Many people bring home a lush plant and, a few weeks later, watch it drop leaves. This is often not a sign that you did something wrong. It is the plant adjusting to a big change.
Nursery plants are usually grown in strong light, sometimes in greenhouses or outdoors. Leaves formed in bright light, sometimes called sun leaves, are built for plenty of light and work poorly in a dimmer room. Indoors, the plant gradually makes shade leaves, which are larger and thinner and better at catching weak light.
If the drop in light is sudden and large, the plant may shed some of its old leaves rather than slowly adapting them, and grow new ones suited to your home. A pause in new growth is common too. Quick changes in temperature can also cause yellowing and leaf fall.
The answer is patience and a gentle transition, not rescue treatments. Extra water or fertiliser does not fix this and can cause new problems.
Key points
- Leaf drop after purchase is often adjustment to lower light.
- Plants replace sun leaves with larger, thinner shade leaves.
- Do not respond with extra water or fertiliser.
Try this
Write the date you brought your newest plant home in your plant notes, and note any leaves it drops over the next month.
Check yourself
Read more in the reference
Sources
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