Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 12:42 pm
The green and fresh leaves of succulent plants ought to always maintain a pleasant appearance. And to an extent, it determines the health condition of the plant.
So whenever the leaf begins to go dull and starts dropping leaves at any slight contact, it is obvious your plant has an issue.
Succulents are very prone to dropping leaves. They will fall off due to inappropriate care and unfavorable conditions such as over-watering, under-watering, application of fertilizer, exposure to full sunlight, low light conditions, extremely cold weather, and soil condition. All these conditions could make your succulents go weak and fall off when touched.
Why are my Succulent Leaves Falling Off When I Touch Them?
Many factors make your succulent leaves turn yellow and fall off when you touch them. And it is not a normal thing for succulents. These factors, as earlier mentioned, include;
- Overwatering
- Underwatering
- Application of fertilizer
- Exposure to full sunlight
- Low light conditions
- Extremely cold weather and
- Soil condition
Having a good knowledge of the problems causing the leaves of your succulent plant to fall off when touched is very relevant.
It will help you know the right way in tackling this issue and probably how to prevent it from happening.
Let us now consider the seven reasons listed above.
1. Overwatering
Overwatering is always an issue for succulent plants. As you know, they are desert plants and won’t tolerate too much water. Overwatering weakens the root of succulents and causes root rot.
This condition will also affect the leaves because the nutrient is passed from the root to the leaf, making your leaves weak and falling off.
2. Underwatering
Underwatering can also cause distress to your succulent plant as much as overwatering as they are both extremities.
It is even more prominent because the composition of succulent soil hardly suffers overwatering leaving it susceptible to underwatering.
The fact that succulent plants thrive in arid environments does not mean they do not need water. It would be best to water at least once a week, else the necessary nutrients it requires will be made unavailable.
The absence of sufficient water will make your plant weak, and its leaves will begin to drop.
3. Application of Fertilizer
Succulent soil does not require fertilizers to perform better; it does well with organic matter like compost.
The nutrient requirement of succulents is relatively low, so it does not need any supplementary nutrients.
Too much nutrient is destructive to your succulents. It makes the soil prone to moisture which is intolerable to succulent plants.
4. Exposure to Full Sunlight
Succulents are desert plants and can survive dry and hot conditions. Still, they should be left to the full rigors of the sun, especially a scorching sun. I want to correct that impression before I go further.
There is a limit to the time your plant should be left under the full sun; 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight should be enough for your succulent plant.
Any time range more than this will only weaken and make the leaves of your plant fall off.
5. Low Light Condition
All green plants require light to manufacture their food. The condition of low light is most common with indoor plants because they are grown with limited access to light.
If your potted plant does not meet its light requirement, it might begin to fall off due to the absence of food due to low light.
6. Extremely Cold Weather
Succulents like moderate weather conditions that are warmer and anything beyond that is disastrous, especially, extreme winter weather.
Cold conditions affect the leaves of your succulents and make some relevant tissues in them freeze away. This factor can also cause your succulent plant leaves to fall off easily.
7. Soil Condition
The condition of your soil is a major factor considered in cultivating your succulents. They require porous, well-drained soil that does not waterlog.
Other soil types will only constitute a nuisance to your plant and make it unproductive. Your succulent leaves will also fall off if the soil rises to become alkaline.
What Should I Do if my Succulent Leaves Begin to Fall Off?
Once you notice your succulent leaves begin to drop, you need to act fast to save your plant. You should first figure out the factor responsible since this will help you with the necessary steps required to salvage this issue. The required things you should do are control watering, soil adjustment, increased temperature, and moderate light conditions.
Here is where the knowledge of the things that are probably causing the leaves to drop comes to play. Without this knowledge, you will find it difficult to handle it.
Depending on the cause, here are some solutions for succulents with dropping leaves.
1. Controlled Watering
As you should have known already, excess water and lack of water will make your leaves drop. So, if the leaves of your succulent plant are dull and would fall off when touched, you need to check your watering.
Overwatering is the major problem of succulents, but cultivating them in the right soil will handle that challenge. All you have to do is water at the end of every dry out, preferably, once a week.
2. Soil Adjustment
If you notice that your soil is a potting type, mix sand or gravel with the soil to make it porous. Also, your succulent soils are very prone to increased pH value.
So. you should test your soil, and if the pH value is high above 6.5, then the soil has become alkaline. You will have to step it down by treating it with rainwater and vinegar to make it acidic.
3. Increased Temperature
Succulents require a moderately hot and dry temperature. So, if the temperature of your environment is cold, bring your succulent plant indoors.
It will help to make the plant stay warm. In such an environment, it is always better to carry out your cultivation indoors.
4. Moderate Light Condition
If your succulent plant is cultivated indoors, it is right to check whether your plant is getting enough light.
In the absence of sufficient light indoors, take your plants out for at least 4 to 6 hours or keep the potted plant close to a window.
Once all these factors are properly checked early, your succulent plant might still survive, keeping other leaves and the entire plant safe.
Do Succulent Leaves Grow Back After Falling Off?
No, succulent leaves do not grow back after falling off. For this reason, I would always advise anyone to take precautionary measures to prevent the leaves of your succulent plant from falling off. Once the leaves fall off, there is nothing you can do for them to regrow.
There are other alternatives you can employ to get your succulent plant back. A new offshoot might regrow from the left-standing stem, but in other cases, the stem will grow and fill up the spaces where the leaves fell off.
Conclusion
It is not a new thing for the leaves of plants to fall off, but it is still not a good sign for them. If your succulent plant is not subjected to the right growing conditions, it will fall off and die.
And we should not expect the leaves of our succulent plant to regrow after it might have fallen off.
Nevertheless, this article has outlined some measures which are like a stitch in time when succulent leaves begin to drop.