Newsletter Articles
What to Do When Your Plant Starts Losing Leaves
Written by Kelsey W.
Is the plant you’ve had on your porch for years starting to lose its leaves – a lot of leaves? Are the plants out near the street in front of your house dropping leaves like no tomorrow? Is the houseplant in your bathroom losing more leaves than it’s growing?
Plants lose leaves predictably for reasons like seasonal changes and growth, but sometimes leaf loss is unexpected, and it starts to accelerate into something very concerning. Are your plants dying? Is something hurting them? Do you need to do something drastic to ensure their survival?
It’s never fun to see one of your plants start to lose its leaves, but all is not lost, especially if you notice what’s happening before it gets too severe. Let’s learn about why your plant might be unhappy, and how you can encourage it to start growing leaves instead of dropping them.
Why Do Plants Lose Leaves Unexpectedly?
The first step in figuring out what to do when your plant starts losing leaves is to understand the many reasons why this may occur. When you know the reasons, the solution might be as easy as reversing a recent decision you made about the plant that will encourage the plant to stop losing leaves.
Here are some of the most common issues that may cause leaf loss:
Change of Environment
Plants are almost like humans in some ways in that they get used to where they live and can get a little stressed when you move them. Some plants are much more sensitive to movement than others and will protest by dropping their leaves until they’re practically bare. One of the biggest offenders when it comes to movement is the Ficus plant.
Several types of Ficus plants exist, and most of them will get quite testy with you if you move them from their happy place. Too often, a Ficus will come home from the garden center and start losing leaves with wild abandon due to the stress it experiences in its new environment.
Improper Watering Schedule
One of the most common reasons plants start to lose leaves is because their caretakers forget to water them, or a really dry hot spell comes along, and the plants don’t receive a boost in water. Some plants that don’t get enough water will start to turn brown, but others will start to lose leaves and simply not grow any additional leaves.
If the plant isn’t getting enough water to sustain itself, there’s no reason for it to continue making more leaves that will only stress it even further while it feels parched. Getting the watering schedule right can help a plant recover. In that same vein, overwatering can also cause leaves to drop.
If you have more than one type of plant in your home or in your garden (very likely the case if you have a garden outside!), you may need to account for a diverse watering schedule where one or two plants get an extra trip with the watering can versus some of the other more drought-tolerant plants. Your jade plants might be losing their leaves because you’re watering them too much, but that’s not the case for the other plants in your garden.
Bugs are Eating Your Plants
Infestations are a very common reason plants start to drop their leaves, especially when you’re caring for outdoor plants. Indoor infestations can occur, too, but they’re less common. One of the ways that bugs eat plants is to suck the moisture out of them, which means the plant can’t continue to produce new leaves or support current leaves.
Not only will the infestation cause the plant to stop producing new leaves, but the current leaves may start to drop from the plant until it’s just not able to sustain itself, even with an appropriate watering, fertilizing, and sunning schedule. Mealybugs and spider mites are some of the most common invaders that lead to leaf loss. If you have marigolds, watch out for spider mites!
Change in Seasonal Weather
Some plants thrive in the sun or in the shade, and the changing pattern of the sun can have a significant impact on whether a plant thrives or just gives up and starts losing leaves. One of the most common problems faced by indoor plants is the eventual loss of sunlight (or even indirect sunlight) from the movement of the sun to a more southerly position during the winter.
If your houseplants are only getting “just enough” sun during the summer and are getting even less in the winter, they could stop producing new leaves or start dropping leaves once their sunlight is cut so short. You may need to become aware of the seasons and move your plants accordingly.
You can often prevent leaf loss due to seasonal changes by thinking about those weather changes before you put your plants in the ground or place them in their forever spot. If you know a plant needs a lot of sun, like a daylily, don’t put it on a north-facing wall where it’ll still be in the shade in the spring when they should start blooming.
How Do You Help a Plant to Stop Dropping Its Leaves?
The only way you can stop a plant from dropping its leaves is to figure out the reason it’s unhappy. In some instances, you can figure the reason out pretty easily. You probably already know that you’ve been neglecting the houseplant in the window in your living room.
You might try to set a reminder on your phone to water the plant, so it doesn’t get so parched. We have so many things going on in modern life that it’s really easy to forget that 2-minute task of filling up a watering can and visiting the plants.
The good news is that plants are usually quite resilient and responsive to changes in their environment. Just as the plant started losing leaves because it was unhappy, it should start regaining its health once you move it. Further, if your plant is dropping leaves, there’s a decent chance it’s only one problem facing your plant, so it should be a straightforward and easy thing to correct.
But if you’re very unsure about the reason your plant is dropping leaves, examine each of the following, one by one, about your plant, and ensure you’re adhering to the right type of schedule and environmental conditions for your plant:
- Recent changes (location, weather)
- Watering schedule
- Humidity level
- Sunlight (too much or not enough)
- Infestations (bugs)
- Sickness (mold, mildew)
In many cases, just one of these issues is out of whack and needs to be addressed. Maybe it’s a buggy infestation, or maybe it’s the sunlight. Just remember that if it’s bugs, you’ll need to carefully inspect all the other plants in the vicinity, too, to make sure the infestation hasn’t spread.
Can You Really Bring a Plant Back from the Brink?
There’s a school of thought that suggests that any plant can come back from ill health as long as it’s got at least a little bit of green on it. However, it can become an insurmountable task at a certain point. In most cases, the earlier you notice that the plant is dropping leaves when it’s not supposed to, the better chance you have of reversing the trend.
However, even if you’re a little busy and you don’t notice immediately that your plant is starting to look a little less happy than usual, you should never assume that all is lost when you realize something’s wrong. The most important part of the equation is diagnosing the issue. Once you know the problem, you can implement a solution immediately.
And you should always reach out to your local garden center with your concerns. You don’t have to be an expert in horticulture to grow plants, and there are so many resources available for you to help you along the way. Your garden center experts can help you figure out what’s going on when you’re at a loss.
Let Green Thumb Nursery Help Keep Your Plants Green and Growing
Growing a beautiful garden doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing, and you don’t need to feel like you’ve failed as a plant parent when your plant isn’t doing so well. Some plants are difficult to grow, and they need just the right conditions to thrive. Let the helpful crew at Green Thumb Nursery help you figure out the best way to care for your plants with advice on placement, feeding, and general care. Let’s ensure your plants enjoy a great life while they beautify your home.
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