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Why Is My Dill Turning Yellow – 5 Reasons (and Solutions)

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Dill is one of the most beneficial medicinal herbs on the planet. It’s useful to reduce the risk of having a stroke, cholesterol, and heart disease and helps relax the stomach with its inflammatory properties.

You’re probably in luck if you have this one in your yard!

For many years, Dill has been used as a flavorful spice in dishes alongside for medical purposes. No one wants to wonder why is my dill turning yellow?’ because it’s so stunning and nutritious.

Its harvesting season is already brief, running from early spring to early summer in a natural environment. So, if you start wondering ‘why is my dill turning yellow?’ even within that short time frame, supply will be jeopardized.

Knowing why they turn yellow will lead you to the ways that can help them revive.

Why Is My Dill Turning Yellow 1
Dill planter not doing so well and trying not to water often. Still droopy, turning yellow. Tips? – via Reddit

Why Is My Dill Turning Yellow?

1. Excess Watering And Lack Of Drainage

Watering is very necessary for the early growing stage of dill as they are in the process of constant growth. However, dill can survive just like other weeds, without water and fertilized soil. They are self-seeding plants hence easy to grow anywhere.

Dills don’t need much water because they can thrive with water available from the earth’s soil. Nevertheless, overwatering affects dill so adversely that it turns leaves yellow.

Generally, rainwater and daily watering of up to two inches of the soil in a week is enough for survival. However, both overwatering and drainage issues can cause your dill’s roots to rot, eventually turning the plant’s leaves yellow.

Dill that has turned yellow is perfectly safe till the entire plant turns brown. It means you don’t have to be overly worried about the yellow because the overwatering and drainage issues can easily be resolved.

Solution

If your dill is in a pot, check your pot’s drainage holes to ensure that they are not blocked. If the pot is choked, ensure to remove the thing affecting the drainage path.

If there is no drainage issue, then check your watering schedule to ensure that you are not overwatering. Try to understand and learn about the nature of the dill plant and focus on feeding according to the plant’s needs.

2. Sunlight

Dill can’t survive without a full day’s bright sunlight (required exposure for 6 to 7 hours). This indicates that keeping the dill indoors won’t work.

Moreover, the location you choose for the plant is very necessary, as it will decide the survival rate of your dill. Mostly such herbs are preferably grown on garden soil but if the plant is in a pot, it will be quite easy for you to place it somewhere exposed to full sunlight.

In case you have your dill plant in your yard’s soil, you will have to ensure that your plant is receiving adequate sunlight. If the location is not suitable for the plant, the plant’s leaves will eventually become yellow.

Solution

To stop further loss, you’ll need to change location. If your dill is in a pot, you can place your pot outside or in an open area where bright sunlight can easily reach your plant.

Why Is My Dill Turning Yellow 2
Some of my dill herbs are yellowing – via Reddit

3. Excess Fertilizer

Dill plants are quite survivable without fertilizers. Adding fertilizer can help you boost growth, but excess fertilizer can cause damage to the dill plant.

Excessive fertilizer in the soil initiates salt build-up, resulting in the yellowing of the leaves. It can devastatingly affect the roots of the dill plant. Consequences can vary from yellowing to drooping and then eventually dying of the plant.

Solution

The best solution is to use a measuring spoon to add a specific quantity of fertilizer to the soil. If you have more than 10 dill plants, make sure to keep a notebook that helps to track monthly requirements.

4. Pest Attack and Iron Deficiency

Pest attacks and iron deficiency affects plants by turning their color yellow. Iron deficiency usually happens in the greenhouse environment and when the organic soil doesn’t have enough iron supply.

Some of the different pests, fungal, and insects that may be the reason behind the yellowing of dills in your yard are:

  1. Aphids: small insects that suck the sap out of the Dill plant. As a result, the plant turns yellow.
  2. Carrot motley dwarf: happens when planted with carrots and is transmitted by aphids. It turns the leaves into red and yellow color.
  3. Cercospora leaf blight: a type of fungal attack that causes necrotic spots on impacted areas.
  4. Root-knot nematodes: they attack roots that cause significant loss of leaves and turn the remaining yellow color.

Solution

Ensure to add 3% iron to the soil and use quality organic neem oils for restraining insects and pests. For fungus, reduce soil’s moisture, ensure full sunlight and spray fungicide.

5. End of season

If any of the above doesn’t seem to be the reason behind all the yellowing leaves, then it’s because of the end of the season.

Crops have their particular period in which they grow. However, the greenhouses grow continuous batches of dills annually. This insane greenhouse and aquaponic technology help to continue the supply of dills the whole year.

Nonetheless, you may notice the yellowing of leaves then too. It’s either because of the lack of humidity and the warmth in the air or moisture stress.

When the new season arrives, it changes the outside environment specifically in autumn and winter which affects crops inside the greenhouse (if not maintained adequately). As greenhouses and aquaponics are two artificial ways to continue the growth of crops, they also get susceptible to many diseases.

Changing seasons still manage to turn dill leaves yellow even with greenhouses and aquaponics.

Solution

Organically grown dills should be harvested at the end of the season. Don’t worry, they keep coming back every year. It is important to keep in mind that herbs like dill lose their flavors easily so you’ll have to store them immediately and appropriately.

In case you have your greenhouse, ensure that the inside environment and humidifier are safe for the crops you are growing. The soil must remain moist at all times to enable the survival of the plants.

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Conclusion

In short, to deal with the ‘why is my dill turning yellow?’ crisis, try to keep an eye on the watering schedule, soil feeding, environment, and sunlight exposure. If the problem still persists, comment down below and we’ll help you with a custom solution!

Laura Blenkush

Sunday 6th of August 2023

Why do my dill seeds turn yellow on the plant at harvest time?

Hoang Quang

Friday 11th of August 2023

@Laura Blenkush,

Hi there! So, you see your dill seeds turning yellow near harvest time?

Totally normal!

Most probably, it is because of the plant's natural life cycle. It's kinda like their way of saying, "Hey, I'm ready to spread my seed goodness around!"

However, if you see yellowing on other parts of the plants, such as leaves. It could be due to the reasons mentioned in the article. So, be sure you are giving your dills all the care they need.

If it's just the seeds, there's nothing to be worried about.

Regards.