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Yellow leaves on string of bananas: causes and fixes

Senecio radicans

Quick answer

Yellow leaves on your string of bananas have a few possible causes, and on this plant the likeliest is overwatering and rot at the base.

String of bananas (Senecio radicans)
String of bananas · Senecio radicans
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Toxic to pets

Most likely cause

Overwatering & rot at the base

Pixel illustration of water being poured out of a saucer into a bowl

How to tell

  • The soil stays wet for days, and the rot starts low: a soft, discolored patch at the base rather than one particular old leaf.
  • Small dark flies around moist potting medium may be fungus gnats.

The fix

  1. 1
    Stop watering completely.
  2. 2
    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.
  3. 3
    If only some roots are brown and mushy, trim them and repot in fresh, fast-draining mix.
More about this

They suggest conditions suitable for breeding, without proving that the surface never dries.

If the base itself is soft, the damage is more serious and recovery is uncertain. Only propagate using a method suited to this plant, not arbitrary pieces above the rot.

Other possible causes

Not a match? Compare the signs below to find the one you have.

Too little light

The yellowing comes with pale, stretched new growth leaning toward the nearest window.

The fix

  1. 1
    Move it to a brighter spot, but keep it out of harsh midday sun, which scorches.
More about this

That combination shows that the spot is too dim for a string of bananas.

Thirst (underwatering)

The soil is bone dry, and the yellowing arrives alongside wrinkled, shriveled leaves rather than soft, mushy growth.

The fix

  1. 1
    If the soil is dry, water thoroughly (every 8 to 12 days in summer is the usual pace for a string of bananas), then settle into feeling the soil before every watering rather than watering on a fixed day.

Hungry (but rarely the real culprit)

String of bananas 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

  1. 1
    Use a cactus and succulent fertilizer at half the strength on the label, about every 120 days while it’s actively growing.
  2. 2
    Overfeeding a slow grower like this does more harm than skipping it.

Simple old age

A few of the oldest leaves near the top of the pot shrivel or yellow while the strand tips keep growing plump new ones.

How to tell

  • That’s normal turnover on a string of bananas, not a symptom.

The fix

  1. 1
    Nothing is wrong.
  2. 2
    Pick off the spent leaves and carry on.

All string of bananas guides

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