10 reasons why your houseplant's leaves fall off

You're about to water your favorite Croton when—disaster strikes. It's lost one of its leaves. The poor thing is lying at the bottom of the pot. Worse yet, this isn't the first time it's happened this week. Take a deep breath and get ready to take action. We'll explain why your houseplant's leaves are falling off and how to fix it.

Leaves Fall Naturally

For deciduous or semi-evergreen plants, leaf drop is completely normal – Photo by Sauletas / Canvas

Leaf drop is a normal phenomenon in plants. Just as we lose hair, plants shed their oldest leaves. They grow new ones to replace them. This way, their foliage always remains lush.

You should only start to worry if the plant loses several leaves in a short period of time and isn't producing new ones. Is your Maranta Lemon Lime losing its leaves faster than Professor Xavier's hair? It's time to take action!

But before you panic, think back to your biology classes. In some varieties, the foliage is deciduous. That means it dies off in late fall and winter, only to regrow in the spring (on this side of the planet, at least). This process allows trees to conserve energy as the days grow shorter. No need to dig out your middle school biology notebooks! You can check your plant's characteristics on the Monstera app. For each species, we'll tell you whether the foliage is evergreen, semi-evergreen, or deciduous.

Your plant loses its leaves after a change

Just like for a human, moving is traumatic for a plant

At the store, you fell in love at first sight with that bushy, striking Ficus elastica. Once you got it home, it was a whole different story. The leaves started falling off from day one.

This is probably normal. Houseplants don't really like change. When they're under stress, they tend to lose their leaves. And that's exactly what just happened to your tree. After growing in a greenhouse, under optimal growing conditions and humidity, it was packed up, transported, and displayed on the shelves of the garden center, exposed to drafts. You then brought it home, where the light and humidity levels are different.

Once your fig tree has acclimated to its new environment, the leaves will stop falling. In the meantime, there's nothing you can do. Just avoid repotting your plant right after purchase so as not to disturb it further.

Even a minor event can cause leaves to fall. Your plant may sometimes lose its leaves after being repotted or moved. Some species, such as Ficus and Dracaena, are very sensitive to change. Just moving them a few meters is enough to make them show their displeasure!

Leaf drop is caused by a pest infestation

Wiping down the leaves is often enough to get rid of pests – Photo by Valeriia Titarenko /Canva

Haven't moved your Corn Plant even a centimeter? It may be infested with pests. In this case, leaf drop isn't the only symptom. The leaves turn yellow, lose their color, or turn brown before falling off. Finally, spots may appear.

Scale insects, whiteflies, spider mites, or mites…The culprits can take many forms. To identify them, examine the undersides of the leaves and the potting soil. Look for insects, larvae, and eggs. Some pests make your job easier by leaving traces behind. Mealybugs deposit a white, powdery fuzz; spider mites spin fine webs; and aphids secrete honeydew, a sticky film.

Have you found signs of an infestation? You'll need to treat your plant. The remedy depends on the threat. Spider mites can't stand moisture. Dousing the foliage with lukewarm water is almost always enough to get rid of the problem. Most other insects can't withstand liquid soap. Gently wash the leaves with a mixture of lukewarm water and soap to eliminate them. Except in the case of scale insects. You'll likely need a cloth soaked in 90° alcohol.

Don't wait to take action! When your plant is weakened, it's more susceptible to fungal diseases. The leaves won't be the only victims—the stems and roots could die as well.

After treatment, change your care routine to prevent a second infestation. Use misting to keep mites from settling in, and air out the room daily to refresh the air.

The leaves are turning yellow and dying because you're overwatering your plant

When watering, the substrate should be moist but not waterlogged

Do you water generously every day of the year, even in winter? Is your houseplant sitting in soggy substrate? Then the problem is likely overwatering. When plants receive too much water, they cannot absorb the excess. The leaves absorb the excess water, turn yellow, and become limp before falling off. Then the roots rot, and the plant wilts.

To stop this from happening, stop watering until the potting mix is dry. If the situation is critical, repot your plant so it can immediately benefit from healthy substrates. Don't hesitate to trim away any rotten roots (they're usually soft and brown).

Then resume an appropriate watering routine, following the advice from the Monstera app. Also, remember to check the soil before watering your plant. With the exception of certain varieties, such as dionaea muscipula, most species prefer that the top layer of soil dry out before being watered.

