Causes and treatments of yellow leaves of Houttuynia cordata

1. Lack of water

Reason: Houttuynia cordata likes moisture and is relatively resistant to waterlogging. It has a strong demand for water and requires the soil to be kept moist at all times. Therefore, if you water too little during daily maintenance, resulting in insufficient moisture in the soil, the potting soil will become dry and unsuitable for its growth. In this case, the branches and leaves will turn yellow due to dehydration.

Measures: Rehydrate it in time, gradually increase the amount of water so that the moisture content in the soil is around 75% to 80%. In subsequent maintenance, the soil needs to be kept moist to adjust its growth environment.

2. Unsuitable soil

Reason: The soil for growing Houttuynia cordata must be loose, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic sandy loam or humus soil rich in organic matter. This kind of soil can provide it with more sufficient nutrients and is beneficial to root breathing. If the soil is not suitable, it will make it difficult for its roots to breathe, nutrient transfer will be slow, and some of the bottom leaves will turn yellow.

Measures: The soil needs to be changed. It is best to change it to sandy loam or humus soil with a slightly acidic pH of 6-7 and good drainage. After that, change the soil every one or two years to ensure that the soil conditions are suitable.

3. Disease problems

Cause: The yellowing of Houttuynia cordata leaves may be caused by root rot. The disease causes root rot, which then causes the inside of the plant to become malnourished and the outer leaves to turn yellow. It may also be white rot, the symptoms of which are the appearance of some white hyphae or spherical particles near the soil. This disease will cause the plants to wither and turn yellow.

Measures: For root rot, you can use copper chlorothalonil, carbendazim, or Bacillus subtilis to irrigate the roots for treatment. Irrigate the roots once every five or six days. Doing this two or three times in a row can control the yellowing leaf problem. To deal with white rot, you can first dig out the roots, disinfect the soil with carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl, remove the infected parts and then replant.