If your jade plant is starting to turn yellow, you might be wondering why! It’s not an uncommon occurrence, but it can be puzzling if you’re not sure what’s causing it.
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In this post, we will go over six possible reasons your jade plant has yellow leaves. We will also provide some tips on how to prevent yellowing leaves and keep your jade plant looking healthy and green!
Jade Plant Turning Yellow For Natural Reasons
Sometimes jade leaves should turn yellow, and it’s nothing to do with the care you’re giving it! These include older leaves, or the variety is meant to be yellow!
Before you go through the hassle of looking at all of the other reasons for jade plant yellow leaves on this list, check these first.
Older Leaves
As your jade plant matures, the older leaves will start to yellow and fall off. This is a natural process and nothing to be concerned about! In fact, it’s a good sign that your plant is healthy and growing.
You can expect to see this happen more in the spring and summer as the plant is actively growing. If you see a yellow leaf or two, don’t panic! It’s probably just an older leaf that’s ready to fall off.
The Variety Is Supposed To Be Yellow!
Some varieties of jade plants are actually supposed to be yellow! The Crassula ovata “Hummel’s Sunset” is a variety that’s meant to be yellow! So if you can, check and see the variety of jade you’ve got to see if the leaves are supposed to be yellow.
Now that we’ve looked at natural reasons why your jade plant might have yellow leaves, let’s look at some issues that could be causing your plants to be yellow.
Watering Problems Causing Jade Plant Yellow Leaves
One of the most common reasons for yellow leaves on a jade plant is watering problems. Make sure you check the soil before assuming it’s overwatered or underwatered! Feel with a finger if the soil is wet or dry.
Overwatering Issues
If you’re overwatering your plant, the roots can’t get the oxygen they need and the leaves will start to turn yellow. This is a common problem because people think that more water is always better.
But too much water can actually be just as harmful as not enough water!
If you think you’re overwatering your plant, the best thing to do is to let the soil dry out completely before watering again. And make sure you’re using a well-draining pot so the roots don’t sit in water. Read more about an overwatered jade plant here.
Underwatering Problems
On the other hand, if you’re not watering your plant enough, the leaves will also start to turn yellow. This is usually because the soil is too dry.
If you think you might be underwatering your plant, try to water it more often, still checking the soil first. Read more about an underwatered jade plant here!
Nutrient Needs Not Being Met Correctly Causing Yellow Leaves
Jade plants need nutrients to stay healthy and green. If they’re not getting the right amount of nutrients, the leaves will start to turn yellow. It can also be a sign of being over fertilized.
Over-Fertilized
If you’re fertilizing your jade plant too much, the leaves will start to turn yellow. This is because the roots can’t absorb all of the nutrients and they start to get burned.
If you’ve recently given your jade plant fertilizer, this is likely the culprit.
Under-Fertilized
If you’re not fertilizing your jade plant enough, the leaves will also start to turn yellow. This is because the plant isn’t getting the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
If you think you might be under-fertilizing your plant, try giving it a fertilizer meant for succulents and cacti.
Given The Wrong Lighting Conditions
Jade plants need bright, indirect light to stay healthy. If they’re not getting enough light, the leaves will start to turn yellow. And on the other side, if they’re getting too much direct sunlight, the leaves will burn and start yellowing (read more about burnt jade plants here).
Yellow Jade Plant From Cold Temperatures
If your jade plant is yellowing and you live in a cold climate, it might be because the plant is getting too cold. Jade plants are not frost hardy and can’t tolerate temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your jade plant is an outdoor plant, it’s important to bring it in during the winter to keep it safe from the cold.
If it’s indoors and lives near a drafty window, you may need to move it to a warmer spot during winter.
Jade Plant Yellow Leaves Because of Pests
Yellow leaves can also be a sign that your jade plant has pests. If you see any yellow leaves, check the underside for small insects.
You may have an infestation of mealybugs, scale, or aphids. All of these pests can suck the nutrients out of your plant and cause the leaves to turn yellow.
If you see any pests, try to remove them by hand or with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. You can also use an insecticidal soap or neem oil. Read more about scale on jade plants here.
Curing Yellow Leaves on Jade Plant
The best thing you can do is check your jade plant and see which of these seems to be causing the yellow leaves and then go from there!
- Feel the soil.; if it’s bone dry, that’s a queue to water it! If it’s soaking wet, take actions to dry out the soil or remove the jade from the waterlogged soil.
- See if you can spend a day nearby to see how much light it’s getting. As the seasons change, the lighting indoors changes too, so it might not be getting enough light or getting too much direct light!
- Look at the plant and see if there are visible pests like spider mites, scale, or mealy worms munching away on the leaves. If you do, that’s what you need to focus on!
- If you’ve fertilized it recently, try clearing out some of the excess nutrients. Or if your plant hasn’t been fertilized in your memory, fertilize it!
Key Takeaways from Jade Plant Turning Yellow
There are a lot of reasons why your jade plant has yellow leaves. The best thing you can do is to look at your plant, the soil, and see which of the problems stated above are the cause to why you’ve got a yellow jade plant on your hands!
After a few weeks of caring better for your jade plant, you should see some new green leaf growth and have a happy jade plant once again!
