6 Easy Ways to Fix Yellowing Dracaena Leaves for a Happier, Healthier Plant Fast

Dracaena plants, with their tall stems and long, elegant leaves, are a low-maintenance way to add greenery to your space. This genus of plants includes several varieties of spiky dragon tree as well as corn plant, snake plant, and even lucky bamboo. However, even easygoing dracaena plants can struggle with indoor growing conditions or improper care.

If you’re seeing yellow leaves on your dracaena, don’t worry—there are steps you can take to address the issue. (Note that some variegated types of dracaena naturally have yellow stripes or margins on their leaves.)

Here’s a guide to diagnosing the cause of a dracaena with yellow leaves, plus helpful tips to fix or prevent the problem.

Cut Back on Watering

One of the most common signs of overwatering in houseplants, including dracaena, is yellow leaves. If your plant’s leaves are drooping and turning yellow and the soil is quite soggy, allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again. Ensure that the pot has drainage holes and the soil is well drained. Remove any yellowed leaves.

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Treat Plant Diseases

Overly wet soil can also create the conditions for plant diseases like leaf spot to affect your plant. If you’re seeing dry, brown patches surrounded with a yellow halo on your dracaena’s leaves, a fungal or bacterial infection could be the problem.

Use clean shears to remove affected leaves (then sanitize with alcohol afterward to avoid spreading the disease), quarantine the plant from the rest of your collection, and treat the foliage with an organic fungicide.

Increase Humidity

If your dracaena’s leaves develop yellow edges along with brown tips before they eventually drop off, a lack of humidity may be to blame. The best way to increase moisture in the air around your plant consistently is to run a small humidifier nearby.

You can also try grouping your plant close together with several other moisture-loving houseplants to create a slightly more humid microclimate.

Water More Often

Yellowed, droopy leaves accompanied by brown tips can also be a sign that your plant isn’t getting enough water. Check the soil moisture and consider your recent watering habits. If the plant is very dry, underwatering is likely the issue.

Give the plant a deep bottom watering to rehydrate the root ball. Going forward, monitor soil moisture regularly and water often enough to keep the growing medium consistently moist but not soggy.

Protect the Plant From Cold Air

Sudden exposure to cold temperatures can cause yellow discoloration on a dracaena plant’s leaves. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to reverse this once it’s happened, but you can clean up your plant’s appearance by removing the damaged foliage and being extra attentive to its needs in the coming weeks.

However, you can prevent future damage by moving your plant to a place with consistently warm temperatures, away from doors, windows, and air conditioning vents.

Trim Off Old Leaves

Even perfectly healthy dracaena leaves will eventually turn yellow, die, and drop off. If your plant is healthy aside from a few yellowed lower leaves and none of the other causes apply, it’s likely that natural aging is the reason. You can simply snip off these dying leaves with clean, sharp shears or pruners as they appear.