Are you worried about your ghost plant’s new habit of dropping its leaves without warning? Do not fear! I actually had this problem myself!
Witnessing my ghost plant leaves falling off was alarming, so I spoke to some colleagues at the garden center where I worked and did my own research…What was I doing wrong?
I assumed that my ghost plant needed the same light conditions as my string or pearls plant and snake plant (Its succulent cousins!). Whilst they thrive in bright, indirect light, I’ve learned that my ghost plant prefers direct sunlight!
I discovered that Ghost plant leaves fall off as a response to a lack of direct sun or drop off to self-propagate from the fallen leaf to set root and produce another ghost plant. Ghost plant leaves can also fall off due to stress caused by overwatering and slow-draining soils.
As you can see, there are several factors that contribute to ghost plant leaf drop. In this article, I’ll help you diagnose why your ghost leaves are dropping off and take you through the solutions to get them back to full health!
I should also not that Ghost plants (Graptopetalum paraguayense) without enough light grow a long stem from which the lower leaves drop off whilst the rosette remains attached looking for more direct light.
Keep reading to learn why your ghost plant is losing leaves and how to solve the problem…
Are The Lower Leaves Falling Off? (Not enough light)
So, I can tell you from experience that the most common reason for a ghost plant to lose its lower leaves is that it does not get enough direct light.
Ghost plants are succulents that have specifically adapted to growing in fairly harsh conditions with full sun, warm temperatures, and sandy or stony soils.
The stem of the ghost plant can grow tall (or perhaps long as it can trail down from pots) in response to not enough light (the technical term for this is etiolation).
The longer, taller stems grow in the brightest direction, absorbing as much light as possible, resulting in a long gangling stem with sparse leaves, which is what happened to mine. It drooped in as it bravely searched for more light.
What specifically happened to mine is that the attractive rosette stayed intact, however the lower leaves along the stem tend to drop off which leaves a long stem without foliage.
Why does this happen? Well, from my research, I’ve learned that these leaves are shed as the ghost plant is trying to conserve resources by preserving the rosette and losing the leaves lower down the stem that receive less light. It’s actually a clever survival strategy, in my opinion!
Don’t worry! I can assure you that this does not necessarily mean that your plant is dying but is just under additional stress because of a lack of direct light.
So what’s the solution? To get a ghost plant to grow compact, it should be in full sun. So this meant I reclocated my plant in a sunny south-facing window or outdoors.
Unlike their string of pearls or jade plant amigos, Indirect bright light is typically not enough for certain succulents such as the ghost plant to stay in a nice compact shape.
This is the moment, it clicked for me…If you give your ghost plant enough light then it has no need to grow excessively to look for more light therefore it stays nice and compact and doesn’t need to drop its leaves.
So, can it be saved? If your ghost plant has lost all its lower leaves, leaving just a long stem and a rosette, then the ghost plant can still be revived.
Whilst I undertsand you do not want a gangly plant with few leaves, you have to take action with pruners!
The best option is to propagate the ghost plant from a leaf of the rosette to generate a new plant without having a long, unsightly stem or cut the rosette off with a sterile pair of pruners, which can then propagate in a pot and remain more compact (assuming it’s in full sun).
Ghost plants are incredibly easy to propagate (I actually think they are the easiest succulents I’ve ever propagated with a very high rate of success, and it is very satisfying to watch them grow, so if you have long bare stems, then you should give it a go, and you can have many more ghost plants!
Watch this helpful YouTube video which explains exactly how to propagate and prune ghost plants that have grown with long stems and fewer leaves so that they are revived:
Ghost plants Naturally Lose Leaves (Which I use to Propagate)
Ghost plants are particularly noted in the succulent world for their readiness to produce new plants by dropping some of their leaves.
Therefore, there are times when your ghost plants drop their leaves naturally without any stress caused by a lack of sun, quick growth, or overwatering. Does your ghost plant look leggy? Do the leaves feel soft? If not, I can assure you that this is a completely natural process, and your ghost plant is likely okay.
