Yellow leaves on kale can have several causes and can therefore be treated differently. Below you will learn the reasons for yellow leaves and possible countermeasures.
Nutrient deficiencies lead to yellow leaves on kale
Causes of yellow leaves on kale
Yellow leaves on kale are always a sign that something is wrong. Possible causes are:
- waterlogging
- lack of water
- pests
- nutrient deficiency
- Wrong location
Measures for yellow leaves on kale
First check what the cause of the yellowing may be.
- Clearly, you should water more thoroughly when it's dry. But be on the safe side that dryness is really behind it. If waterlogging is the reason for the yellow leaves and you water the kale even more, it will surely die.
- Has it rained a lot lately or have you over watered it? Is your soil heavy and clayey? Then you can try to gently dig up the soil around the cabbage to allow the soil to dry out a bit and possibly work in some sand or organic material. However, it is better to do this before planting the kale.
- Check your kale extensively for pests. Kale is infested by the usual cabbage pests such as cabbage white, whitefly or cabbage fly. The pests almost always leave traces on the leaves. Here's how to identify and fight kale's worst enemies.
- If there are neither pests nor wetness or dryness, you can try to remedy the situation with a portion of fertilizer, e.g. horn shavings (32.93€) or horn meal.
- Kale needs sun to be happy. If it is too shady, it can react with yellow leaves. In this case you can try to implement it. However, the sensitive cabbage may not survive.
tips
Yellow leaves on a kale from the supermarket indicate that it is no longer fresh.