Why Are My Kale Leaves Turning Yellow? Causes & Solutions

A few months back, on a warm, sunny evening, I was taking a stroll through my garden while chatting with a friend on the phone. The vibrant colors around me were very soothing, but when I glanced over to my kale planted in the rightmost corner of the garden, something didn’t feel right. 

The lush and vibrant kale that I grew had suddenly taken on a yellow shade, looking very lackluster and unappealing.

Despite my care, I wondered if I had overlooked something essential in my approach. When I finally uncovered the underlying issue, it became clear — I truly had been missing a key element! 

If you’re facing a similar issue with yellowing kale leaves, don’t worry! Here are four common causes behind this problem, along with effective solutions to help you get your greens back on track:

Green Kale

Overly compacted soil can suffocate your kale roots and restrict growth dramatically. The plant is unable to draw essential nutrients and water from the ground effectively, which leads to weakness and yellowing leaves. 

Drainage can also become an issue with soil compaction. When excess water doesn’t have room to escape, it just soaks in the ground and causes waterlogging issues that only stress the plant further. 

Solution: Use a garden fork to open up and aerate the soil when it appears to be packed too tightly. Incorporating organic materials like leaf mold and compost can also help enhance soil structure and optimize it to meet the specific needs of your kale plants. 

If pests and insects are a serious problem in your garden, pesticides and herbicides may be necessary to regain control. However, relying on chemical products can introduce additional stress to your kale plants and may lead to leaf yellowing. 

Solution: As harmful as chemical products in the garden can be, they’re sometimes essential for managing certain problems effectively. In such cases, it’s important to carefully weigh the benefits against the potential yellowing danger before proceeding with their application. 

big kale growing

Being inconsistent with your watering timings is terrible for your kale.

Although the plant is quite hardy and can withstand drought-like conditions fairly well, little water, especially when the plant is young, can result in yellowing leaves and wilting. 

The same goes for overwatering, where you provide too much water too frequently. Overwatering tends to cause waterlogging and drainage issues in the soil, which often manifest themselves as root rot. 

Solution: Improving drainage and mulching around the kale plants are effective solutions for watering issues, but the key ultimately lies in your watering practices. If your watering practices are suboptimal, problems related to leaf discoloration will linger around.

As kale matures and grows older, its leaves naturally take on a yellowish-brown shade before the plant dies off. It’s part of the plant’s natural life cycle, especially if growth has been normal and healthy. 

In this case, there’s nothing you can really do — and it’s best to take a step back and refrain from any intervention. Rest assured, new leaf growth will emerge as long as your kale plants are cared for and maintained properly. 

Why Are My Kale Leaves Turning Yellow? Causes & Solutions

Yellowing leaves is a common yet frustrating issue for new and even experienced kale growers. The only right way to deal with it effectively is to dig deeper into potential causes and take targeted action to bring your kale back to life. 

With only some care and a slightly different, more focused approach, your vibrant greens can thrive once again — and that too in little time! 

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