Spinach is one of the vegetables that bring many health benefits to humans. This vegetable is relatively easy to grow, easy to care for, and has a short harvest time. Spinach is rich in chlorophyll, vitamin E, potassium, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, folate, manganese, vitamin A, and vitamin K. In addition, it is a very good vegetable for the blood. So many gardeners love to grow this vegetable indoors for daily food.
Spinach does not require too many sophisticated and complicated care stages. However, they also often face some common problems such as the yellowing of leaves simultaneously or in clusters.
Why is my spinach turning yellow? Is it normal for leaves to turn yellow in spinach? How to prevent and overcome this situation? Let’s find out the details in this article.
Why Is My Spinach Turning Yellow? Here Are The 7 Most Common Reasons
The leaves of spinach turning yellow can also be related to a variety of causes. As the leaf ages, it will also turn yellow and appear white, black, or yellow spots. However, this phenomenon only occurs at the end of the harvest or when the leaves of spinach are old.
If yellow leaves appear in the early stages of vegetables, you need to pay attention to some basic causes such as lack of nutrients, too much fertilizer, incorrect PH, too much watering, root rot, pests, or downy mildew.
Lack Of Nutrients
One of the leading causes of spinach leaves turning yellow is a lack of nutrients. As you know, nutrition is one of the important factors for the growth and development of plants.
Each vegetable requires a certain amount of nutrients. In particular, in each growth stage, spinach also needs a different nutritional content. To determine if your spinach is nutritionally deficient, learn about the three basic nutrients below.
- Macronutrients: These include the key nutrients you typically see on fertilizer manufacturers’ packaging- NPK, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. This is the group of substances most necessary for plants and in large quantities.
- Secondary nutrients: These include the basic group of calcium and magnesium. Plants need this group of substances less than macronutrients.
- Micronutrients: Each plant may require different amounts such as iron or boron in minimal amounts.
So if your spinach turns yellow, you need to add a fertilizer with higher nitrogen content. This is because nitrogen is a nutrient that helps leaves grow green and produce chlorophyll. In addition, a lack of boron is also the reason why spinach leaves turn yellow.
To solve this situation, you need to check the nutrient composition of the soil. Then, fertilize with nitrogen content according to the amount recommended by the manufacturer on the package to stimulate the revival of spinach.
Excessive Fertilizing
Fertilizer is an indispensable nutrient for plant growth. However, each type of plant will need a certain amount of fertilizer with a certain time of consumption. If you fertilize too much, the leaves of spinach can also burn and turn yellow.
Over-fertilizing will also burn the leaves and damage the root system of spinach. Too much fertilizer causes nutrients to accumulate, and excess salt and chemicals in the soil will adversely affect the root system of spinach. From there, the vegetable plant will be under constant stress leading to the yellowing of leaves and gradual death.
Other signs such as wilting leaves, cooking spots, and black spots appear on both leaves and stems. So, for any vegetable, you also need to fertilize at the rate and time the manufacturer recommends to ensure the plants can absorb and use it most effectively.
Incorrect Soil pH
Soil pH is also a determining factor in the growth and health of spinach. This vegetable prefers slightly acidic soil and has a pH of about 6.5. So if your soil is highly alkaline, the vegetables will turn yellow or change color.
To determine the pH level in the soil, you need to use a pH test kit. Several substances can improve the soil and lower the pH, such as aluminum sulfate or sulfur. In addition, organic compounds such as compost or peat moss can also lower the pH of the soil. However, organic matter only improves soil to a much milder extent than chemical substances.
Watering Too Much
Watering is still one of the problems that most of us have in the process of taking care of plants. Most of us tend to water more than our plants need. This watering also depends on the preferences and habits of each person, so over-watering often occurs. That is also what causes spinach to turn yellow.
Spinach contains about 93% water, so watering this vegetable depends on many weather factors from time to time. Water plays an important role in nourishing cells, and transporting nutrients and is an integral part of plant photosynthesis.
So, watering too much or too little water will also disrupt the plant’s mechanism of action, causing the leaves to turn yellow simultaneously. If your spinach turns yellow due to lack of water, you just need to add more water, your vegetables can revive quickly.
If your spinach turns yellow from waterlogging, stop watering and remove damaged yellow leaves. Only water again when the ground is 1-2 inches dry to give the plants time to transpire.
Root Rot
Yellow leaves can also be caused by diseases related to root rot. Root rot is caused by over-watering, which weakens the root system and makes it susceptible to harmful bacteria. Soil that is too wet will cause the root system to absorb oxygen. In addition, root rot is also caused by some fungi and is difficult to cure. The roots will begin to soften, rot, and die completely.
To limit root rot, you need to change your watering habits to avoid waterlogging as well as remove harmful bacteria in the soil by regularly improving and cleaning the soil after each crop.
Read more: Will Spinach Grow Back After Cutting?
Leaf Blight Disease
Yellow leaves of spinach are also a sign of blight, also known scientifically as the Cucumber Mosaic Virus. The virus also attacks cucumbers, peas, and other plants in warm climates.
Spinach blight is caused by a type of aphid that is destructive and spreads rapidly among vegetable plants. Thrips will also attack and gnaw the leaves, causing them to turn yellow.
This blight is very difficult to treat completely, so you need to improve the soil regularly to remove pests and water properly. Limiting the humid environment will make it difficult for fungi and pests to multiply and spread quickly.
Downy Mildew Disease
Late blight also causes the leaves of spinach to turn yellow due to the parasite Peronospora farinose. It usually attacks young vegetable plants in the early stages. Yellow spots will begin to appear on the leaves and stems. Then, they quickly spread to other young plants around. If you turn the back of the leaf, it will be purple.
Late blight is harmful and causes the leaves to become distorted, stunted, and yellow. To prevent late blight, you need to use specialized drugs such as mold preventatives to prevent late blight.
Summary
Spinach turns yellow due to various reasons. Some of the leading causes of leaf yellowing of vegetables are nutritional deficiencies, over-fertilizing, over- or under-watering, blight, or late blight.
To prevent yellow leaves in spinach, you need to have a specific care plan such as spraying with fungicides and periodically fertilizing at a reasonable rate. Water properly and avoid waterlogging. In addition, you also need to regularly clean and improve the soil to remove harmful bacteria in the soil after each crop.