Why do the leaves of the money tree fall
Content:
There are only a few reasons for the foliage to fly around in the common bastard. In the natural environment, abscission occurs mainly in old leaves. For indoor species, this phenomenon signals a violation of the rules of care or a flower disease.
Monkey tree, crassula or fat woman - what is this flower
The popular name - the money tree was obtained due to the external similarity of the leaves of the flower with coins. The monkey tree is most often called a plant in the southern countries. Fat woman is a Russian name that appeared thanks to the fleshy and thick leaves.
Well-groomed money tree
The height of a bush or tree can even reach 1 meter. The leaf plates of the flower are collected in so-called rosettes, in which moisture condensation occurs. Thanks to the thick leaves covered with a waxy bloom, the tree is reliably protected from drying out.
The money tree sheds its leaves in summer or winter, is that normal?
In the summertime, the bastard can shed healthy leaves. This is due to the natural need for the flower to reproduce.
Also, if the number of fallen leaves is not critical, then this may be due to the natural renewal of the crown of the plant. If new leaves appear in place of the fallen leaves, then do not worry.
In winter, daylight decreases and this causes the loss of more leaves. You can help the plant to preserve the green mass by organizing additional lighting with special phytolamps.
Reasons why a money tree can shed its leaves
The main reason why the leaves of the money tree fall off is non-compliance with the conditions for growing and caring for the plant.
Illiterate watering regime
Under natural conditions, Crassula grows in the driest regions. An individual feature of a flower is the ability to accumulate and store moisture in leaf plates for a long time. Household representatives are also endowed with this quality. That is why you should be careful about the irrigation regime.
Overflowing a flower
It is categorically impossible to allow waterlogging of the soil - this will inevitably lead to decay of the root system. The next stage is foliage falling.
The plant can only be helped by emergency transplantation and removal of damaged parts of the root. To this end, the root system is completely cleared of contaminated soil and the tree is transplanted into a new substrate.
If you do not carry out timely moistening and the earthen lump dries up greatly, then the leaves first wither and wrinkle, and then begin to fall off. Urgent rehabilitation measures will help to save the situation. For this, the flower pot is placed in a container of water for 40-50 minutes. This procedure will allow the earth to be saturated with the necessary moisture.
Insufficient soil moisture
Direct sunlight
The classic representative of the money tree is not too picky about the level of illumination. The plant feels great both in the shade and in a sunny place. But the main thing to remember is that, as with any other species, the light must be diffused. Direct sunlight can not only scorch the leaves, but also lead to the fall of all the green mass.
At the first sign of burns, the leaves begin to turn yellow and disappear. Also, if you do not properly care for the bastard, the branches will stretch and weaken.
Fallen leaves of a plant
Too much fertilizer
Due to the fact that the plant grows in natural habitat on poor soils, the money tree will begin to shed its leaves only with the lowest possible soil nutritional value. With the appearance of the first signs of micronutrient deficiency, it is necessary to urgently feed.
Fertilization is carried out from late spring to September. To do this, you should use liquid fertilizers designed for cacti or succulents.
You need to feed the succulent once every 14 days. Supporting drugs are introduced into a pre-moistened soil. Such feeding rules are due to the best assimilation and preservation of the root system.
Natural soil depletion often occurs. To balance the level of minerals, the tree is transplanted into a new substrate. The mixture is prepared from the following components:
- peat (1 part),
- humus (2 parts),
- nutrient soil (2 parts),
- river sand (2 parts).
When charcoal is added to the resulting soil, it is possible not only to enrich this soil mixture, but also to carry out natural disinfection of the substrate.
Incorrect water temperature for irrigation
Using regular tap water can also lead to foliage shedding. For irrigation, it is recommended to use only room temperature water that has been settled for 2-3 days. Do not use either cold or too warm. This can cause leaf fall and disruption of the necessary metabolic processes.
Experienced flower growers use rain or melt water for irrigation.
Temperature changes
In winter, when the heating devices are working, the plant also feels bad. Leaves can not only wither, but even fall off. To help the plant, you must regularly do the sprinkling procedure.
Dry hot air currents harm not only all indoor flowers, but also humans. Air humidification can be carried out with a conventional spray gun or with the help of special steam generators.
The flower grows best at a constant temperature, which is +25 .. + 27 degrees during the growing season and +15 during the dormant period. With a decrease in temperatures, the succulent begins to sharply shed its leaves and lose its decorative effect.
Also, the flower can shed its leaves during sudden changes in temperature. If you move the plant from a warm room to a cold one, then this will certainly lead to stress, and may even provoke a succulent disease.
Sometimes you can observe the loss of leaves in the bastard before the appearance of new young shoots.
Can leaves turn yellow and fall off due to diseases and pests
The leaves of a bastard or a money tree are showered with illness or damage by insects.
Fungal infection
Most often, the leaves begin to fall off due to infection of the crassula flower with all kinds of fungal infections.
The most dangerous are:
- Root rot. In the first stage of infection, the leaves begin to dry and turn yellow. Further, the entire root of the flower is affected and the tree dies. You can save the situation if you carry out an emergency transplant and treatment of the root system with charcoal.
- Stem rot. Rotting begins gradually, the leaves are affected first, then the branches and trunk. All damaged areas are subject to pruning: roots, stems, shoots. Living tissue can later take root and grow into a real tree.
- If the fungus attacked only part of the branches, then emergency pruning of damaged shoots will help save the flower from death.
The most dangerous pests are:
- The spider mite not only affects the flower, it is because of it that the plant begins to throw off the leaves.
- The most dangerous pest is the common scabbard. The only way to escape is to remove all the insects by hand.
- The mealybug is capable of instantly infecting and destroying not only the money tree, but all the plants that are nearby. The affected areas are covered with a white sticky coating.
Destructive root rot
Most often used for protection and struggle:
- insecticides - preparations for the destruction of insects;
- acaricides - agents that have a more limited range of effects, most of them are used to combat ticks;
- mixed species are used for preventive measures.
What to do, how to help the money tree
It is easy to see that there are a lot of reasons why the fat woman's leaves fall off. But they all boil down to an irresponsible attitude, which is due to improper care and non-observance of elementary growing rules.
Falling and wilting of the leaves of the species
To save a flower, the causes of this negative phenomenon should be urgently eliminated. Very often it is enough to simply adjust the growing conditions for the succulent. And after a short period of time, new shoots will appear on the money tree and foliage will grow.
If the flying around of the foliage is a consequence of the disease, then you cannot do without the use of special means. The main thing is the timely identification of the cause and the treatment of crassula with suitable drugs.
It should be remembered that, despite the very unpretentious nature of the plant, it still requires at least minimal attention. Compliance with the elementary and very simple rules of care will allow you to admire the decorative qualities of the money tree for many years.
Money tree - an element of room decor
And if you show a little diligence and imagination, then a succulent can be turned into a real work of art.
