There are only a few reasons for the foliage to fly around the common fat. In the natural environment, decay occurs mainly in old leaflets. For indoor species, this phenomenon signals a violation of the rules of care or a flower disease.
Monkey tree, Crassula or Crassula - what kind of flower
The popular name - money tree was obtained due to the external similarity of flower leaves with coins. A monkey tree is most often called a plant in the southern countries. Crassula is a Russian name that appeared due to fleshy and thick leaves.
Groomed money tree
The height of a bush or tree can reach even 1 meter. Leaf plates of the flower are collected in so-called sockets, in which moisture condensation occurs. Thanks to the thick leaves covered with a wax coating, the tree is reliably protected from drying out.
Money tree drops leaves in summer or winter, is it normal
In the summer, a fat woman 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 ones appear in the place of fallen leaves, then do not worry.
In winter, daylight hours are reduced and this causes the loss of more leaves. You can help the plant maintain its green mass by organizing additional lighting with special phytolamps.
For reference! For the normal development of the flower, it is necessary to extend the daylight hours to 10-12 hours.
Reasons why a money tree can drop leaves
The main reason why the leaves of the money tree fall off is the non-compliance with the conditions for growing and caring for the plant.
Illiterate irrigation mode
In vivo, Crassula grows in the driest regions. An individual feature of the flower is the ability to accumulate and store moisture for a long time in leaf plates. Home representatives are also endowed with this quality. That is why you should be careful about the watering regime.
Overflow of flower
Categorically it is impossible to allow waterlogging of the soil - this will inevitably lead to decay of the root system. The next step is leaf fall.
Important! Succulents in spring and summer should be watered 1 time per week, in autumn and winter much less often - 1 time per month.
The plant can be helped only by emergency transplantation and removal of damaged parts of the root. To this end, the root system is completely cleaned of contaminated soil and the tree is transplanted into a new substrate.
If you do not carry out timely hydration and the earthen lump dries out very much, then the leaves first wither and wrinkle, and then begin to fall off. To save the situation will help the urgent adoption of rehabilitation measures. To do this, the flower pot is placed in a container with water for 40-50 minutes. This procedure will allow the earth to be fully saturated with the necessary moisture.
Inadequate soil moisture
Advice! The lack of water in the sump will not allow water to stagnate and will not lead to waterlogging of the soil.
Direct sunlight
The classic representative of the money tree is not too demanding on 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 for any other species, the light must be scattered. Direct sunlight can not only scorch the leaves, but also lead to the subsidence of the entire green mass.
At the first signs of burns, the leaves begin to turn yellow and disappear. Also, if you do not properly care for the fat girl, the branches will stretch and weaken.
Opal leaves of the plant
Too much fertilizer
Due to the fact that the plant in its natural habitat grows on poor soils, the money tree will begin to drop leaves only at the lowest possible nutrient content of the soil. With the first signs of micronutrient deficiency, it is necessary to urgently feed.
Fertilization is carried out from late spring to September. To do this, use liquid fertilizers designed for cacti or succulents.
Important! Any special preparations must be diluted according to the instructions. Excess concentration can lead not only to damage, but also to the death of the flower.
Succulent need to be fed 1 time in 14 days. Supporting drugs are applied to pre-moistened soil. These feeding rules are due to better assimilation and preservation of the root system.
Often there is natural depletion of the soil. To balance the level of minerals, a tree transplant is used in 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.
Wrong water temperature for irrigation
Using ordinary tap water can also cause leaves to fall. For irrigation, it is recommended to use only room temperature water that has been left standing for 2-3 days. It is not allowed to use both cold and too warm. This can cause leaf fall and a violation of the necessary metabolic processes.
For information! If the leaves have already begun to fall, then spraying with warm water will help maintain the remaining green mass. During this procedure, liquid must not be allowed to enter the pot.
Experienced growers use rain or melt water for irrigation.
Temperature changes
In winter, when heating appliances are working, the plant also feels bad. Leaves can not only dry out, but even fall. To help the plant, it is necessary to regularly do the sprinkling procedure.
Streams of dry hot air are harmful not only to all indoor flowers, but also to humans. Humidification can be carried out with a conventional spray gun or with the help of special steam generators.
Best of all, the flower grows at a constant temperature, which is + 25 ... +27 degrees during the growing season and +15 - during the dormant period. With lowering temperatures, the succulent begins to sharply drop leaves and lose its decorative effect.
Also, the flower can lose its leaves during sudden changes in temperature. If you transfer the plant from a warm to a cold room, then this will certainly lead to stress, and can even provoke a succulent disease.
On a note! If the root system of the tree is frozen, then it will not be possible to save it. The only way out is to use the cuttings of a "dying" flower to propagate and grow a new one.
Sometimes you can observe the loss of leaves in a fat woman before the appearance of new young shoots.
Can leaves turn yellow and fall off due to diseases and pests
The leaves of a fatty or money tree fall off in case of illness or damage by insects.
Fungal infection
Most often, the leaves begin to fall off due to infection of the flower crassula with all kinds of fungal infections.
The most dangerous are:
- Root rot. At the first stage of infection, the leaves begin to dry and turn yellow. Next, 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. Decay begins gradually, the leaves are first affected, then the branches and the 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.
Important! All cuts and cuts must be treated with crushed charcoal or antifungal pesticides.
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 scab. The only way to save is by manually removing all insects.
- The mealybug is able to infect and destroy not only the money tree, but also all the plants nearby. Affected areas are covered with a white sticky coating.
Fatal Root Rot
Most often used for protection and control:
- insecticides - preparations for the destruction of insects;
- Acaricides - agents with a more limited spectrum of exposure, are mostly 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 a fat woman has leaves. But they all come down to an irresponsible attitude, which is due to improper care and non-compliance with the elementary rules of cultivation.
Decline and wilting of leaves of a species
To save the flower, the causes of this negative phenomenon should be urgently eliminated. Very often it’s enough to just adjust the conditions for growing succulent. And after a short period of time, new shoots will appear on the money tree and foliage will grow.
If the foliage flying around is a consequence of the disease, then you can not 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. Observance of elementary and very simple rules of care will allow for many years to admire the decorative qualities of money tree.
Money tree - an element of the decor of the room
And if you show a little effort and imagination, then succulent can be turned into a real work of art.
