Arrowhead plant leaves turning yellow: causes and what to do
17 results in the diagnosis tree begin with yellowing leaves, 7 of them marked likely when the answers fit. They are ordered here for Arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum), using what its sources say about soil moisture, light, soil, watering and feeding and 2 problems recorded for it.
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Syngonium podophyllum is a species of aroid that is a popular houseplant. Common names include: arrowhead plant, arrowhead vine, arrowhead philodendron, goosefoot, nephthytis, African evergreen, and American evergreen. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: Mexico to Trop. America (wet tropical). Also sold as African evergreen, American Evergreen, Arrow-Head Vine, Arrowhead Vine, nephthytis and Trileaf Wonder.
What Arrowhead plant’s sources say that bears on this
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Light
- Medium lightClemson Extension · read 13 September 2026Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Watering
- During growth, water generously and feed every 3 or 4 weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Water less in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- While growing, water generously and feed every three or four weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Arrowhead plant
New leaf blades arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
Compare this year's growth on the arrowhead plant with last year's: new leaf blades are smaller, thinner and a paler green, and the gap below each one is longer.
Light is the budget every other process is paid from. Under the medium light its source names, the plant spends down reserves and shows it in thin, pale growth.
Telling it apart: Whether old growth is affected. Light shows in what arrives next; feeding shows in what is already there.
Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026The vine yellows from below and the pot stays heavy
The lowest leaf blades of the arrowhead plant go yellow and translucent at the stalk and drop with a light pull, while the compost stays wet.
Roots sitting in water run out of oxygen, and the first sign above ground is the oldest leaf blades being given up. Its source describes moist but well-drained soil, which is air as much as water.
Telling it apart: Whether the drainage hole drips when the pot is tilted. Water still running out days later is the answer.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Arrowhead plant
Most likely too much water
Ranked higher because Arrowhead plant's recorded problems point this way.
- Moist but well-drained RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Soil that is wet two inches down, under leaves that are yellowing from the bottom or falling, points at roots that cannot breathe.
What to try:
- Hold off watering until the top two inches of soil are dry, and check again with a finger rather than by the calendar.Useful: moisture meter
- Empty any water standing in the saucer or the outer pot within half an hour of watering.Useful: pot with drainage holes
What would settle it: Lift the arrowhead plant out of its pot. Healthy roots are firm and pale; roots that have been wet too long are brown, soft and smell sour.
Most likely cold
Ranked higher for Arrowhead plant because of what its sources say.
Its RHS hardiness rating puts this plant's cold floor at 15°C or above, so a cold windowsill at night is a strong explanation.
- H1A — warmer than 15°C RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Soft, dark patches rather than crisp ones are damaged tissue rather than dried tissue.
What to try:
- Move it away from the glass at night, or keep the curtain on the room side of the arrowhead plant.
- Leave damaged leaves until new growth appears, then remove the worst of them.
What would settle it: Where the arrowhead plant sits at night, and what the glass feels like at that hour. Damage that appeared after one cold night, on the side facing the window, is the pattern.
Most likely too little water
- Moist but well-drained RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Soil dry two inches down, under lower leaves that are yellowing or leaves that are falling, is a arrowhead plant shedding what it cannot support.
What to try:
- Water until it runs from the drainage hole, then let the pot drain.Useful: pot with drainage holes
- If the water runs straight through a shrunken rootball, stand the pot in water for twenty minutes so the compost can take it up.
What would settle it: Water it thoroughly and look again the same evening. A thirsty plant firms up fast. One that does not has a root problem rather than a water problem.
Less likely for a Arrowhead plant, still possible
- Most likely not enough light
- Most likely short of nutrients
- Most likely a build-up of salts in the soil
- Nutrients are an unlikely explanation here
- Possibly root rot, in a pot that has stopped draining
- Probably too much water, but this is not settled
- Probably too much water
- Possibly too much direct sun
- Possibly too much direct sun, or feeding
- This may be ordinary leaf loss
- Light and feeding are both plausible, and this does not separate them
- Possibly dry air
- The answers do not point at one cause
Questions
- What usually causes yellowing leaves on a Arrowhead plant?
- For Arrowhead plant: most likely too much water, most likely cold and most likely too little water.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Arrowhead plant?
- Where is the yellowing? The lowest leaves, working upward; New growth at the top, while older leaves stay green; Between the veins, the veins themselves still green; At the leaf tips and edges, browning as it goes; Patchy, only on the side facing the window.
- What do Arrowhead plant's sources say about its soil moisture?
- RHS: Moist but well-drained.
- What does this look like on a Arrowhead plant?
- Compare this year's growth on the arrowhead plant with last year's: new leaf blades are smaller, thinner and a paler green, and the gap below each one is longer. Telling it apart: Whether old growth is affected. Light shows in what arrives next; feeding shows in what is already there.
- Is Arrowhead plant safe to handle while I check it?
- Its sources list it as toxic to cats, dogs and people. Wash your hands after handling the roots or sap, and keep trimmings away from pets.
Other plants that show yellowing leaves
AlocasiaThe crown yellows from below and the pot stays heavy
Dumb caneLower leaves collapse and yellow within days of a watering
Elephant earThe older part of the crown yellows while the compost stays soaked
Heartleaf philodendronThe leaves nearest the soil turn yellow and hang
- No photograph yetLacy tree philodendronPale, undersized leaf blades at the tips of the stems
MonsteraSoft yellow leaves low on the plant, soil still wet
Something else wrong with the Arrowhead plant?
What this does not cover
This page orders a decision tree's results using a plant's sourced care. It has not seen your plant, its pot or its window, and two problems at once are common: that is the usual reason a confident answer turns out wrong. The questions in the diagnosis tool narrow it further than a list can.