When you see succulent leaves falling off, you most likely have a watering problem. Too much water is the most common cause. Too little water can also make leaves drop. The good news is that the leaves tell you which problem you have. Their texture and look give you clues to fix your plant.
I had an echeveria that dropped leaves every few days last winter. The fallen leaves felt soft and mushy. Some had turned yellow and see-through. I checked the soil and found it was still wet from watering a week before. My plant was drowning. I let it dry out for two weeks and the leaf drop stopped.
Here is how to read the leaves your plant drops. Overwatered leaves are soft, mushy, and often yellow or clear looking. They may feel almost slimy. Underwatered leaves are thin, wrinkled, and crispy dry. They fold in on themselves like a dried leaf from a tree. The texture tells you which way your watering went wrong.
Among the succulent leaf drop causes, overwatering ranks first. When soil stays wet too long, roots cannot breathe. They start to rot. The plant cannot take up water or nutrients through dead roots. Leaves turn soft and fall off as the plant loses its support system. This happens from the bottom leaves up.
Too little water can cause dropping succulent leaves too, but less often. These plants store water in their leaves for dry times. When reserves run out, the plant pulls water from lower leaves to save newer growth. Old leaves shrivel and drop. The plant is saving itself by letting go of what it can spare.
Some leaf drop is normal and not a sign of trouble. As your succulent grows, it makes new leaves at the top. The oldest leaves at the bottom age out and die. They dry up and fall off on their own. This happens one or two leaves at a time over weeks. It is just part of how these plants grow.
Watch where the leaves fall from on your plant. Bottom leaf loss only often means natural aging. Leaves falling from all over the plant means something is wrong. Leaves dropping from the middle or top suggest a more serious problem like rot. Location helps you figure out what your plant needs.
Here is how to diagnose your dropping succulent leaves. First, pick up a fallen leaf and feel it. Soft and mushy points to overwatering. Dry and crispy points to underwatering. Next, stick your finger in the soil. If it is wet days after watering, you water too often. If it is bone dry and dusty, you wait too long.
If overwatering is the cause, you need to act fast. Pull the plant from its pot and check the roots. Healthy roots are white or tan and firm. Rotted roots are brown, black, or mushy. Cut away any rot with clean scissors. Let the roots dry for a few days. Then repot in dry gritty soil and wait a week before watering.
If underwatering caused the leaf drop, the fix is simple. Give your plant a good deep drink. Water until it runs from the drainage holes. The soil should be soaked all the way through. Your plant will perk up within hours to days. New leaves will grow in to replace what was lost.
Prevent future succulent leaf drop causes by watering right. Wait until the soil is dry 1 to 2 inches down before you water again. When you water, soak the soil all the way. Then let it dry out. This soak-and-dry cycle keeps roots healthy. Healthy roots mean fewer dropped leaves going forward.
Check your pot and soil too. Pots without drainage holes trap water and cause rot. Dense soil holds moisture too long. Switch to pots with holes and gritty fast-draining mix. These changes make it hard to overwater your succulents. Your plants will hold onto their leaves much better.
Read the full article: Caring for Succulents: Tips for Thriving Plants
