The regal, radiant Stephanotis is inimitable in everything. Even in their exactingness to care and conditions. He resembles a capricious aristocrat who can react abruptly and unexpectedly to any minor blunders. The lack of flowering in stephanotis is more often associated with a dormant period and is more predictable. But problems with leaves sometimes arise for, at first glance, incomprehensible reasons. The yellowing leaves on such a luxurious plant are immediately striking. And they are the main indicator of problems that need to be addressed immediately.
Why do the leaves of Stephanotis turn yellow? Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com burea-uinsurance.com
Description of the plant
Madagascar jasmine, or Stephanotis blooming (Stephanotis floribunda) usually appears in the house as the main decoration of the interior and a very noticeable part of the decor. One of the brightest soloists, Stephanotis always attracts everyone’s attention. This is not the most affordable plant – a status and elite plant.
We exhibit stephanotis in luxurious pots, giving the opportunity to shine with leathery leaves and unique tubular “porcelain” flowers that envelop the space with an exquisite scent. And, of course, we hope that the plant will only become more beautiful for many years and will always look perfect. And it is all the more offensive that most often the perfection of newly acquired vines quickly changes to yellowing and falling leaves on bare lashes.
There are many reasons why Stephanotis can lose its usual impeccable beauty. Everything appears on the leaves, and their yellowing is the brightest and most indispensable of the signs. Let’s try to figure out why the leaves of Stephanotis turn yellow, and what can be done in this situation.
1. No consistency in conditions of detention
Stephanotis are so fond of a stable regime of keeping that it is recommended to put a mark on the pots so that it is easy to observe the permanent location. The displacement with respect to the light source from the moment the flower buds form until the end of flowering in many plants causes the shedding of the buds. But stephanotis also shed their leaves most often for this very reason. If, while observing the basic standards of care and the absence of any other suspicions, the leaves still turn yellow and fall off, it is precisely the “instability” to displacement that can be suspected.
But the whims do not end there. There are no trifles for stephanotis. They are afraid of sudden changes and unexpected surprises in everything – from lighting and temperature to humidity and quality of care. If you violate the “average” norms for stephanotis, allow drops and jumps, forget about the plant and do not keep the leaves clean, you will not achieve success. Stephanotis require not only constant attention, but also extreme stability.Â
Stephanotis loves a stable containment regime. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Deliciously scented flowers
2. Wrong lighting
The yellowing of the leaves of Stephanotis is often in a hurry to suspect insufficient lighting. Stefanotis is an exceptionally light-loving vine that develops normally with a day length of 12 hours or more. And this rule does not change even at the resting stage. Diffuse lighting of southern windowsills with protection from direct sun – ideal for Stephanotis. And it is imperative to adjust the lighting for the winter for them.
Fortunately, finding this very reason is very easy. If there are problems with lighting, the leaves turn completely yellow, starting with the old leaves. Lack of lighting usually causes stretching and shrinking, impaired growth, and only then – yellowing of the leaves. Only if the direct sun, which Stephanotis does not like, is combined with misses with watering or fertilizing, the plant may turn yellow at first, but it will still not do without development problems.
It is better to solve the problem of insufficient lighting as soon as possible by installing additional lighting for the plant or moving it to brighter windows. Tolerance to artificial lighting allows you to use stephanotis in the interior and easily compensate for all the mistakes.
Read also our article Stefanotis – royal bloom, aroma and whims.
3. Wrong temperature
Stephanotis do not like sudden changes in temperature either in summer or in winter. Even during the dormant period, which the plant prefers to spend in temperatures between 12 and 16 degrees, sudden changes can cause rapid yellowing of the leaves and problems with the root system. But in the summer, all drops for Stephanotis are contraindicated. Drafts, sudden cold snaps, the influence of climate control and heating systems that create contrasts are the enemies of the attractiveness of the leaves of this plant.
But attention should be paid not only to the constancy of temperature. Too warm wintering causes a similar reaction in Stephanotis. As well as hypothermia in summer, which directly indicates discomfort. The minimum values ​​for stephanotis are 10 degrees in winter and 18 in summer. The maximum is 25 degrees in summer and 16 degrees in winter.
