If the general conditions get out of hand, a succulent will shed its leaves. Representative species are mostly affected, such as money trees and other thick-leaf plants. We have put together the most common causes and suggestions for solving the problem here for you.
Why is my succulent losing leaves and what can I do about it?
Succulents usually lose their leaves due to a lack of light or soil that is too wet. To fix the problem, place the plant in a sunny spot or use a grow light. If the soil is wet, repot the plant in dry succulent soil and then water sparingly.
Lack of light causes the leaves to fall
Indoor gardeners underestimate the significant light requirements of their succulents. The vast majority of these clever survival artists are native to distant countries with 12 or more hours of sunshine daily. If you assign the sun-drenched exotics a semi-shady to shady location, the succulents will see their existence threatened and will shed their leaves to protect themselves. This phenomenon usually occurs during the dark season. How to fix the problem:
- Immediate change of location to a full sunny location on the south window
- Compensate for the lack of light in winter with a plant lamp (€89.00 at Amazon)
The cooler the location in winter, the lower the light requirement. Therefore, do not expect your succulents to overwinter in a well-heated living room. In the light-flooded, slightly temperate bedroom, the leaves stay where they belong, even in winter.
Wet substrate causes the foliage to fall
Succulents are characterized by the ingenious strategy of storing water in their leaves, twigs and roots. This allows them to thrive in hostile locations around the globe. The succulent growth does not imply that the soil should be constantly moist. On the contrary, all succulent plants rely on dry, poor soil. If the roots become waterlogged, leaf fall is inevitable. How to get the plant back on track:
- Repot succulents with waterlogged substrate immediately
- Clean the root system completely of the wet soil
- Cut off rotten roots with a sharp, disinfected knife
- Potting in fresh, dry succulent soil
Please do not water the repotted plant. Only after regeneration of 2 to 3 weeks do you use a thumb test to check whether there is a need for watering. Until then, just spray the leaves with soft water.
Tip
If the leaves initially turn yellowish before falling off, the succulent is suffering from lime chlorosis. This leads to a chain reaction. Hard irrigation water causes the lime content in the substrate to rise, whereupon nutrients are stored and no longer transported to the foliage. Therefore, use predominantly rainwater or decalcified tap water as irrigation water.
