Houseplant Leaf Drop
As the weather cools in the Fall, it's time to take our houseplants in for
the winter. This needs to be done before the first frost.
One of the most common houseplant problems is leaf drop. Your houseplant
has enjoyed a season of full sunlight, and warm temperatures. Houseplant
leaf drop is normal when you bring them indoors. It's nature's way of helping
the plant to adjust to the sudden change in climate. With less sunlight and
cooler temperatures, your plant cannot support the same amount of leaves,
that it could outdoors in the summer.
If your houseplant is experiencing plant leaf drop, don't panic. After a
few weeks, it will stop. Then, new leaves will begin to slowly appear.
Important Note: While houseplant leaf drop is most common in the fall,
it can happen at any time. The causes can be environmental, of some other
form of plant stress. Regardless of the season, the information below will
help to stop and reverse leaf drop.
When caring for your houseplants, follow these simple steps to help minimize
leaf drop problems:
Plan a transition period for your houseplants. If they are in
the ground, dig them up and transplant them into containers. A
slow transition to an indoor environment, will help to reduce leaf drop.
Provide increasing amounts of shade. Move containers into a shaded
area for longer periods each day. Do this over a period of at least two to
three weeks, if possible.
Allow the soil to be drier than it experienced over the summer. Indoors,
the soil in the containers will normally be drier than what the plants
experienced outdoors. Your goal is to make the soil a little drier. However,
do not let it dry out.
Hold off adding fertilizer during the transition period. The intent
is not to starve the plant. Rather, it's to encourage and train the plant
to slow down growth.
After moving the plant indoors, put it in a sunny room. Apply a light
solution of liquid fertilizer. Better still, use houseplant fertilizer spikes,
for long term feeding.
Your plant may still experience leaf drop, but the transition you provided
to it, will help to minimize or even eliminate this problem.
A favorite Fall pastime is planting fall bulbs. These bulbs turn into
the first blooms of spring, brightening up and chasing away the dull, grey
winter scenery.
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