11 Causes of String of Hearts Plant Yellow Leaves and their Remedies

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String of Hearts Plant bears eye-catching, fleshy, grey-green leaves with a marbled pattern but they may turn yellow due to improper watering, low light, wrong temperatures, poor feeding, being pot-bound, diseases and pests among others.

String of Hearts Plant (Ceropegia woodii) flourishes in bright, indirect light (filtered light), average warmth of 16-25⁰C, moderate humidity of 50-55% and moderately moist, rich, well-drained, succulents potting soils coupled with monthly feeding in the growing season. Read more on how to grow and care for String of Hearts Plant.

Where these conditions are not met, String of Hearts Plant leaves may begin to turn yellow. Following are 11 reasons why the leaves in your String of Hearts Plant are yellowing and how to fix them.

11 Reasons String of Hearts Plant Leaves are Turning Yellow with Solutions

1. Too Little Light

String of Hearts Plant blossoms in bright, indirect light away from direct sunlight. Adequate light is needed for making food that is required for energy and growth.

Insufficient light means that the plant cannot make enough food for energy and growth. In an attempt to save energy, the leaves turn yellow and begin to drop leaves. This way, the plant saves the available energy for the vital functions to keep alive.

Solutions

Position your String of Hearts Plant in a brighter spot where it will receive bright, indirect light or instal grow lights if the natural lighting is not adequate. Check out these full spectrum grow lights on Amazon.

Regularly turn the pot to ensure that the plant receives enough light on all sides for uniform growth as well as prevent leggy growth. Check out this guide on understanding light for houseplants.

2. Improper feeding

Overfeeding your String of Hearts Plant will cause the roots to die due to fertilizer burn. Therefore, they cannot take up nutrients and water required for photosynthesis, thus the plant begins to die and the leaves turn yellow.

If the plant is underfed, it is not getting enough nutrients needed for growth, therefore, the leaves begin to turn yellow and eventually die .

Solutions

Feed your String of Hearts Plant monthly during the growing season with a balanced, liquid fertilizer. Take care not to overfeed by following the instructions on the label of the plant food.

Regularly flush out accumulated salts from the soil by running a stream of water through the soil until it comes out through the drainage holes and repeat the process several times. Learn more on how to feed houseplants.

3. Pest infestations

String of Hearts Plant is prone to spider mites, aphids and scales infestations. These sap-sucking insects attack the new growth from where they suck the plant sap and will cause wilting, yellowing and leaf drop.

Solutions

Maintain your String of Hearts Plant well pruned by removing dead foliage to reduce pest infestations. Regularly inspect the plant for the pests and take timely control measures. Treat the plant for the pests with appropriate products like neem oil and insecticidal soap as recommended by the manufacturer.

4. Poor soil quality

String of Hearts Plant requires free-draining soil. Poor quality soil does not drain easily and will become compacted or soggy which will lead to reduced growth, yellowing of leaves and death.

Solutions

Grow your String of Hearts Plant in rich, well-drained, succulents soils which will not get soggy while providing the required nutrients.

5. Root-rot disease

String of Hearts Plant is prone to root-rot which is prevalent in soggy soil. The disease is characterized by wilted, discolored leaves, corky swellings under the leaves, yellow and dropping leaves.

Soggy soil reduces oxygen concentration in the soil which causes the roots to die. Once the roots die, they cannot take up water and nutrients to the leaves. Therefore, the leaves begin to wilt, turn yellow and eventually drop.

Solutions

Slip the String of Hearts Plant out of its pot and inspect the roots. Brown-black mushy roots indicate root-rot, trim them off and treat the healthy roots with a copper-based fungicidal solution.

Disinfect the pot with the fungicidal solution or use a fresh pot to repot the plant in fresh, free-draining soil. Keep the plant dry for some time before resuming watering.

Ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is free-draining to prevent it from getting soggy in the future. Cut down on watering in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time, therefore, the plant does not require much water.

6. Being Pot-bound

String of Hearts Plant requires to be repotted at the beginning of the growing season when it becomes pot-bound. If the plant is pot-bound the leaves begins to wilt, yellow and eventually die.

This is because when it pot-bound, the roots have filled the pot, there is very little soil to hold water when the plant is watered.

If there is too little water in the soil for the plant to take up to the leaves for photosynthesis, it cannot make enough food for growth and the leaves begin to turn yellow.

Solutions

Check the bottom of the pot. If the roots are growing through the drainage hole, repot your String of Hearts Plant into a pot one size larger than the current one.

Ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is free-draining to prevent it from getting soggy (hold excessive water).

Use a shallow rather than deep pot as the plant has a small (shallow) root system. A clay pot is preferable as it is porous, thus allows the soil to dry out faster to prevent waterlogging of the soil. Check out these succulents pots available on Amazon.

7. Overwatering

Overwatering your String of Hearts Plant results in soggy soil which leads to the death of the roots due to lack of oxygen. When the roots die, the plant cannot take up water, therefore, it cannot make food for growth and energy.

Without enough food for growth, in a bid to save energy, the plant begins to die which begins from the leaves turning yellow, brown and eventually die.

Solutions

String of Hearts Plant grows best in moderately moist soil at all times during the growing season. Allow the top 2-3 inches of soil to dry out between waterings.

Decrease watering in the cold season but do not allow the soil to dry out completely. Ensure also that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is free-draing to prevent it from getting soggy.

8. Underwatering

Underwatering your String of Hearts Plant means that there is too little moisture in the soil for the plant to take up to the leaves for photosynthesis, to make food for growth of the plant.

The lack of adequate food for growth and other processes in the plant will cause the plant to begin to die from the leaves which turn yellow, brown and eventually drop.

Solutions

String of Hearts Plant thrives when the soil is kept moderately moist at all times during the growing season. Water the plant liberally during the growing season until water comes out through the drainage holes.

Always water the plant when the top 2-3 inches of soil begin to dry out to keep the soil moderately moist during the growing season.

Decrease watering in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time but do not allow the soil to dry out completely for prolonged periods of time. Read more on how to water indoor plants the right way.

9. Wrong temperature

String of Hearts Plant requires an average room temperatures of 16-25⁰C to thrive. If the temperatures are not right, it will adversely affect growth of your plant.

Too low temperatures will lead to reduced (stunted) growth and as such the leaves begin to turn yellow and die to save energy for the plant.

Very high temperatures will cause excessive loss of water which will lead to dehydration, wilting and yellowing leaves and leaf drop.

Solutions

Place your String of Hearts Plant away from cold drafts like drafty winds, air conditioning vents, open doors and others or place it in a warmer spot.

Ensure that the plant is not near hot surfaces, hot air vents and other hot areas to prevent extremely high temperatures. Maintain an average warmth of 16-25⁰C. A room temperature that is comfortable for you is ideal for the plant. Check out this guide on understanding temperature for houseplants.

10. Repotting shock

Repotting your String of Hearts Plant may cause it some shock which may lead to some leaves wilting and turning yellow before it can adjust the new growing conditions.

Solutions

To minimize repotting shock, water the plant thoroughly one day before repotting as a well hydrated plant experiences less shock than a dry plant.

Avoid making too many changes at once. For instance, after repotting, maintain the plant in the same spot until it is well established before moving it to a new location.

11. Age of the leaves

As your String of Hearts Plant leaves mature, the older leaves turn yellow and die. Therefore, do not be alarmed, if a few leaves turn yellow as this is a natural process.

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