Adored for their silver and green leaves, the Aluminium Plant is one of the fastest-growing houseplants but this doesn’t mean that them losing leaves isn’t an issue sometimes. There are a handful of reasons why Aluminium Plants lose their leaves and below you’ll find a detailed run-through of each of them, including how to solve the issue and prevent it from happening again.
Overwatering can cause your Aluminium Plant to lose leaves
As with a lot of things in the houseplant world, proper watering can be one of the biggest issues as it can be difficult to get the right balance. Overwatering is a big concern when it comes to caring for Aluminium Plants, and it is often the main reason why leaves drop off the plant.
We always tend to go for a little and often view towards watering Aluminium Plants as they like quite even moisture levels, rather than going from soggy to dry and fluctuating a lot. Too much water over a long period of time can quickly cause root rot which will mean leaves start to fall off your Aluminium Plant and the whole plant becomes quite unstable and leggy. If you think your Aluminium Plant might be suffering from root rot, it’s important to take your plant out of your pot to see how much moisture is in the soil. If you find that the soil feels quite soggy and clumpy then replace it straight away and cut away the roots that have started to rot. You don’t want to wait for it to naturally dry out as this can damage the plant even more and cause more leaves to fall off.
There are several things you can do to prevent the problem from happening again by ensuring you only water your Aluminium Plant when it needs it. One way is to pick your plant up before and after watering as this will give you an idea of how heavy your plant is when it needs water. You should also invest in a moisture meter as they will literally tell you how moist the potting mix is – yes it’s really that easy!
Another thing you can do to avoid overwatering is use a self-watering pot or self-watering globes. They release water to your Aluminium Plant only when it needs it and will help to avoid waterlogged soil and root rot.
Cold temperatures can also cause leaves to drop
Aluminium Plants will survive well in rooms with average room temperature but can be quite sensitive to cold temperatures which can cause their leaves to fall off. Make sure to draft proof any doors and windows that are near to your Aluminium Plant to avoid cold drafts coming in from outside. If your Aluminium Plant is losing leaves in summer, it could also be due to close proximity to any AC vents so watch out for those.
You can always pick up a digital thermometer to check the spot your Aluminium Plant is sitting for peace of mind.
Your Aluminium Plant might be losing leaves due to natural ageing
If it’s only the bottom leaves on your Aluminium Plant that are falling off, then this may be natural ageing. As it matures, your Aluminium Plant will drop some of its oldest leaves to focus its energy on growing new healthy and often bigger growth.
This is a completely natural process so don’t lose any sleep over this. It’s not caused by the wrong care or environment and is actually just a sign that your plant is maturing well.
The one thing you should be doing though is keeping an eye on the rate of ageing. On average your Aluminium Plant should lose 1-2 leaves every couple of months. If your Aluminium Plant is losing more then it’s most probably a sign that something isn’t quite right. Go back to the reasons we have mentioned above to see whether watering or temperature issues are the cause of your Aluminium Plant losing leaves.
Those are the most common reasons why Aluminium Plants lose leaves. Natural ageing is nothing to worry about but if watering or temperature issues are the cause, then you should take steps to solve this issue straight away. If the problem persists for too long, it may eventually cause plant death.
To find out more about caring for your plant, check out our Aluminium Plant care guide.
