Leaf Journal

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Why is my monstera's leaf turning yellow? Check which leaf first

On a monstera, old leaf versus new leaf is almost the whole diagnosis. One lowest leaf yellowing while new growth pushes is normal. A yellow new leaf is not.

By Leaf Journal··How this was researched

The short answer

If it's the lowest, oldest leaf on the monstera yellowing while newer leaves look fine, that's the plant reallocating resources to new growth — normal, not a problem. If a brand-new leaf unfurls yellow or undersized, or several leaves yellow at once, that's a root or light problem, and the most common culprit is a pot that's too big for the roots, keeping the soil wet for too long. Aerial roots turning dry and brown are unrelated and normal.

The verdict

The lowest leaf yellowing alone while the plant is actively growing is normal aging. A new leaf yellowing, or several leaves at once, means check the roots — usually an oversized pot holding wet soil too long, not a watering mistake.

Narrow it down

Which leaf is yellow: the lowest, oldest one, or a newer leaf higher up?

What it usually is, most likely first

  1. 1

    Normal aging (lowest leaf only)

    The tell — Only the single lowest, oldest leaf is yellow. The plant has a new leaf unfurling or recently opened one, and every other leaf looks normal.

    The fix — Let it finish yellowing, then cut it close to the stem. This is the monstera funding new growth with an old leaf's resources — the most common reason a healthy monstera shows any yellow at all. Change nothing.

    The full entry on this →
  2. 2

    Oversized pot holding wet soil too long

    The tell — The pot looks roomy for the current root mass — bought for the plant people picture in two years, not the roots it has now. Soil stays damp well past a week, and yellowing shows on more than one leaf or on a newer leaf.

    The fix — Don't size up again at the next repot; if anything go smaller. Repot into a pot barely larger than the root ball, using a chunky, airy mix (potting soil, a third perlite, a couple of handfuls of bark) so what soil there is drains and dries fast rather than sitting wet around roots that can't fill it.

    The full entry on this →
  3. 3

    Overwatering on schedule rather than by soil check

    The tell — Watered on a fixed day regardless of how the soil felt. Soil is damp several days after the last watering, sometimes a faint swampy smell from the pot.

    The fix — Stop watering and check the top 3–5cm of soil with a finger before every future watering instead of a calendar. A monstera in the right chunky mix and pot size can go two weeks between waterings without complaint.

    The full entry on this →
  4. 4

    Not enough light for the size of the plant

    The tell — Yellowing is pale and spread across several leaves rather than isolated to the oldest one, new leaves are coming in small with fewer or no splits, and the plant has been in a dim spot for a while.

    The fix — Move it to bright indirect light — a spot it can see sky from, out of direct midday sun. Judge the fix by the next new leaf, not the yellow ones, which won't recover.

    The full entry on this →
  5. 5

    Root rot from prolonged wet soil

    The tell — Multiple leaves yellowing together, soil wet for well over a week, and — the urgent version — a stem that feels soft or mushy near the soil line rather than firm.

    The fix — If the stem base is soft, treat it as an emergency today: unpot, trim every brown mushy root back to firm white or pale tissue, and repot into fresh dry chunky mix in a pot sized to the roots that are left, not the ones you wish it had.

    The full entry on this →
  1. 1. Symptom

    A monstera leaf going yellow, and the panic that follows

    Monsteras are the plant people buy to prove they can keep something alive, so one yellow leaf feels like a verdict. Most of the time it isn't one. The plant that dropped an old leaf while unfurling a new one is doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

  2. 2. Cause

    Old leaf versus new leaf is most of the diagnosis on this species

    A monstera reallocating resources sheds from the bottom, one leaf at a time, while everything above it looks fine — that's the aging pattern, and it's genuinely common on this plant because it grows fast enough to be doing this constantly. A new leaf coming in yellow, or more than one leaf turning at once, skips that story entirely and points at the roots instead. And the monstera-specific trap behind most of those root problems is the pot: people size it for the two-meter plant they're picturing, not the fist-sized root ball they actually have, so the soil around those roots stays wet for days after the roots themselves have taken what they need.

  3. 3. The fix

    Match the leaf, then fix the pot before the watering habit

    Lowest leaf only, new growth happening: do nothing, pluck it once it's fully yellow. New or multiple leaves yellow: check whether the pot is oversized before you touch the watering schedule — a chunky mix in a snug pot solves more monstera yellowing than any watering fix does on its own. Soft stem near the soil: that's today's problem, not this week's. Aerial roots gone dry and brown, on their own, with the leaves otherwise fine: ignore them completely, that's normal and has nothing to do with yellowing.

People keep asking…

Why is my monstera's bottom leaf turning yellow?
If it's a single lowest leaf and the plant has a new leaf unfurling or recently opened, that's normal aging — the plant is funding new growth by retiring its oldest leaf. Let it finish yellowing and cut it off. It's only worth investigating if a newer leaf yellows too, or several leaves turn at once.
Why is a new leaf on my monstera yellow?
A new leaf should never come in yellow — that skips the normal aging pattern entirely and points at the roots, most often soil that's stayed wet too long because the pot is bigger than the current root ball needs. Check pot size and how long the soil has stayed damp before assuming it's a watering mistake.
Is my monstera pot too big?
Probably, if it was bought with the mature plant in mind rather than the current roots. An oversized pot means more soil than the roots can use, so it stays wet for days after watering and slowly suffocates the roots — the single most common monstera-specific cause of yellowing that isn't plain aging. Repot into something closer to the root ball's size, in a chunky mix, rather than sizing up again.
Are dry aerial roots on a monstera a problem?
No. Aerial roots drying out and turning brown or papery is normal, especially indoors where they have nothing to climb into or root down through. It's unrelated to leaf yellowing — don't let dry aerial roots send you looking for a watering or light problem that isn't there.
Should I water my monstera more if the leaves are yellow?
No — more water is rarely the fix for a monstera and is often what caused the yellowing in the first place. Check the soil with a finger first; if it's still damp, the answer is less water and possibly a smaller, airier pot, not more watering.

This page is researched experience, not professional advice — what you do with it is your call. The fine print lives in our disclaimer.