Calla lily 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 Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), 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.
Zantedeschia aethiopica, commonly known as calla lily, arum lily, and death lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, native to southern Africa in Lesotho, South Africa, and Eswatini. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: S. Africa (seasonally dry tropical). Also sold as African lily, altar lily, Arum Lily, Brosimun aethiopica, Calla aethiopica and Egyptian lily.
What Calla lily’s sources say that bears on this
- Soil moisture
- Poorly-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Soil
- Clay, Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Watering
- They can survive in water up to 12" deep, so they suit pond margins or rain gardens.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Plant outside in part shade or full sun, in soil that holds moisture; in containers use peat-free potting compost (John Innes No2), or grow it at the margins in water to a depth of 30cm (1ft).RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Pests, diseases and other problems: the leaves and flowers may be eaten by Japanese beetles.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Calla lily
Pale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Affected tissue goes pale and then papery, and the boundary follows where the light falls rather than the shape of the leaf.
Its source names full sun, partial shade, yet a leaf grown in lower light has thinner tissue than one grown in sun, and it scorches if moved into strong light in one step.
Telling it apart: Which side. Damage confined to the lit side is light; damage spread evenly is not.
RHS · read 13 September 2026The lowest leaves on each stem turn yellow and hang
A sour smell from the compost is common on a calla lily, and the lowest leaves on each stem come away when pulled. The surface may look dry while everything beneath it is not.
Kept wetter than the poorly-drained its source describes, the root tips die back. A plant with fewer working roots cannot drink, which looks from above exactly like one that has not been watered.
Telling it apart: The smell. Healthy compost smells of earth; compost that has been wet too long does not.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Calla lily
Most likely too little water
Ranked higher because Calla lily's recorded problems point this way.
- Poorly-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 calla lily 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.
Most likely not enough light
Ranked higher because Calla lily's recorded problems point this way.
- Full sun, Partial shade RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Far from a bright window, a calla lily builds leaves it cannot afford.
What to try:
- Move it closer to the brightest window you have, over a week or two rather than in one step.Useful: grow light
- Water less while it is in low light; a calla lily that is barely growing uses little.
What would settle it: Compare a new leaf with one from last year. Smaller and paler, with a longer gap below it, is the reaching pattern rather than a nutrient one.
Most likely too little water
Ranked higher because Calla lily's recorded problems point this way.
- Poorly-drained RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Soil dry two inches down leaves the roots nothing to send up, and the leaf edges are the last tissue in line.
What to try:
- Water thoroughly, until it runs from the drainage hole.Useful: pot with drainage holes
- Check the soil with a finger every few days rather than watering on a fixed day.Useful: moisture meter
What would settle it: Water it thoroughly and watch the next new leaves. If they come in with clean edges under steadier watering, the edges were thirst.
Less likely for a Calla lily, still possible
- Most likely too much water
- Most likely short of nutrients
- Most likely a build-up of salts in the soil
- Light and feeding are both plausible, and this does not separate them
- Nutrients are an unlikely explanation here
- Possibly root rot, in a pot that has stopped draining
- Most likely cold
- Possibly too much direct sun
- Possibly too much direct sun, or feeding
- Probably too much water, but this is not settled
- Probably too much water
- This may be ordinary leaf loss
- Possibly dry air
- The answers do not point at one cause
Questions
- What usually causes yellowing leaves on a Calla lily?
- For Calla lily: most likely too little water, most likely not enough light and most likely too little water.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Calla lily?
- 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 Calla lily's sources say about its soil moisture?
- RHS: Poorly-drained.
- What does this look like on a Calla lily?
- Affected tissue goes pale and then papery, and the boundary follows where the light falls rather than the shape of the leaf. Telling it apart: Which side. Damage confined to the lit side is light; damage spread evenly is not.
- Is Calla lily 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
Flamingo flowerThe plant yellows from below and the pot stays heavy
African violetLower leaves collapse and yellow within days of a watering
Barberton daisyWrinkling rather than yellowing
Bearded irisFaded, yellow-white areas on the sunny side of the plant
Bigleaf hydrangeaPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Bird of paradiseFaded, yellow-white areas on the sunny side of the plant
Something else wrong with the Calla lily?
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.