The leaves are drying out and falling off because you're not watering enough

In direct sunlight, your plants will need regular watering – Photo by Pixelshot / Canva

Just like overwatering, underwatering can cause leaves to drop. The leaves will be dry and brown, while the substrate is hard and compacted. You might even notice a gap between the pot and the substrate.

Haven't tended to your Chinese coin plant in weeks? Give it a catch-up session. Water it twice, using rainwater at room temperature. Water it once to rehydrate the root ball. Wait a few minutes and water again so the plant can absorb the water. Keep watering until water flows out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.

You can also try capillary watering. Fill a container with room-temperature water. Soak your plant in its pot in the water for about 30 minutes. After half an hour, the soil should be moist and your poor plant should be well-hydrated.

Your plant is losing its leaves because it's cramped

Remember to repot before the roots fill the pot! Photo by Gill Holgate / Flickr

Indoors, plants can lose their leaves because their pot is too small. A quick glance is all it takes to confirm the diagnosis: if roots are coming out of the drainage holes, your plant is out of space! You can also gently lift the root ball: if there are more roots than potting mix, it needs a larger container.

Repot it into a container one size larger than the current one. But don't go too big. There's no need to go from a pot that's five centimeters in diameter to a 50-centimeter container! You risk drowning your plant during watering. Repotting has a dual benefit. In addition to giving your plant more space, you'll provide it with nutrient-rich substrate, just as if you'd used fertilizer. After a few days, it will sprout new leaves.

Leaves fall off because the plant is in a spot that's too dark

In winter, move your plant closer to a window – Photo by Inga Seliverstova / Pexels

Leaf loss can sometimes be caused by a lack of sunlight. Other signs indicate that the light level is too low:

your plant is becoming leggy. Its stems are elongating and growing upward in search of light;
the foliage turns yellow;
the internodes are longer than before;
new leaves are small and misshapen.

To remedy this, move your plant closer to a picture window. You can also invest in a grow light. We don't always realize it, but indoor light is much weaker than outdoor light. In winter, even a few meters from a window, there's often not enough light—even for potted plants that prefer partial shade.

Your plant is losing its leaves because it's cold…

Don't press the leaves against the window to protect them from the cold

Most of the species we grow indoors are tropical varieties. They thrive at temperatures above 15°. Below that, the leaves fall off and the plant may die.

Check the thermometer, then make sure your plant isn't in a draft and that its leaves aren't pressed against the window. If they are, move it to a more suitable spot and wait for it to resume growing.

… Or hot!

During a heat wave, mist your plants to cool them down – Photo by Karolina Grabowska / Pexels

We're not the only ones suffering during heat waves. Heat waves are also a challenge for our houseplants. And their foliage can take a hit. In such cases, it's impossible to address the root cause and treat the problem at its source. The best approach is to try to protect your plants from the heat by keeping them in the shade, misting them, and increasing the frequency of watering. We also explain in this article How to take care of your houseplants in hot weather?

But our plants can also get overheated right in the middle of winter, indoors. This happens especially when they're placed near a radiator or when you've turned the thermostat all the way up. Were you worried your Monstera might catch a chill far from its native jungle, so you put it next to the fireplace? Instead of watering it more often, move it so it stops suffocating.

Your plant is losing its leaves because it's hungry

Repotting provides the plant with new nutrients for several weeks – Photo by Iryna Khabliuk / Canva

Have you been watering it properly? Is the pot the right size, and is the thermostat set to 21°? Then your plant may be lacking nutrients. In your garden, trees and flowers get their nourishment from fertile soil. But in pots and indoors, only the substrate and fertilizer provide plants with the nutrients they need. If you haven't repotted in a long time and haven't been very diligent about fertilizing, the substrate is likely depleted.

You can tell a plant is hungry by its foliage. Leaf drop isn't the only sign. The leaves lose their color and turn yellow. You'll then need to repot it in suitable potting mix and apply fertilizer during the growing season. If your plant is too large to handle, you can simply top-dress it. Remove at least one-third of the soil and replace it with fresh, nutrient-rich substrate.

Editor's note: Some of these photos were generated by artificial intelligence. Can you spot them? (We promise, it's easier than finding Charlie!)