4 Pesky Reasons Behind Fig Tree Leaves Turning Yellow

Introduction

Anybody who’s ever given a shot at gardening knows that there comes a few hurdles down the road. One such nuisance is finding your plant leaves, which suddenly turn yellow.

In case you own a fig plant, you may discover the fig tree leaves turning yellow when luck’s not by your side.

If we’ve spotted the reason behind you losing sleep, then fret not. In this post, we’ll look at a blanket solution for this problem. We’ll see why fig leaves turn yellow and also how we can fix it. 

Sounds reassuring? Then jump in as we discover why this problem may be happening.

Fig Tree Leaves Turning Yellow: 4 Reasons and Solutions

Hold up! We know you want to get to the root of the problem asap, but shouldn’t we see why this may be happening?

We wish we could give you a one shoe fits all answer, but sadly there isn’t one. 

The only way to diagnose this is through trial and error. The culprit could range anywhere from overwatering to a hidden disease. 

Whatever the internal problem may be, yellowing leaves kind of serve as an alarm bell. So when you see this change, know that there’s an issue that needs attention.

Thus, let’s go over each one of the problems and their solutions.

Culprit 1: Infertile Soil

Soil supplies that nutrition to your plant. So, the culprit behind yellow leaves of your plant might be your infertile soil.  Now you know why farmers spend so much time plowing and fertilizing the soil.

If your soil is barren and void of all the essential nutrients, then you’ll notice your plant’s health deteriorating slowly.

If you have a potted plant, it’s relatively easy to lose track of how often you should replace your potting mix or add fertilizer.

How to Overcome This

A good way to gauge whether this is the problem is to recall when you last added a plant fertilizer. Presuming it’s been a while, go ahead and use fertilizer for breathing life back into your plant.

Another tip, fig trees love soil that’s rich in nitrogen. It’s also crucial when you want healthy plant cell growth. 

If you suddenly see that your plant stopped growing, a good dose of nitrogen may be all that you need.

To sum up, make sure you at least add fertilizer or new soil to your plant yearly. However, we don’t want you to hold unrealistic expectations. 

A new fertilizer won’t turn your yellow leaves all green. It encourages the growth of fresh green leaves and makes the old yellow leaves fall off.

Culprit 2: Overwatering/Underwatering

Your 3rd-grade science teacher wasn’t wrong when they said, “Water is the key to life.” This statement holds especially true when it comes to plants. 

The number of times you need to water will vary from plant to plant. Here again, there’s no one straight answer. 

Just because your lily of the valley plant loves moisture doesn’t mean it’ll hold the same for your fig tree. 

Wait! Before you pack up your watering can for the season, you can’t dry out your plant either. Just like overwatering is a significant cause for yellow leaves, underwatering too, destroys your plant.

We get it; it can get pretty frustrating to find the balance. Let’s see how you can discover the sweet spot and make your plant thrive!

How to Overcome This

Whenever you’re in a dilemma about how much water your plant needs, try finding out where this plant grows in the wild.

This will give you a great idea of how you should go about watering it. For instance, fig plants grow in a pretty dry climate, with high temperatures. So, it’s obvious that you need well-draining soil.  

Thus, don’t water it more than once or twice a week. Make sure that the soil is compact and that there’s adequate drainage. 

Moreover, you can try two types of pots for overwatering and underwatering. A drainage pot for overwatering and a self watering pot for unwatering.

Culprit 3: Temperature Change

Fig trees are quite sensitive to temperature change, despite growing in a warm climate. 

In case you have a sudden change in weather, or you’ve transplanted the plant from a nursery to your garden, the effect will show on your plant.

This rapid change can shock the plants and take a huge toll on its health. As a result, you may notice yellow leaves or leaves curling up.

How to Overcome This

The solution here is simple. To avoid transplant shock, or protect your plants from a rapid change, give it some time.

During that, water your fig tree adequately, as a hydrated plant will be able to adjust to changes more quickly.

Moreover, you can try to ensure that you transplant the fig tree outside during the summer when it’s not too cold outside.

Culprit 4: Root Rot

Remember how we told you overwatering can bring in a plethora of problems? One of them is root rot. This nasty right here damages roots and destroys their ability to soak up nutrients from the soil.

As a result, the plant slowly dies off. 

Root rot isn’t a plant disease. It happens when you overwater your plants, and the roots start to decay when submerged in water for too long.

How to Overcome This

We won’t ramble here. Just remember what we told you about overwatering and that’ll do for prevention.

When it comes to curing, you gotta get handsy. Take out your gardening gloves and dig up soil. Next, cut off the rotten parts and replace the soil if possible. In this case, root slayer might come in handy for you.

Hopefully, you’ll notice the plant regaining health soon enough.

Takeaway

That’s about it folks. We hope that you liked this post and discovered the reason behind your fig tree leaves turning yellow.

Give your plant some love, and hopefully, you’ll be able to revive it soon enough.

Do tell us if these tips helped. Moreover, don’t forget to let us know if you have any extra suggestions. Bye-bye!