What Happens if You Leave Contacts in Solution Too Long

One of the biggest problems for plant parents is plant leaves turning yellow. Have you done a frantic Google search to find a solution? Put simply, yellow leaves on plants is a signal that your plant needs extra help.

'The condition is known as chlorosis, and it occurs when something within the plant interferes with its natural chlorophyll, which is the pigment process that turns the plant green,' says Daniel Bruce, CEO at indoor plant specialists, Nature by Letterbox. 'The discolouring isn't all bad though, as in a way, it's your plant's way of letting you know that it needs help – a bit like a ship's computer flashing an amber warning, as opposed to full red alert.'

But there are several ways to check for inconsistencies to help determine why there are yellow leaves on your houseplants – and to hopefully prevent the issue from happening again.

Over/under watering and insufficient drainage

Too much or too little water can be a leading factor into why leaves lose their colour.

'Plants need water. However, overly wet soil means the roots struggle to breathe, and over time they can suffocate and close, which stops them taking in, and delivering, the nutrients that the rest of the plant needs,' explains Dan. 'Conversely, not giving them enough water results in pretty much a similar result – if you water too little, plants once again won't get the nutrients they need.'

To prevent overwatering, try switching to a well-draining soil and change your pot to one with good drainage holes. Remember to keep saucers in place to catch the excess water that filters through.

To prevent yellow leaves on plants, Dan advises plant parents to adopt the 'finger test', which simply requires testing the soil moisture with your finger. 'When the soil feels dry and light, water thoroughly and deeply – if it is still wet after the previously watering, then wait a day or two before watering again,' he explains.

Dmitry Marchenko / EyeEm Getty Images

The soil pH

The soil pH determines how your plant accesses its nutrients, and it's entirely dependent on where the soil sits on the pH scale. 'By moving up or down the scale, the soil can hit the plants' optimal range, and the result means your houseplant finds it easier to flourish, though if your plant isn't receiving the right pH, the results can mean that your plant loses colour because even though the nutrients are present, the soil restricts them from taking them in,' explains Dan.

Importantly though, this is a rare issue with most houseplants and 'is more to do with landscaping plants, but some more exotic houseplants may need a different soil to the regular kind' to ensure they thrive.

Dzurag Getty Images

Root damage

'Root damage is the hidden killer when it comes to houseplants. A bit like a duck swimming, plants are all "calm on the surface, and chaos underneath". Root rot and other diseases can happen for several reasons, but the main two are overwatering, and roots being too compact in the containers they sit in,' reveals Dan.

These issues can lead to damage over time and and means the roots struggle to deliver nutrients to the rest of the plant. When it comes to repotting, all it takes is some sensitive, gentle hands to successfully remove the plant from its pot.

bgwalker Getty Images

Expert guide: How to repot a plant

Dan explains: 'Slide it out slowly, making sure not to snap the roots when doing so. Healthy looking plant roots are off-white to yellow, whereas rotting roots are darkish and smell like stale, rotting water. If the plants roots are rotting, it's a case of moving onto a new plant unfortunately. Though there's good news if the roots are compact, as that means you can carefully prune away the unhealthy ones, and lightly loosen the tangled ones, repotting it after in a bigger container with well-draining soil.'

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

---

16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration

Garden book

RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space

Adam Frost's practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, from simple garden design ideas to a full garden makeover.

Garden book

Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere

Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners,Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.

Garden book

National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts

National Trust amazon.co.uk

£14.99

The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.

Garden book

Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month

Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.

Garden book

The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening

Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.

Plants book

RHS Practical House Plant Book

The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.

Garden book

Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers

Ten Speed Press amazon.co.uk

£12.35

A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. InSmall Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.

Garden book

Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1

No Dig Garden amazon.co.uk

£18.65

Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.

Plants book

In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round

Kyle Books amazon.co.uk

£17.46

Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round withIn Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.

Garden book

RHS Complete Gardener's Manual

The RHS'Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.

Garden book

Wildlife Gardening: For Everyone and Everything

Bloomsbury Wildlife amazon.co.uk

£10.19

Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? InWildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything,Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.

Plants book

My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors

Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.

Garden book

RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space

If you're looking for new garden ideas, theRHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.

Garden book

How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening

Lorenz Books amazon.co.uk

£11.29

This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.

Plants book

RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers

Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.

Garden book

Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd amazon.co.uk

£12.55

Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.

Olivia Heath Executive Digital Editor, House Beautiful UK Olivia Heath is the Executive Digital Editor at House Beautiful UK where she's busy uncovering tomorrow's biggest home trends, all whilst delivering stylish room inspiration, small space solutions, easy garden ideas and house tours of the hottest properties on the market.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

What Happens if You Leave Contacts in Solution Too Long

Source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/plants/a37069035/yellow-leaves-plants/

Share this post