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Chinese evergreen or Aglaonema is a hardy houseplant that, despite its tropical origin, tolerates standard indoor growing conditions in the northern hemisphere and does not require special care.
However, this does not mean that the plant will not react dramatically to adverse or deteriorating conditions and the first sign of alarm is dropping leaves.
Why Are My Chinese Evergreen Dropping Leaves?
Rejection of new leaves indicates disruption of physiological processes due to which leaf function is reduced or completely stopped, reliably showing that some of the cultivation parameters such as humidity, lighting, or temperature are below the tolerance threshold.
Excessive Watering
Chinese evergreen is a plant that loves moist substrate, but that is exactly the danger: Wet substrate does not mean the soaked one!
Water that remains in the soil and which the plant cannot use inevitably causes root rot. Unfortunately, since it takes place underground, you only notice this devastating process when the leaves start to change color, lose their freshness, and fall off.
Solution: Always check with your fingers before watering that the substrate is already moist. Water the plant only when the surface of the substrate is dry to a depth of one inch.
Lack of Water
Lack of water makes the plant difficult to function since it loses more water by transpiration than it can replace. Shedding its leaves, the plant tries to reduce the loss of essential water and fights to stay alive.
Solution: Do not allow the substrate in the pot to dry completely. Water it at least once every seven or ten days during the growing phase and every fifteen days in winter when it is dormant.
Low Temperature
Optimal temperature conditions range from 65 to 80 F, but the plant can tolerate shorter periods outside these values. However, if the temperature drops below 55 F, it will react by rejecting the leaves.
Inadequate Light
Chinese evergreens grow in shady tropical forests beyond the reach of direct sunlight. Too much shade causes paleness and wilting of the leaves. On the other hand, strong light causes burns and tissue necrosis.
Solution: Place the plant in a spot with a lot of indirect sunlight.
Natural Cycle
In addition to all the above, we must add that the fall of the leaves does not necessarily mean an alarming situation. Each leaf has its own lifespan, so it is completely natural that after some time, this cycle comes to an end, and the leaf withers.
Life is Better When You Garden™
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