- Under certain conditions, there is no reason to panic
- Care mistakes as a reason for yellow leaves
- Yellow leaves as a sign of disease
It is not without reason that the dragon tree (Dracaena) is one of the most commonly cultivated houseplants in this country: the plant with the evergreen leaves is generally easy to care for, but yellow leaves should be understood as an alarm signal in case of doubt.
Yellow leaves on the dragon tree do not have to be a reason to panic
Under certain conditions, there is no reason to panic
Newcomers among the dragon tree gardeners should first of all be aware that the thin trunk of the dragon tree, similar to so many types of palm trees, gradually lengthens as the leaves of the crown die off. Occasional leaves that turn yellow and later fall off are therefore quite normal if they are the lowest leaves and there are still enough green leaves at the top of the plants. In this case, you do not have to take any special measures and you can simply pluck or cut off the yellow, dead leaves.
Care mistakes as a reason for yellow leaves
If too many leaves on a dragon tree turn yellow at the same time, this can indicate care errors. In these cases, yellowing tends to start from the top of the plant and yellow spots sometimes form on the leaves. The following reasons can be responsible for this:
- Waterlogging at the roots of the dragon tree
- Iron deficiency or an oversupply of fluorine due to unsuitable fertilizers
- Temperature fluctuations due to direct sunlight, drafts or dry heating air
- Root injuries from repotting
In many cases, overwatering is the reason for yellowing of the leaves.
Yellow leaves as a sign of disease
Yellow leaves on the dragon tree are not always due to care errors. Sometimes a disease such as the so-called soft rot (Erwinia carotovora) can also be the reason for this. Signs of this would be a fishy smell and muddy stem ends. Sometimes offshoots of infected plants can still be rooted successfully, but due to the ensuing outbreak of disease on the offshoots in most cases, infected specimens are better discarded immediately.
tips
In rare cases, yellow leaves also appear when there is a lack of water as a sign of the plants drying up. If the soil in the pot is very compact, it can make sense to water the plants once a week using the immersion method.