In the wild (in Mexico), the ghost plant’s leaves are dropped on the soil callus over their wounds (to conserve moisture) and, if left to their own devices, produce roots and start an entirely new plant.
The reason they do this is because this is one of the mechanisms that they use in their native habitat to produce more plants.
If your ghost plant leaves are in a pot with exposed soil (and enough space to grow), the ghost plant leaf that has dropped can grow roots, and you have a pot of mini ghost plants before you know it! This is the reason I love ghost plants!
You can leave these plants to grow into full-sized ghost plants or transplant them to another pot and give them away to your friends!
Whilst a lot of succulents drop their leaves specifically for self-propagation, this effect is particularly pronounced and successful for ghost plants.
Overwatering or Slow Draining Soils can Cause Ghost Plants to Lose Leaves
As we discussed, the ghost plant is native to high-altitude dry deserts in Mexico where they grow in gravely, sandy, or stony soil with relatively little rainfall or sources of moisture.
Our little ghost plants have specifically adapted to living in this environment and require these harsh conditions to thrive, some we need to actually replicate these conditions in our homes.
So, overwatering or slow-draining soils are actually contrary to their preferred conditions and we should not be watering our ghost plants as frequently as our other houseplants.
What I’ve seen personally is that the stress caused by too much moisture contributes to leaves falling off and, in severe cases, causes stem and root rot that can kill your ghost plant!
Why has it adapted this way?
In my research for this article, I discovered that Ghost plants are native to particularly hot and dry areas of Mexico where it is advantageous for the plant to stay dormant in Summer to conserve resources in the hostile, hot weather and grow more in the Winter when the temperature is milder.
This seasonal cycle means that ghost plants in particular, are prone to stress from overwatering even more so in Summer, which can contribute to leaves dropping and a decline in the health of the plant.
But what are the symptoms of an overwatered ghost plant? Overwatered ghost plant leaves can feel soft, turn yellow, and drop off depending on the severity of the stress caused by excess moisture around the roots.
Whenever I have witnessed this happening, the ghost plant always turns soft before turning yellow and falling off.
So, it is important to prioritize the proper watering practices and grow your ghost plants in well-draining soil that has been amended with grit to replicate the ghost plant’s native range.
How do we do this? My best method for watering ghost plants is to soak the soil and then let it dry out completely. Why does this work? It mimics the natural cycle of watering in the wild, where there is a deluge of rain followed by drought and hot temperatures.
Expert tip: I recommend to always feel the soil to see when it is dried out. You can this by pushing a chopstick into the soil and seeing if its feels damp or dry, or you can pick up your pot and assess the weight. When the pot feels light you know the soil has dried out and it is time to water (this is the more effective method in my opinion).
Of course watering is only one part of the equation that we need to consider. I can tell you from experience that the right soil is critically important. I recommend planting your ghost plants in succulent and cactii soil is is special soil made to mimic the conditions of the ghost plants natural soil conditions.
This type of soil does not hold onto moisture for long and allows excess water to drain away effceiently from the roots which is the key to reducng the risk of root rot and keeps your ghost plant healthy.
If you implement the water cycle that I described and repot your ghost plant in succulent and cacti soil (available from garden centers) then your plant should be healthy enough to not drop its leaves through stress.
If lots of the leaves have dropped off, then I would recommend watching the YouTube video I featured earlier in my article about propagation as, in my experience, you can still save it!
Do you have any questions about ghost plants? If so, please leave a comment below, and I’ll reply!
Key Takeaways:
- Ghost plants lose their leaves to self-propagate or as a reaction to not enough direct sunlight.
- Overwatering and slow-draining soils stress the ghost plant, which thrives in dryer conditions, causing some of the leaves to drop.
- Ghost plants grow quicker than most succulents, which can cause long stems and few leaves.
- Propagate ghost plants with cuttings and leaves to revive a sparse ghost plant.