Hoya plants are one of the plants that many people love to grow in the home or office. The beauty of this plant is its green, healthy, and vibrant leaves. In particular, the white flowers mixed with purple like a brilliant hydrangea will be a special highlight of hoya plants.
This plant is relatively easy to grow, care for and does not take much time to take care of regularly. However, hoya plant leaves turning yellow will become a common problem that you need to prevent and overcome. What is the cause of the simultaneous yellowing of leaves? How can you detect early and remediate to revive your plants? Let’s find out more details in the article below.
Why Are My Hoya Plants Leaves Turning Yellow?
The phenomenon of leaves of hoya plants turning yellow at the same time can stem from many different causes. Some of the underlying causes are too much watering, too much or too little sunlight, improper temperature, pest infestation, too much fertilizer, and some other problems. Below we have listed some of the causes and solutions in detail.
Flooding Due To Too Much Watering
Hoya plants are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Therefore, their preferred environment is warm and humid conditions. The phenomenon of leaves turning yellow at the same time is because the current habitat is different from the natural habitat of this plant. One of the most common causes of this situation is over-watering and prolonged waterlogging. Constant watering and poorly drained soil will overwhelm the root system and lead to root rot.
Waterlogging prevents aeration, while the root system needs a steady supply of oxygen to stay healthy. As a result, the entire leaf will be chlorinated, causing chlorophyll to begin to break down in the leaves and cause a yellowing of the leaves. Yellow leaves will begin to appear on the lower leaves, then spread to the entire upper leaf. Their manifestation is usually the leaves swell, soften and begin to droop around the pot.
This situation is dangerous and you need to detect it early to fix it otherwise the whole roots will rot and completely damage. You need to check the drain hole on the basin and clean it to avoid blockage. The pot must have at least one drainage hole or small drainage holes on the side of the pot to prevent waterlogging.
The second issue you need to consider is the frequency of watering your hoya plants. You should only water this plant when you have tested the soil moisture. Use a moisture meter or your finger to check the moisture in the soil. If the soil has dried out by a few inches then you should water the plants. You should allow the soil to dry completely between waterings to prevent waterlogging.
If you find that the soil is too wet, the roots are slimy and the smell is rotten, the roots may have rotted. The best way to remedy this situation is to replace the soil and pot with new ones. You should take all the roots out of the pot, and inspect and remove any rotten branches. Then you clean all the healthy roots to avoid bacteria and parasitic fungi. Replace with new potting soil and new pots to eliminate bacteria harmful to the root system.
How to eliminate waterlogging
As you know, hoya plants are a form of parasitic plants. They usually survive by clinging to other trees in the forest. Therefore, they do not rely entirely on soil in their natural habitat. Therefore, hoya plants need relatively little water for healthy growth and development. This plant species tends to be more prone to waterlogging than lack of water.
Here are a few ways you can prevent waterlogging of your plants:
- Use pots that are the right size for the plants to avoid too much soil and water.
- Use well-draining potting soil to avoid constant waterlogging.
- It is not recommended to water according to the schedule, but you should rely on the actual needs of the hoya plants from time to time.
- Do not water at night and water the leaves to avoid fungal growth.
- Regularly check drainage holes for blockages caused by moss or rocks.
Soil Quality Is Not Good
Poor soil quality such as lack of nutrients, not draining or draining too quickly will also cause the leaves of hoya plants to turn yellow. The most important factor in determining the quality of the soil is good drainage. You can create a soil mix from your ingredients or choose from commercially available products.
The ideal potting mix consists of 1/3 cactus mix, 1/3 indoor organic fertilizer, and 1/3 perlite. The perlite layer at the bottom of the pot will create openings for drainage and air exchange. When you water too much, the excess water will flow out and limit waterlogging. In particular, you should only choose pots whose size corresponds to the size of the plant. Because the pot is too big will contain a large amount of soil and water will also cause waterlogging.
Too Much Sunshine
Hoya plants usually live on low levels in forests and under dense foliage. The source of sunlight they receive is usually through foliage or openings. Therefore, hoya plants prefer indirect sunlight.
Therefore, the ideal environment for this plant is areas with warm, indirect sunlight. You can place the potted plant near a window and a few feet away to receive indirect sunlight every day. The reason is that direct sunlight will cause the leaves of the plant to dry out or turn yellow mass when withering.
Some early signs include the leaves fading, turning brown or yellow, or having burn marks on the edges of the leaves. When leaves turn yellow, it is due to the decline and change of chloroplasts in the leaves. To limit this situation, you should choose appropriate locations in each season to avoid direct sunlight for many hours.
Lack Of Light
Low light usually does not directly affect the yellowing of leaves. However, it will cause plants to decline in functions and gradually become weak. The first sign of lack of light is that the leaves of plants become darker green. During this time, plants try to absorb as much light as possible.
