Yellow leaves on your donkey’s tail have a few possible causes, and on this plant the likeliest is overwatering and rot at the base. Check the causes below to find which one fits, then follow its fix.
Overwatering & rot at the base. Stop watering completely. Wait until the top 5 cm (2 in) of soil feel dry before you even think about the next one, and check the pot actually drains. If only some roots are brown and mushy, trim them and repot in fresh, fast-draining mix. If the base itself is soft or smells sour, cut off firm, healthy growth above the rot, let it dry for a few days, and root it in dry, gritty mix.
Not a match? Compare the signs below to find the one you have.
How to tell
The yellowing comes with pale, stretched new growth leaning toward the nearest window. That combination shows that the spot is too dim for a donkey’s tail.
The fix
Move it to a sunny window. If it has been somewhere dim for a while, move it over a week or two so it can adjust to the stronger light.
How to tell
The soil is bone dry, and the yellowing arrives alongside shriveled beads rather than soft, mushy growth.
The fix
If the soil is dry, water thoroughly (every 11 to 17 days in summer is the usual pace for a donkey’s tail), then settle into feeling the soil before every watering rather than watering on a fixed day.
How to tell
Donkey’s tail grows slowly and needs very little feeding, so a uniform pale-yellow fade after many months without any is possible, but check watering and light first: those are far more common on this plant.
The fix
Use a cactus and succulent fertilizer at half the strength on the label, no more than every 90 days while it’s actively growing. Overfeeding a slow grower like this does more harm than skipping it.
How to tell
A few of the oldest leaves near the top of the pot shrivel or yellow while the strand tips keep growing plump new ones. That’s normal turnover on a donkey’s tail, not a symptom.
The fix
Nothing is wrong. Pick off the spent leaves and carry on.
Water only once the top 5 cm (2 in) of soil feel dry, never let it sit in a saucer of water, and give it bright light with some direct sun. Root rot, not thirst, is the real risk on this plant.
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