start to shrivel up and fall off.
Typically, there will also be soggy brown spots on the leaves, some wilting, and the foliage will start to rot. The plant might even smell bad.
If you dig down into the soil or unpot the plant to look at the roots, you’ll find that they are soggy and stinky.
To fix root rot, prune off any dead foliage and then remove the plant from the pot. Wash away all the dirt and examine the roots.
Cut off any that are soggy, broken, black, or otherwise sickly-looking. Wash the container thoroughly in hot soapy water before repotting in fresh soil.
Learn more about root rot and how to manage it in our guide.
Keep the Yellow Color to the Flowers
Yellow African violets? Gorgeous. Variegated foliage? Stunning. Yellowing leaves? Not so great. Think of discolored foliage as your plant’s attempt to tell you that something is going wrong and needs to be fixed.
I hope I gave you the tools you needed to figure out what is causing discoloration, but if you still have any questions or need help, let us know in the comments section below.
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