However, the plant will not have enough energy to nourish the entire leaf in low light. So the older or lower leaves will turn yellow and begin to fall off. In particular, plants will grow very slowly in low light and will take a long time to absorb water.
Excessive Temperature
Hoya plants cannot tolerate temperatures below 50°F (10°C). Extremely cold temperatures will cause the plant to stop activities such as metabolism or photosynthesis. The sign is that the leaves start to yellow from the bottom and turn all at once. However, this plant can withstand high temperatures in conditions of high soil moisture and humidity. Hoya plants
Most Hoyas can withstand temperatures up to 95°F (35°C) without too much trouble. When the temperature is high, the air also creates gusts of wind, so plants will turn yellow, dry, and burn the edges of the leaves.
Pests And Insects
Hoya plants are one of the plants that are highly resistant to pests and diseases. However, if they grow in poor environmental conditions, it will lead to pests and diseases. Some common insects that attack plants are spider mites, thrips, mealybugs, and scale.
These insects will attack the leaves and suck the sap from the leaves and stems. Therefore, the leaves will turn yellow at the same time due to the loss of resin and chlorophyll. You need to regularly check and detect unusual signs such as yellow spots, brown spots, or tiny holes in the leaves. Regular inspection and cleaning of leaves on both sides will remove insect eggs and spores from parasitic fungi. Alternatively, you can use insecticidal soaps or neem oil to prevent pest infestation.
Pandemic
Hoya plants are more resistant to diseases than many houseplants. This has to do with the waxy cuticles on the leaves that help protect them from harmful bacteria. However, if plants are flooded or overstressed by transplanting, they are very susceptible to diseases.
Root rot is one of those diseases that you need to pay attention to regularly. It can spread quickly and destroy healthy root branches in a short time. Root rot will have some signs such as soil that is too wet, has mucus at the base of the plant, and has a rotten smell.
To prevent root rot from spreading to other plants, you need to isolate them from other houseplants. At the same time, you need to prune rotten leaves or damaged branches. Do not throw rotten branches at the base of other trees or areas near them because bacteria can attack and destroy surrounding trees.
Excessive Stress Due To Lack Of Water
Hoya plants are also more tolerant of drought conditions than many other houseplants. However, a lack of water will cause the entire leaf to turn yellow, dry, and brittle. The cell structure will be broken and the leaves will shrink when there is not enough water to nourish the plant.
Especially, if your potted plants are in the sun for many hours, they will easily scorch and turn brown. To overcome this situation, you need to quickly water the plants to provide water again. Check the moisture in the soil and water as often as the actual plant needs. When given enough water, this plant can revive in a few days or weeks depending on the stress level.
Lack Of Nutrients
The leaves of Hoya plants turning yellow at the same time are also a sign that the leaves are deficient in nitrogen. When plants do not receive enough nitrogen, the leaves will turn more pronounced yellow and the structure will become softer and weaker. This will start from the old branches and spread to the new tops. The young branches will curl and look less lifelike.
Therefore, you must provide adequate nutrients for plants. Most soil mixes that contain nutrients or fertilizers can provide enough nitrogen in the soil for several years. To limit nutrient deficiencies, you need to fertilize plants every 4-6 weeks with a dilute fertilizer solution. You can use a specialized fertilizer for plants or consult the appropriate amount from the manufacturer. After you fertilize, the plants will be able to shed all of their previous yellow leaves and begin to produce young leaves.
Sudden Change In Living Environment
Each type of plant has an ideal habitat and suitable space to exist. One of the reasons why the leaves of plants turn yellow all at once can come from a change in habitat. You may notice this most clearly when buying a potted plant from a nursery and bringing it home.
The plants in the nursery always have the most ideal growing conditions. So they are always fresh and healthy. However, when you change the habitat suddenly will also cause the plant to be unduly stressed. Some of the common reactions include the loss of old leaves or mass yellowing. You just need to observe, check regularly and water to give the plants time to adapt to the new environment.
In addition, environmental changes can occur between seasons of the year. For example, leaves can also turn yellow when light levels decrease as the seasons change from fall to winter. So you just need to provide enough sunshine, water properly and maintain the ideal humidity for plants to grow well. In addition, the phenomenon of leaves aging and turning yellow is completely normal. So you don’t need to worry if the old and yellow leaves at the bottom are falling off.
Summary
Hoya plants are one of the plants that many people love to grow indoors. They have the beauty of healthy, lush leaves and vibrant flowers. However, you will also face some basic problems when growing this plant. The phenomenon of leaves turning yellow at the same time is a problem you need to pay attention to.
Some common causes include waterlogging, lack of water, lack of light, excessive stress, change in habitat, insect infestation, lack of nutrients or old leaves. To overcome these conditions, you need to regularly check and clean the leaves and detect abnormal signs.