Why Monstera Leaves Turn Yellow — and How to Fix It

A yellow monstera leaf is not a diagnosis, it is a symptom — and the same symptom comes from five very different causes. The pattern of the yellowing tells you which one you have.

Start by looking at which leaves went yellow

Before you change anything about your care routine, check the position of the affected leaves.

If it is a single leaf at the very base of the plant, and the rest of the plant looks healthy, this is almost certainly normal senescence. Monsteras shed their oldest leaf periodically as they push new growth from the top. One yellow leaf every month or two is not a problem.

If several leaves are yellowing at once, or the yellowing is on new growth, keep reading.

Overwatering — the most common cause by far

Soggy soil suffocates roots, and roots that cannot take in oxygen cannot take in water either. The result looks confusingly like drought: limp, yellow leaves on a plant sitting in wet soil.

Look for uniform yellowing on the lower leaves, sometimes with soft brown patches that have a dark, water-soaked edge. The soil stays wet more than a week after watering. There may be a sour smell.

Slide the plant out of its pot and look at the roots. Healthy monstera roots are firm and range from white to tan. Rotted roots are brown or black, mushy, and slip out of their outer sheath when you pull them.

The fix: trim off rotted roots with clean shears, repot into a chunky aroid mix — roughly equal parts orchid bark, perlite, and coco coir — and use a pot with a drainage hole. Water only when the top two inches of mix are dry.

Underwatering

Less common, but it happens with monsteras in bright rooms and small pots. The yellowing is accompanied by crisp brown leaf edges, drooping stems, and a pot that feels noticeably light. The soil has pulled away from the sides.

The fix: water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage hole. If the mix has gone hydrophobic and water runs straight through, bottom-water for 30 minutes instead.

Not enough light

Monsteras tolerate low light but do not grow well in it. Chronic low light produces pale, uniformly yellow-green leaves, long bare stretches of stem between leaves, and new leaves that emerge small and without splits.

The fix: move the plant within a few feet of an east or west window, or a spot with bright indirect light for most of the day. Avoid harsh midday sun through unfiltered south-facing glass, which bleaches pale yellow patches into the leaf surface.

Nutrient deficiency

Nitrogen is mobile within the plant, so a nitrogen-deficient monstera cannibalizes its oldest leaves first — they fade to a uniform pale yellow while new growth stays green. Magnesium deficiency looks different: yellow between the veins, with the veins themselves staying dark green.

The fix: feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half the labeled strength, once a month during spring and summer. Do not feed a plant you suspect has root rot; fix the roots first.

One thing that will not happen

A yellow leaf will not turn green again. Once chlorophyll has broken down in that tissue, it is gone. Cut the leaf off at the base of its petiole so the plant stops spending energy on it, then judge your fix by whether the next leaves come in green.