A problem that may be brought on by the plant’s growing environment may be indicated when a plant’s leaf turns or starts to turn dark green.
Excessive sunshine is the main cause of leaves turning a darker green color. Lack of sunlight causes a plant’s leaves to create more chlorophyll, which is what gives the plant its green hue. The color of the leaf is darker green than typical because of the increase in chlorophyll concentration per unit area.
In an effort to promote growth by making it possible to absorb more sunlight for photosynthesis, plants naturally produce more chlorophyll than is necessary. Excessive fertilizer use and overwatering can both contribute to this natural process.
Fortunately, most causes of dark green leaves involve simple fixes. This page will describe the various influences on the color of the leaves.
Table of Contents
Why Do Leaves Turn Dark Green?
The most colorful portions of most houseplants are usually the leaves, but what should you do if they start to become dark green? It’s not a sickness, and your plants aren’t dying as a result. Light from the sun, water, and fertilizer are three elements that might influence the dark green hue of leaves.
Lack of Sunlight:
The two forms of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, give plants their green hue. The principal pigment that absorbs the most light is chlorophyll.
An auxiliary pigment called chlorophyll b absorbs light with shorter, bluer wavelengths and delivers it to chlorophyll a. Then, photosynthesis is carried out by chlorophyll.
A plant’s leaves begin to produce more chlorophyll b if it doesn’t get enough sunshine. Low-intensity light is captured by chlorophyll b and sent to chlorophyll a for photosynthesis. The leaf turns a dark green color as a result of an increase in chlorophyll b.
Although sunlight is ideal for houseplants, there are safe locations throughout the house where you may place them to ensure their healthy growth. Refer to our complete plant placement advice here.
It’s important to give balanced illumination, and we’ve located a reliable artificial grow light on Amazon that does the job by offering the proper spectrum of light. Clicking here will take you there.
Overuse Of Fertilizer:
Fertilizers are essential for the growth of seeds and plants. They aid in compensating for the lack of specific nutrients in the soil. They hasten plant development and increase soil fertility.
However, using something too much is never a smart idea. Overfertilization can harm plants and result in dark green leaves, among other issues. The improper use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers is associated with the darkening of leaves.
Nitrogen is an essential ingredient for the upkeep and healthy development of plants. When nitrogen fertilizer is used improperly, plants may absorb more nitrogen than they require. Large-scale plant growth and overly green leaves are caused by the excess nitrogen.
Another nutrient that is essential for the development of plants is phosphorus. An excessive amount of phosphorus may be absorbed by the plant as a result of phosphorus fertilizer overuse. A phosphorus overload can result in slow growth, excessively green leaves with dying tips, and late maturation of plants.
Check out these articles on leafy issues:
pale leaves on a plantsmall plant leavestransparent leaves on a plantsplit plant leaves
Overwatering:
Only certain plants’ leaves turn dark green when there is too much water. Most of these plants are desert species like aloe vera. Other plants that enjoy the water do not typically have it.
Desert plants typically absorb all the water when they are overwatered. The extra water is stored in their bodies. These plants are not accustomed to holding this much water, thus they are unable to withstand the stress caused by it.
Their cells slowly begin to explode, harming their body. The tissues of the leaves are also harmed. Dark green leaves are a symptom of this injury.
See our post on how to dry overwatered soil if you think your soil may be too wet.
The reasonably priced Trazon Soil 3-in-1 Meter can be used to measure the soil’s pH and moisture content. It checks the pH as well as the amount of moisture and light. Clicking here will take you there!
How Do Environmental Factors Affect Dark Green Leaves?
Environmental elements like habitat or weather might have an impact on dark green leaves. For instance, a tiny section of a rainforest may contain more than a hundred tall trees. Because of the lack of resources, this may result in an ongoing struggle for survival.
There is little sunlight reaching the bottom leaves of trees and tiny plants. To stay alive, they take in any sunshine they can.
These extreme conditions may force these plants to alter, such as upping their chlorophyll b production.
Low-intensity light is absorbed by chlorophyll b and sent to chlorophyll a for photosynthesis. The lower leaves’ ability to produce food and survive in rainforests is aided by this adaptation.
Dark green leaves can also be affected by the weather. As an illustration, plants that prefer shade and are greener nevertheless grow during colder months. Dark-leafed plants and plants that grow in shade are adapted to living in low-intensity sunshine.
Thus, these plants are active and continue to grow during the winter, while the majority of plants are dormant. Because they have more chlorophyll, evergreen plants can better absorb wintertime low-intensity sunshine. They have been modified to exploit any available light for photosynthesis.
To improve the general health of the leaves and stems of my plants, I utilized a reasonably priced liquid fertilizer called Purived. Clicking here will take you there!
What Is The Effect Of Sunlight On Dark Green Leaves?
The main factor in the formation of too green leaves is sunlight. Dark green leaves can be strongly impacted by light intensity and sun exposure. The leaves of the plant that is growing in strong, all-day sunshine are larger and lighter green in color.
The leaves of the plant, however, are smaller and turn an extreme shade of green while it is growing in the shade or in low-intensity sunshine.
Light green plants have chloroplasts that are uniformly dispersed throughout the cell. However, overly green leaves’ chloroplasts move within the cell. They move to absorb as much light as they can while avoiding casting shadows on neighboring chloroplasts.
