Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:59 pm
The leaves of parsley, which just looked so beautiful green, suddenly turn yellow. The culprit is the damage to the leaves and roots, which gardeners call “parsley disease”. What you can do to parsley grows well and thrives.
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Four possible causes
Parsley is a self-willed plant. If something doesn’t suit it, it turns yellow, takes care of itself and eventually dies.
When growing parsley, you can make four serious mistakes:
- Wrong location
- Crop rotation problems
- Soil that is too wet or too dry
- Soil contaminated by fungal spores and pests
Choosing the right location
Parsley does not like it too warm and sunny. It prefers a semi-shaded location. The soil should be rich in humus and very loose. Above all, crop rotation plays an important role.
Observe crop rotation
Parsley is highly incompatible with itself. The parsley bed must not have had any umbelliferous plants on it for three years beforehand.
In addition to parsley, this includes carrots, dill, celery, fennel and all other umbellifers. If these plants are grown on the same bed in subsequent years, the risk of soil pests and fungi multiplying uncontrollably increases.
Watering parsley properly
The biggest problem in the care of parsley is watering. It should not stand too dry, nor can it tolerate too much wetness or even waterlogging.
Make sure the soil is permeable, so that the rainwater or watering water does not accumulate.
Water the parsley carefully. Check with your finger to see if the top layer of soil has dried off, and only then water again. However, do not give too much water.
Soil pests and fungal spores as triggers for parsley disease.
Soil pests such as root aphids, nematodes, maggots and fungal spores feel particularly at home at the roots of umbelliferous plants such as parsley. These pests are often so small that you can’t see them with the naked eye.
If the pests have taken up residence in the garden, it usually affects the compost as well. If you use infested compost to improve the new parsley bed, you increase the risk that the parsley will later turn yellow.
Grow parsley in pot in advance or sow only from August onwards.
There are two solutions to growing vigorous parsley. Sow the seasoning herb in a pot with growing soil and plant it outdoors only from August.
If you like to sow in the open ground right away, wait until August. Then the main spreading time for pests and fungal spores is over and the parsley can develop into strong plants.
Tips & Tricks
If it happens frequently that parsley does not grow outdoors and turns yellow, you should have the garden soil tested for fungi and parasites. Contaminated soil from the garden should never be used as potting soil for kitchen herbs on the balcony or windowsill.