skip to main content

House Plants garden

Please help with my Chinese evergreen - brown spots, yellow leaves

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

I bought this large chinese evergreen (12 inch pot) about a month ago. The soil was very wet when I got it and I placed it in a low light area. The soil remains wet a few inches down, so I’ve yet to water the plant. About 1-2 leaves and stems at a time are becoming yellow and mushy with a strange brown mark on them. My guess is because of the mushy stems, it’s overwatering, but I haven’t watered it at all since adopting. I am afraid to water it because of the mushy stems. It Looks like the roots are all the way to the bottom of the pot so I should maybe repot it. But I can’t find a container large enough so I haven’t yet. Any advice would be so helpful.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Chloé
3 years ago
Hey, can you add some photos of the stems too? :)

Sadly if they’re brown and mushy it sounds a lot like root rot. You would have to remove the plant from the pot and inspect the rootball to see the extent of the damage.

Does the pot have drainage holes?
Ally Rooker thanked Chloé
Ally Rooker
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Most of the stems look okay, just the couple at a time that go yellow are mushy. I'm so annoyed that it was so overwatered when I bought it that it has root rot! It's seriously been a month since I bought it without watering it. Is it saveable if its only happening to about 1 leaf at a time? Do you think I should repot it in a larger container if the roots are all the way to the bottom? Yes it does have drainage. I planned to try to look at the roots yesterday and repot but went to 2 stores and they were both out of potting soil and large containers :(
Related Discussions
Yellow leaves on alyssum seedings, brown spots on guara - help!
Q
Comments (5)
Yeah it looks like to much water at one point in time. Do not stress the yellow leaves will fall off but just try not to over water anymore. If you notice things going limp then you got a problem. Just let them dry out for a little while and keep an eye on them. Maybe even put them in a little more sun. If the container is extremely light and then your seedlings go limp add some water, but I would try to not water for at least 3 days and put them in some sun. I know that was probably confusing 2 different signs of limp could mean 2 different things. As for the gaura it looks like to much confined heat. Put you some more ventilation holes in your container. Don't worry about those few spots.
...See More
Please help me identify yellow/brown spotting on tomato plants
Q
Comments (1)
It's early blight. Remove those leaves, bag them up and dispose away from your garden. I take a plastic grocery bag and make a daily tour around my tomato plants doing just that. Wash you cutting device in a bit of bleach when your done (if you don't pinch off with your fingers). Removing the leaves will slow down the contamination - you should still get a harvest of fruit. (I don't use any chemicals on my plants so I can't advise you on what to spray them with).
...See More
Chinese Elm Leaves Turing Yellowish Brown. Please Help!
Q
Comments (0)
I got my bonsai tree about a month ago, June 29th, and I put it in my windowsill (north facing). It was doing great, I had been rotating it every day so both sides would get sun and a break from sun, but some of the leaves, on the side that touched the window a bit, were getting sunburned. Out of concern, I moved it from the windowsill to a bookshelf next to, not infront of, the window. I've watered everyday (which I'm guessing is overwatering for this spot) and the leaves have been turning yellowish brown and falling off with touch. I have since removed all the leaves so the tree wouldn't be giving nutrition to dead leaves. Should I move my tree back to it place on the windowsill? Any advice? Please help!
...See More
My chinese evergreen keeps up curling and turning yellow
Q
Comments (8)
Hum, I would like to slightly disagree with the wonderful suggestions above: Yes get rid of that plastic bag/pot that came with the plant, I would also remove dead plant material (as suggested). But I think it might be suffering from the soil being too wet, at least down below. I would at the least remove it from the pot and see how dry or wet the root ball is. If all seams well down below ( ie not damp; of course this implies when you do this that the plant was not watered recently),if all is well down below then the above recommendations would apply- but I suspect that you'll find some rot at the bottom of the pot. If there is rot, remove it. If there is rot, consider repotting at this time. Light, the picture seams nice and bright. These plants like bright indirect light, so I don't think it needs to be relocated unless it is much darker than the picture shows.
...See More
Chloé
3 years ago
The rest of the plant actually look really healthy except for the few yellowing leaves and stems.

You’re not really going to know the full extent until you can view the roots but are you noticing more and more stems become mushy as time goes on or is it just this 1-2 and nothing before/since? I think if its a recurring issue your best bet is to have a peep at the roots, if there’s any mushy or brown roots, cut them off and repot in a different medium, add some perlite to help with drainage and aerate the soil. If the roots are coming out of the bottom too it sounds like it needs a larger pot to stretch its legs, I know you don’t have access right now so if you’re confident you can always prune the roots and place back in the same pot but otherwise a larger pot will really benefit the plant.

Hope this helps :)

Chloé
Ally Rooker
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Thank you for taking the time to help me! Since i got I'd say a total of 4-5 leaves/stems have done the yellow/mushy/brown spot thing, 1 at a time for the past month. The roots aren't quite coming out of the bottom yet but I can see that they are all the way down there. I will go on the hunt again for the soil/container.

Related Stories

LIFE Consider Avoiding These Plants to Help Keep Your Garden Fire-Safe

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

Plants that accumulate dead material, are high in oil or have low moisture content in leaves put some homes at risk

DECORATING GUIDES The Most Helpful Furniture Piece You May Ever Own

By Mike Dietrich

Use it as a table, a seat, a display space, a footrest ... and indoors or out. Meet the ever-versatile Chinese garden stool

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Snowberry Pleases Year-Round

Bright spring foliage, pretty summer flowers, white berries in winter ... Symphoricarpos albus is a sight to behold in every season

MOST POPULAR Crowd-Pleasing Paint Colors for Staging Your Home

Ignore the instinct to go with white. These colors can show your house in the best possible light

PETS How to Help Your Dog Be a Good Neighbor

By Alison Hodgson

Good fences certainly help, but be sure to introduce your pup to the neighbors and check in from time to time

PLANTING IDEAS 3 Color Palettes to Help Set Your Garden’s Mood

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

Select plants in these color combinations to create an outdoor space that’s cheerful, energizing or calming

DECORATING GUIDES Paint Color Ideas: 8 Uplifting Ways With Yellow and Green

By Jennifer Ott Design

Dial up the cheer with yellow and green paint combinations sure to cast off winter doldrums

COLOR Fall on the Wall: Decorating With Rich Reds, Browns and Oranges

By Jennifer Ott Design

For your interiors, take a cue from nature’s colorful seasonal offerings

PETS 6 Ways to Help Your Dog and Landscape Play Nicely Together

By Marianne Lipanovich

Keep your prized plantings intact and your dog happy too, with this wisdom from an expert gardener and dog guardian

DECORATING GUIDES 10 Bedroom Design Ideas to Please Him and Her

By Judith Taylor Designs

Blend colors and styles to create a harmonious sanctuary for two, using these examples and tips

Sponsored

More Discussions

Alpine Violet Cyclomen

13

What do I do with this plant?

11

Why Can’t Plants Be Produced to Live?

2

Help with my Monstera

5

What’s wrong with my plant?

2