These plants’ chlorophyll will burn and be destroyed if unexpectedly exposed to sunlight. The plant may in rare situations die after losing all the water it has stored through transpiration.
Additionally, for survival, plants that grow in the shade alter particular aspects of their structure. These shade-loving plants either start growing their leaves toward the sun or increase their chlorophyll b production.
The shade plant can absorb more sunlight in both situations. In order to create nourishment for the plant, photosynthesis uses this sunlight. This process enables plants to live in low-light conditions or in the shadow.
Is Dark Green Leaves a Good Thing?
Well, that depends on what’s causing the leaves to be too green. For instance, it might be advantageous in particular circumstances if inadequate sunlight results in dark green foliage.
For instance, a plant residing in a place with little sunshine may produce more chlorophyll b, which will cause the leaves to become too green.
However, despite the fact that the quick shift in leaf color may seem concerning, it is simply a survival strategy to keep the plant alive and healthy under such challenging circumstances. So the plant actually benefits from it.
However, it is not a good thing if the dark green leaves are a result of nutritional imbalance or carelessness. Find out what is causing your plant’s dark green leaves by going through it carefully. Next, correct it after determining the cause.
For instance, if your plant’s leaves are dark green from a lack of sunlight, gradually expose it to indirect sunlight. However, you should delay exposing your plant to direct sunlight because doing so could harm it.
If improper fertilizer use is the cause of the dark green foliage, try mulching your soil. This will reduce the excess nutrients and minerals and correct your plant’s nutritional imbalance.
Should I Remove the Dark Green Leaves?
No, is the response. Even if the plant’s irregularities result in excessively green leaves, you don’t have to remove them.
The rate of growth may slow down, and it’s possible that no new leaves may emerge, but your plant will still continue to develop despite these overly green leaves.
Therefore, there is no need to remove those dark green leaves. All you have to do is take good care of your plant and address the issue that is resulting in these too green leaves.
Dark Green Leaves Vs Light Green Leaves
The relationship of dark green leaves to nutrition is the main distinction between them and light green leaves. For plants and trees, nutrients are essential. Your plant requires these seventeen nutrients in order to develop properly.
There are nine macronutrients out of the total of seventeen. Plants prefer these macronutrients in large quantities.
The other eight are micronutrients that your plant only needs in small amounts. These macro- or micronutrient deficiencies can result in a variety of issues for plants.
For instance, too much nitrogen and phosphate in the soil might result in excessively green leaves. Additional nitrogen and phosphorus consumption can cause plants to develop quickly and their leaves to turn a dark green color.
On the other hand, a healthy plant will have light green leaves. There are no issues with your plant, as seen by the light green hue of the leaves.
There are no indications of nutritional abnormalities, and your plant is getting all the necessary minerals in a balanced proportion.
Dark Green Leaves Through Intervention
Some leaves are particularly delicate, but the majority are rather hard. These tender leaves could become harmed if you handle them roughly. In the worst situation, they could fall apart.
Mishandling a delicate leaf can also cause it to turn dark green, which is not unusual. A delicate leaf will be crushed where pressure is applied to it.
The surrounding tissue may sustain damage, turning the crushed spot on the leaf a dark green color. Therefore, you should treat such delicate leaves with particular care and use gentle touch when handling them.
The Takeaway
A healthy plant will have green leaves, which are an indicator of this. It indicates that your plant is usually participating in photosynthesis and is in good health.
However, it might not necessarily be a positive indicator if the leaves begin to become a dark green color. Your leaves are turning dark green for a variety of causes, including too much water, little sunlight, and dietary anomalies.
On occasion, prolonged pressure on a delicate leaf might also result in dark green blotches on the leaf’s surface.
You don’t have to remove the dark green leaves, even if they might be a sign of something more serious. We suggest that you take action and solve the issue.
FAQ
What is dark green leaf?
Romaine, green leaf, arugula, and butterhead lettuces are among the dark green varieties. These crisp, slightly bitter, and nutrient-rich leaves are typically used to make raw salads.
Why are most leaves darker green on top?
Because succulent leaves’ cells are quite fluid, they tend to be lighter because there is less chlorophyll present on the surface. As opposed to the lighter bottom part, the top portion of a leaf appears darker because there are more chloroplasts there.
Why are my leaves turning dark green?
Excessive sunshine is the main cause of leaves turning a darker green color. Lack of sunlight causes a plant’s leaves to create more chlorophyll, which is what gives the plant its green hue. The color of the leaf is darker green than typical because of the increase in chlorophyll concentration per unit area.
Are dark green leaves healthy?
the group of vegetables with dark-green leavesleafy green vegetablesLeaf vegetables are plant leaves consumed as vegetables, occasionally with sensitive petioles and shoots. They are also known as leafy greens, salad greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or just greens.Leaf vegetable can be found on Wikipedia.According to Wikipedia, leafy vegetables are a great source of vitamins A, C, antioxidants, fiber, folate, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium.
What green leaf is the healthiest?
one) Spinach. The list of vegetables with the highest nutrients per serving is headed by this lush green. This is due to the fact that 7 calories from 1 cup (30 grams) of raw spinach offers 16 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin A and 120 percent of the DV for vitamin K. ( 1 ).