If your Money Tree has started losing leaves, then you’re probably pretty concerned. However, you have come to the right place. In this post, we will be going through each of the potential causes for the leaf loss on your Money Tree so that you can not only diagnose the issue but can properly treat it and stop any more leaves from falling off your beloved plant. Plus, we will also give you some tips on how to prevent the issue from happening again.
Overwatering is the most common cause of Money Trees losing leaves
If you find that your Money Tree is losing leaves from the bottom up, then it may be a problem with the roots that is causing the issue, the most frequent of which is too much moisture. Giving them either too much water each time, or simply watering too frequently so that the soil doesn’t get a chance to dry out can very quickly cause leaves to fall from your Money Tree.
If you think that your Money Tree is waterlogged, check the moisture of the soil immediately using a moisture meter and adjust your watering habits accordingly to solve the issue in the long term.
If you find that the potting mix is still very soggy, then it’s best to replace it with fresh dry mix. This will allow your Money Tree to begin the recovery process and stop losing leaves. Letting the potting mix dry out naturally however, risks more damage to the roots and therefore more leaves falling from your Money Tree.
In future, try to regulate your watering and always check that the top of the soil is dry before giving your Money Tree any more water. You need to also water according to the seasons; in the spring and summer (growth period) your Money Tree will require more water than in the colder darker months of the year.
Underwatering could also be the cause of the leaf drop
On the other end of the scale to overwatering, if your Money Tree is losing leaves then it may also be because of too little water. Yes, too much and too little of something can have the same impact! Money Tree plants will forgive you if you occasionally forget to water them but they will struggle with dry soil for weeks and weeks so be mindful of this if you are going on holiday or are unable to tend to your plants regularly.
It’s important to ensure that your Money Tree is actually being underwatered before you change anything about your care routine. You don’t want to start watering it more if it doesn’t need it as too much water can actually damage your Money Tree a lot quicker as we outlined above
To confirm your suspicions that your Money Tree is losing leaves because of underwatering, check the moisture levels in the soil. If your plant still feels quite strong, take it out of the pot. However, if the issue has been going on for a long time, and your plant is droopy and feels breakable, then use a moisture meter or the chopstick method to check the soil. This will prevent any more leaves breaking off your plant.
If underwatered, the potting mix will fall apart and feel very sandy to touch. You will also see that some of the roots have started to crisp up if you have been underwatering your Money Tree for a while.
Once you have determined that your Money Tree is suffering from a lack of water, slowly reintroduce water to your plant rather than drowning it (they can go into shock if there is a sudden change in environment). A little bit of water once a day for a week should get your Money Tree back on track and prevent it from losing any more leaves
Leaf loss can be caused by a lack of sunlight
Money Trees like bright, indirect light and if they spend too long in a shady spot, they may start losing some of their leaves. This is because your plant can’t keep the level of foliage alive with such low light levels.
You need to make sure that your Money Tree is placed somewhere they will receive several hours of bright light, but still indirect. If it gets too much direct light then this can scorch the leaves and cause further issues.
It’s also worth thinking about whether you need to move Money Tree around depending on the seasons. In the winter months, when the sun isn’t as strong (and out for less of the day) it might be necessary to move your plant a little closer to the window to make use of the limited sunlight as best as possible.
Dry air can cause some leaves to fall off your Money Tree
Money Trees prefer a slightly more humid environment, so if your home tends to have dry air it’s worth your time to try and increase the humidity a little as this can often be a reason why your Money Tree is losing its leaves.
More often than not, the average humidity levels we have in our homes can be enough but during winter the air tends to become too dry. This is a mixture of having the heating on as well as less ventilation.
Luckily, raising the humidity for your Money Tree and stop it from losing more leaves isn’t a large task. We recommend misting the leaves with a spray bottle every few days (we love these amber glass bottles from Amazon). You can also build a pebble tray or regularly shower your plant. However, if these don’t seem to work, or you can’t always find the time to do them enough, then the most consistent way to increase the humidity is to use a humidifier near your Money Tree.
You can also always pick up a good humidity monitor to keep track of everything if you’re more concerned.
Money Trees lose leaves due to environmental stress
Money Trees are a little sensitive when it comes to their comfort zone and if things change suddenly, or they are a little bit stressed out by their environment, then they can start losing a few leaves as a result. Stress or shock can be caused by moving to a new spot, being bumped and knocked a lot, low temperatures, rapid changes in potting mix moisture and being repotted or propagated.
This stress often results in a couple of leaves being shed, most commonly the lower, older leaves are dropped in this scenario.
Don’t worry too much if your Money Tree is losing some leaves after being moved to a new spot, it is totally natural. As long as the new environment caters for its light and warmth requirements, it should adjust nicely and grow new healthy leaves in no time.
It could simply be natural ageing
If it’s only the oldest (and most often the smallest) leaves on your Money Tree that are falling off, then this may be the natural ageing process at work. As your plant matures, your Money Tree will begin losing some of its oldest, lowest leaves to focus its energy on growing new healthy and often bigger growth.
This is a completely natural process and isn’t a result of any wrong care or environmental factors. The one thing you do need to keep an eye on though is the rate of leaf loss. On average your Money Tree should lose a couple of leaves every year but no more. If your Money Tree is losing leaves at a pace more rapid than this, then consult the reasons we have listed above to find the cause.
Those are the most common reasons why Money Trees start losing their leaves. There are quite a few reasons which makes diagnosing the problem a little trickier so if you do change anything about your plant’s care or environment, make sure to check in on your plant daily for a while. This will help you monitor if any more leaves are falling off your plant or if there are any more problems cropping up.
Take a look through our Money Tree care guide to learn more about how to spot and treat common problems as well as our general care tips to keep your plant happy and healthy!
