Anthurium plant leaves turning yellow?
An anthurium may yellow one oldest lower leaf slowly as normal turnover, but several yellow leaves usually mean the roots are too wet, too dry, stressed by light or cold, or affected by pests or chemical burn.
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The causes in full
Overwatering, poor drainage, or root rotMOST COMMON
How to tell
Check whether the soil is soggy or still damp two inches down, the pot has no drainage or sits in water, or the roots smell sour and look brown or mushy instead of firm and pale.
What to do
If the soil is soggy or wet at two inches, withhold water until the top two inches feel dry, empty any saucer or outer pot, and make sure the pot drains. If roots are mushy, trim the dead roots and repot into a chunky, free-draining houseplant mix, then water only when the top two inches feel dry.
Underwatering or a shrunken dry root ballCOMMON
How to tell
The pot feels light, the soil is dry two inches down, and in severe cases the mix has pulled away from the pot so water runs down the sides without soaking in.
What to do
If the top two inches feel dry, water slowly until water drains from the bottom. If that same two-inch test is dry and the root ball has pulled from the pot, soak the nursery pot in plain water for about 20 minutes, then drain it fully.
Direct sun or heat through glassCOMMON
How to tell
Yellowing or pale patches are worst on the side facing the window, often with tan or crispy areas where the leaf was hit by hot direct sun.
What to do
Move the plant out of direct sun and into bright but indirect light, such as near a window with a sheer curtain or set back from the glass. If the top two inches feel dry after the hot spell, water thoroughly and drain; if they do not feel dry, do not water just because the leaves are yellow.
Low light or cold draughtCOMMON
How to tell
The plant is in a dim spot, several feet from the window, beside cold glass, or in the path of a door or vent, and the soil stays damp for a long time after watering.
What to do
Move it to bright but indirect light and away from cold draughts, open doors, and heater or air-conditioner blasts. If the soil is damp or soggy at two inches, withhold water until the top two inches feel dry.
Spider mites, thrips, or scale insectsLESS COMMON
How to tell
Look closely under leaves and along stems for fine webbing, tiny moving specks, black dots, sticky patches, silvery scarring, or brown raised bumps that scrape off.
What to do
Isolate the plant, rinse or wipe the leaves, remove scale by hand, and treat with a labelled insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, not dish soap. Repeat as the label directs because new pests can hatch after the first treatment.
Fertiliser salt or leaf-spray burnLESS COMMON
How to tell
Yellowing or brown-edged damage started after feeding, using a leaf shine or spray, or letting fertiliser build up, and you may see a white crust on the soil or pot rim.
What to do
Stop fertilising and stop spraying the leaves. If the top two inches feel dry, run plain water through the pot to flush salts, let it drain fully, and do not fertilise again until the plant is making healthy new growth.
Will it recover?
Yellow anthurium leaves usually do not turn green again; the goal is to stop the spread and get healthy new growth.
Stopping it happening again
Keep anthurium in bright but indirect light, use a pot with drainage and a chunky mix, keep it out of draughts, check for pests often, and water only when the top two inches feel dry.
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