Plants drop leaves when something changes faster than they can adjust. The question is what changed in the last two or three weeks.
Common triggers
- A move. New home, new room or a different window. Some plants, such as ficus, are well known for dropping leaves after a move.
- A draught or sudden temperature change, near a door, a vent or a cold window in winter.
- Watering that is too much or too little. Both cause leaves to fall, often after yellowing or wilting first.
- Less light than before, for example in the monsoon or winter. Plants shed leaves they can't afford to keep.
- Pests or disease, if leaves are spotted, sticky or have insects on them.
- Natural seasonal shedding. Some plants lose their oldest leaves in winter or after flowering.
What to do
- Look at the leaves that fell. Yellow and soft points to water. Dry and crisp points to dryness or heat. Green and healthy points to shock or a draught.
- Keep the plant in one stable spot with bright, indirect light and away from vents and doors.
- Water only when the top layer of soil is dry.
- Be patient. After a move, a plant often settles in a few weeks.
- Don't prune heavily or repot it in the middle of the problem. Fix the cause first.
When to scan
If leaves keep falling for more than a few weeks in a stable spot, or many leaves drop at once, take a photo of the whole plant and a close-up of a leaf in daylight and scan it.