Why Is My Succulent Dropping Leaves?

Succulent owners often feel alarm when they notice their plant shedding leaves. This is the plant’s way of communicating a specific need or problem. Understanding the potential causes is the first step toward correcting the issue and restoring your succulent’s health.

Watering Imbalances

Overwatering

Overwatering is a frequent reason for succulents to lose their leaves. When a succulent receives too much water, its leaves can appear swollen, feel soft and mushy, and take on a yellowish or translucent appearance. These waterlogged leaves will often detach easily because the connecting tissues have started to decay. Prolonged excess moisture in the soil also creates a low-oxygen environment that can lead to root rot.

This serious condition occurs when fungal pathogens cause the roots to turn black and mushy, losing their ability to absorb water. As the root system fails, the plant cannot support its leaves, which will also turn yellow or black and fall off. To determine if overwatering is the culprit, feel the soil several inches below the surface; if it is damp, you have likely found the problem.

Allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again. Using a pot with drainage holes and a gritty, well-aerating soil mix is the best way to prevent this issue.

Underwatering

Underwatering can also cause a succulent to drop leaves. A plant that is not receiving enough moisture will conserve resources for new growth by drawing water from its oldest leaves at the base. These lower leaves will start to look shriveled, feel dry, and eventually become crispy before falling off. Unlike an overwatered plant, the leaves will appear deflated and wrinkled, and the soil will be bone dry.

To correct this, give the plant a deep watering until water runs out of the pot’s drainage hole. Afterward, allow the soil to dry out completely before the next watering session.

Environmental Stressors

A lack of sufficient light is a primary environmental stressor. When succulents do not receive enough bright light, they may stretch towards a light source, resulting in a leggy appearance with increased space between the leaves. To save energy for this stretching, the plant will often shed its lower leaves. Moving the succulent to a location where it can receive at least six hours of bright, indirect sunlight daily can resolve this issue.

Sudden temperature fluctuations can shock a succulent, causing it to drop leaves. Placing a plant near a drafty window, air vent, or heating source creates an unstable environment that disrupts its metabolic processes. Maintaining a stable temperature and protecting the plant from drafts is important for its health.

A change in location can trigger temporary leaf drop as the succulent acclimates. This is common for new plants or when moving one to a different environment with new light, temperature, or humidity levels. This leaf drop is temporary and should stop once the plant has adapted to its new surroundings over a few weeks.

Natural Leaf Reabsorption

Not all leaf drop is a sign of distress. Succulents undergo a natural process of reabsorbing their oldest leaves to redirect energy toward new growth. This is a normal part of the plant’s life cycle. You can distinguish this from a health problem by observing which leaves are affected.

The leaves being shed will be at the very bottom of the plant. They will slowly thin out, become dry, and turn crispy as the plant draws out all moisture and nutrients. This process affects only one or two leaves at a time and is a gradual, clean separation.

Pests

Pest infestations can place stress on a succulent, leading to leaf drop. Insects like mealybugs feed on the plant’s sap, robbing it of nutrients and moisture. A heavy infestation weakens the plant, causing it to shed leaves as a result. Mealybugs often hide in the crevices where leaves attach to the stem and can be treated by dabbing them with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol.