Snake plant care is actually quite easy, especially for beginners since they can handle more neglect than most other types of plants.
With that said, even this plant can run into problems when growing conditions are not optimal or for other reasons.
Common causes for a Snake plant turning yellow include overwatering, underwatering, too much or little light and pests.
The plants age can also have a factor and some leaves may turn yellow and fall off eventually over time.
So if your snake plants leaves have been yellowing, it’s time to have a look at each of these factors to determine what exactly is going on and what you can do from here.
Overwatered Snake plant
The most common cause for a Snake plant turning yellow will be due to overwatering or using soil that doesn’t drain well and leaves standing water behind.
Snake plants do not like to be constantly wet but rather near dry the vast majority of the time as they can handle drought quite well.
Watering too much or letting water sit for too long can damage the roots by causing root rot and yellow leaves may be the first sign of this.
When in doubt, check the roots.
If the roots are soft, mushy or brown then you now have root rot and you need to do the following to save your overwatered snake plant.
Solution: Remove all damaged roots, keep all firm and healthy roots, rinse the healthy roots well and then repot your snake plant into some fresh new soil that actually drains well. I recommend this soil.
Once all of this is said and done, you can resume normal care and remember to only water when at least the first few inches of soil feel completely dry to prevent this from happening again.
Unfortunately the previous yellowing leaves won’t return to normal so you can just remove them before you repot the plant.
Underwatered Snake Plant
Now although less common, snake plants can turn yellow due to underwatering if it goes on way too long since they can normally handle drought.
Thankfully, this is a much easier fix as all you will have to do is give your Snake plant a good drink and remove the yellow leaves.
Don’t try and overcompensate by constantly watering your plant now, as that will certainly cause more problems and shock your plant.
Instead just resume normal watering like you’re supposed to and your snake plant will thank you for this by growing strong and healthy.
Pests on Snake Plant
Pests are another annoying thing that can come with growing plants and they show up when you least expect it, a lot of the time you probably don’t even know they’re there.
Aphids, mealy bugs, scales and more can infest a snake plant and cause serious damage to the plant if they stay there for too long.
They can especially be a cause for your Snake plant turning yellow.
These pests feed on the leaves of plants, taking their nutrients which in turn will make the leaves dehydrated and they can turn yellow or fall off.
Pests are also a major cause for a Snake plant leaves to droop as well as brown tips on your Snake plant.
If you notice any weird white spots, brown spots or dots then odds are you have some pests, especially if you notice dehydrated leaves.
Here is how you can deal with them.
Solution: Keep your Snake plant away from all other plants to prevent the spread of these pests, use a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol to remove these pests one by one or you can just spray the plant with some quality neem oil at least once a week until they are all gone. Always use the neem oil at night and let it dry before putting the plant back in the sun.
Now you won’t have to worry about pests feeding on the leaves or damaging them further. You can just remove these yellow leaves and move forward with solid growth.
For a more complete guide to deal with Snake plant pests, you should check out my article how to get rid of bugs on Snake plants.
Too much sunlight
Although snake plants do like to get a mix of full sunlight, too much direct sunlight can cause damage to the leaves by scorching them.
This can cause yellowing of the leaves or brown tips from sunburn.
If either of these things have happened to your plant then immediately move this plant to a location where it will still get plenty of sunlight but bright indirect light instead of full sun.
Once again you can just remove these damaged leaves and go from there.
Remember a little bit of full sun is not a bad thing but too much or too intense can cause the yellowing of a Snake plant so keep that in mind.
Not enough light
On the other side of the spectrum, it’s entirely possible that your Snake plant could be yellowing from too little light.
As mentioned, these plants need plenty of light daily so at least make sure it’s getting a good amount of indirect light at the very least for the best growth possible.
Otherwise you can get yellow leaves, droopy leaves or just a stretched out plant in general which is not a good thing.
Now just remove the yellow leaves and get the right amount of light that your plant deserves.