Treating Jasmine Leaf Drop: What To Do For Jasmine Plants Losing Leaves

Every year, a puzzling question thousands of gardeners ask is: why my jasmine is drying and losing leaves? Jasmine is a tropical plant that can be grown indoors or outside in warm conditions, the plant dropping leaves is usually because of some type of environmental factor. Jasmine leaves dropping off can be caused by too much attention, too little attention, and even nature itself. Not all jasmines need to be treated when their leaves drop, but when they do, it's usually a matter of correcting a poor environment.

What Causes Leaves to Fall off Jasmine?

What causes leaves to fall off jasmine plants? When they're unhappy in their environment, this is the first way the plants make it known. If your jasmine is getting too little water, the roots can't move through the soil and collect nutrients. This can cause leaves to dry up and fall off. Too much water can be just as bad for your plant. If you leave a puddle of water underneath the planter at all times, the roots can suffer from root rot. You may think you're doing your jasmine plant a favor by giving it a regular source of water, but this is a case of having too much of a good thing. If your jasmine is planted outside, cooler weather can cause it to drop its leaves. This is completely natural for many jasmine plants in the fall. The difference in this instance is that the leaves will turn yellow before dropping off, much like tree leaves changing colors before falling. Lack of light can be another cause of jasmine plants losing leaves. If you've moved your potted plant from the outer deck indoors for the winter, it's probably getting a lot less light than before. This will cause leaves to shed.

What to Do for Jasmine Leaf Drop

Treating jasmine leaf drop is a matter of correcting the bad environment. If the soil is too dry, water it more often or attach an automatic watering device to the planter. If you've recently moved your jasmine plant indoors, place it under a fluorescent light for 16 hours a day, or move the planter to a spot where it will receive strong sunlight for most of the day. For over-watered jasmine, remove the root ball from the planter and wash off all the soil. If some of the roots are black, soft, or mushy, the plant has root rot. Clip off all the damaged roots and repot the plant with fresh potting soil. If you don't see any root rot, place the root ball back in the planter and cut down on the watering. The jasmine plant should recover in about two weeks.