Variegation Fading or Reverting to Green
A variegated plant producing plainer, greener leaves over time is losing its patterned tissue — a genetic and light-driven process rather than a nutrient problem.
Common causes
Insufficient light
Variegated (non-green) tissue produces less energy through photosynthesis, so in low light the plant favours all-green growth to survive. Move it somewhere brighter to help sustain the pattern.
Genetic reversion
Some variegation is genetically unstable, and a stem can spontaneously revert to solid green growth regardless of care. Prune the reverted, fully green stem back to its origin point to stop it from outcompeting the variegated growth.
Propagating from unstable variegation
Cuttings taken from a chimeric or sport-derived variegated cultivar don’t always retain the parent’s pattern. This is a known risk with certain popular variegated cultivars and isn’t a sign of poor care.