Why Succulents Drop Leaves in Winter and How to Fix It

Succulents are small and cute, easy to care for, and the top choice for beginner gardeners. In recent years, a craze for growing succulents has swept in, and many people love to place a pot in their homes and offices. As temperatures drop, quite a few people have noticed their succulents dropping leaves, so what should you do when succulents drop leaves in winter? What causes it?

I. Causes of Succulents Dropping Leaves in Winter

1. Physiological imbalance

Staying green year-round is a characteristic of most succulents, but when the environment changes, succulents change along with it, for example leaves turning red in autumn and winter, or entering dormancy in summer. Likewise, succulents dropping leaves in winter is mainly because the environment has changed; for instance, when the temperature turns cold, the plant itself senses that the temperature is no longer within its suitable growing range, so it reduces water evaporation by shedding leaves and enters a semi-dormant state, thereby making it through the winter smoothly. This is also a common self-regulating phenomenon in plants.

2. Improper care

Low winter temperatures cause moisture in the potting soil to evaporate slowly. If drainage is not done in time, the potting soil will stay continuously damp when indoor ventilation is poor, ultimately causing root rot and leaf drop in succulents. The treatment for this situation is much the same as for black rot: if the plant has healthy parts, you can cut off the head for cuttings, or take healthy leaves for cuttings.

3. Disease

Mainly check the roots and stems of the succulent to see whether there is any rot. If everything is normal, then it is not being affected by disease. If leaf drop is caused by black rot or other fungal problems, the only option is to cut off the head and re-root it as a cutting.

II. What to Do When Succulents Drop Leaves in Winter

1. Suitable temperature

When winter temperatures plummet, you must give succulents the necessary insulation and warming measures. For potted succulents grown at home, you can move them to a warm spot indoors when winter arrives. If succulents are grown on a large scale in a greenhouse, you can adjust the temperature inside the greenhouse and warm it appropriately so the succulents overwinter safely.

2. Pay attention to care

When succulents drop leaves in winter, as long as you pay attention to follow-up care, they will still grow new leaves again the next year. For this kind of natural leaf drop, we need to be extra careful with our day-to-day care, trying not to make any big changes, and not watering too much. Just keep the potting soil moist rather than wet, and do not deliberately touch the leaves, because if the environment improves, the leaves that have not dropped can still become firm again.

3. Prevent and control disease

Succulent diseases include black rot and other fungal diseases, all of which can cause succulents to drop leaves. Many people think these diseases only occur in summer, but that is not the case; they can also occur in winter, just with a lower probability than in summer. So we should properly check our succulents to see whether leaf drop is caused by disease, and promptly clean up the rotten leaves.

The above is a brief introduction from Tuliu.com on the causes of and solutions for succulents dropping leaves in winter. Friends who grow succulents at home should promptly move them to a warm spot indoors in winter so they can overwinter safely.