What to Do When the Jade Plant (Portulacaria afra) Drops Its Leaves? 4 Tricks to Keep the Leaves Green and the Branches Lush

The jade plant (Portulacaria afra) has green leaves that turn pink in the sunlight, making it very beautiful. In home care, you may run into the problem of leaves dropping, which is quite a hassle. What should you do when the jade plant drops its leaves? Below we introduce the causes of leaf drop in the jade plant and the solutions!

(1). Insufficient light

The jade plant needs plenty of light to keep its branches lush and grow vigorously. If the plant stays in a shady environment for a long time and cannot receive light, the distance between its stem nodes will increase, the leaves will become thinner and lose their luster, and over time leaf drop will occur, making the whole plant look terrible.

Solution: Prune away the weak leaves promptly, otherwise they affect the appearance and consume nutrients. Then place the plant in a bright spot to grow, without direct light. After 2~3 weeks, move it to a balcony or windowsill with plenty of light.

(2). Improper ventilation

The jade plant sprouts quickly and its branches and leaves grow fast too, so the branches and leaves easily become too dense. This reduces light penetration and results in poor ventilation. On one hand, some leaves cannot receive light, and as mentioned above, insufficient light causes leaf drop. On the other hand, poor ventilation inside easily leads to pests and diseases, which also causes leaf drop.

Solution: Promptly thin out the overly dense, overly long and weak branches to increase light penetration and maintain a good ventilation environment. The branches and leaves that remain can then fully receive light, making the plant more airy and preventing pests and diseases.

(3). Improper watering

The roots of the jade plant can store water, so once watering causes waterlogging, it easily leads to root rot. When the roots grow poorly and shrivel, leaf drop will quite naturally occur.

Solution: Control watering. In summer, water once every 1~2 days; in other seasons you do not need to water too diligently, and watering must not cause waterlogging. Specifically, you still need to water according to how moist the soil is.

(4). Lack of nutrients

The growth of the jade plant cannot be separated from nutrients. Besides the base fertilizer in the soil, it also needs regular feeding; otherwise, a lack of nutrients will cause the plant to drop its leaves.

Solution: In spring, generally apply a diluted nitrogen fertilizer solution once every 2 weeks. The concentration must not be too high. Combined with watering to keep the soil moist, it can promote leaf growth, make the leaves greener, and improve the leaf-dropping situation.