It is necessary to control not only the air temperature: the greatest danger for stephanotis is hypothermia or overheating of the substrate. When installing stephanotis, especially during a cool dormant period, it is worth making sure that the surfaces do not lead to hypothermia of the pots, using stands if necessary. Controlling the temperature of the water for irrigation also helps to partially stabilize the temperature of the substrate, which is better to use lukewarm water to protect against hypothermia (but no more than 2-3 degrees, hot water cannot be used).
It is not difficult to guess that the reason for the yellowing of the leaves in Stephanotis is precisely the temperature, because usually the color of the leaf plate changes unevenly, as if with mosaics or watercolors (depending on which direction the leap takes place).
The reason for the yellowing of the leaves in Stephanotis can be temperature drops. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com burea-uinsurance.com
4. The plant needs to “breathe”
Yellowing leaves can also indicate inadequate sanitary standards. Despite all possible “traps” with the temperature regime, Stephanotis suffers greatly without ventilation. The air must circulate freely around the plant and be clean: Stephanotis are extremely sensitive to pollution and smoke. You need to ventilate the rooms carefully, protecting the plants. But if there are no other visible reasons, then perhaps it is the lack of fresh air that is the reason for the yellowing of the leaves.
The impeccable purity of the leaves for stephanotis is so important that the plant can react to pollution with a depressed state and stunted growth.
5. Misses with watering and spraying
Oddly enough, the most common “water” reason for yellowing leaves in Stephanotis is not the frequency and abundance of watering, but irrigation with the wrong water. If you use not soft, but ordinary settled water, young leaves may turn yellow (on old ones, spots creep out as problems develop). But if the leaves not only turn yellow, but also quickly fall off, then one should suspect either dry air, or overdrying or overflow of an earthen coma.
Moisture-loving Stephanotis adore high air humidity and are afraid of inaccurate spraying. If their leaves turn yellow in the “right” conditions, it is most likely due to too dry air. Installing humidifiers (pallets with wet pebbles or special devices) is the best option, because stephanotis can be sprayed only in summer and before budding.
Will lead to leaf damage, which often indicates root rot, and misses in watering frequency. Stefanotis will not forgive the complete drying out of the soil (the leaves can turn yellow and fall off for a long time even when returning to the normal schedule), but the plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Stable humidity with drying of the substrate from above and without water in the trays during the warm phase and scanty, accurate watering in winter, halved in terms of the amount of water. It is necessary to maintain a light, but still constant humidity – an ideal, deviations from which can affect the leaves.
Read about stephanotis also in the article 5 of the brightest indoor plants that bloom all summer.
6. Wrong fertilizers
Stephanotis love special fertilizers for flowering plants. For them, a low nitrogen content (but not its complete exclusion) and the presence of a complete set of trace elements are important. Lovers of a combination of organic and mineral fertilizers, stephanotis with yellowing leaves may indicate an excess or lack of nitrogen and individual trace elements (iron, manganese, etc.). But most often they signal about underfeeding in this way.
Depletion of soil on the leaves manifests itself mainly during flowering and is easily recognized by the more active yellowing of the leaves after each watering. Fertilizers can only be applied during a period of active growth.
Incorrect transplantation can also cause massive yellowing of leaves. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Wedgwood
7. Wrong soil and need for replanting
Although it is best to replant stephanotis on demand, and when grown on walls, simply change the topsoil, yellowing of the leaves may indicate a lack of space for root development or poor soil condition. Loose nutritious soil mixtures based on sod soil with a pH of 5,5 to 6,5 are the only suitable option for them.
Incorrect transplantation can also cause massive yellowing of leaves. If the substrate was removed from the roots, injuries were allowed, then it will take a very long time for the plant to recover, and part of the leaves will inevitably be lost.
Do not forget that yellowing leaves are also a very bright sign of spider mite damage. But it is quite easy to exclude this problem or suggest that it is time to isolate the stephanotis and begin the fight with insecticides with regular thorough examination.
