Do Succulent Leaves Grow Back?
The best way to make them grow!

Introduction

Succulent leaves can fall off for many reasons. If your succulent has fallen victim to over or underwatering, the leaves may turn yellow and become weak. They can even fall off this way. You might be wondering if they grow back. 

Succulent leaves cannot grow back. They cannot grow back from the base of the plant. They can only regrow from their heads. 

Do Succulent Leaves Regrow?

Unfortunately, succulent leaves do not regrow on their place. They might only grow from the head of the succulent. 

What to Do to Make Leaves Grow

Now that you’ve noticed the fallen leaves around your succulents, it’s time to replant them. Succulents can easily be propagated through leaf cuttings. You can plant the fallen leaves in cactus soil. 

You will need to water the fallen leaves daily. Keep doing this for 3 weeks until you notice a rosette and roots forming. You will need to continue watering your succulent until it reaches a mature stage. 

How to Prevent Leaves from Falling

There are a number of factors that are responsible for succulent leaf loss. These include insufficient light, overwatering, harsh temperatures, and too much fertilizer. 

Insufficient Light

Succulents are plants that prefer a few hours of bright indirect light. If their light requirements are not being fulfilled, the leaves can weaken over time. If they are kept in low light conditions throughout the day, they can even lose leaves. 

Make sure to place your succulent in a spot where it receives enough sunlight. Take care with changing its position to avoid burns on leaves.

Overwatering

You might be tempted to water your succulent frequently after getting one for the first time. However, you need to know that succulents don’t need to be watered every now and then. 

These plants are well-adapted to hold water in their thick fleshy leaves for long periods of time. If you end up overwatering your succulent, the leaves can become very soft and break away very easily. 

You will need to use a well-draining soil mix to prevent your succulent from sitting in a pool of water. This can prevent conditions such as root rot as well. 

PRO-TIP

Get a new pot for your succulent if overwatering persists

Harsh Temperatures

If your succulent has been sitting in the sun for too long, it can burn off its leaves and cause them to fall off. Even during the winter, you will need to cover your succulent if it’s not cold hardy. 

You will have to keep your succulent indoors during the winter and in a place of shade. 

Too Much Fertilizer

If you’re new to succulent care, you might not know about the right amount of fertilizer your succulent needs. This can lead to problems such as overfertilizing your succulent. Doing so can result in leaf loss and damaged roots. 

You might notice a layer of white on the soil if you have overfertilized your succulent. You will need to gently remove it since this layer is the salt that your fertilizer released. It can often cause problems.

Another way to get rid of excess fertilizer is to water your succulent. After you’ve noticed that the soil has too much fertilizer, you can water in between and wait for it to drain out of your succulent’s pot. 

Pests

Chances are your succulent is suffering from a pest infestation such as aphids, mealybugs and spider mites. Succulents such as Echeveria attract aphids the most. Their thick fleshy leaves often attract other pests too.

Aphids not only cause damage to succulent leaves but they carry viruses from other plants as well. In addition to this, a sticky residue called honeydew is also released. This can cause fungal infections.

If a pest infestation is left untreated, your succulent can die. Luckily, aphids don’t get to live very long. You can wash your succulent if you spot aphids on the leaves. Another way to get rid of them is to get an insecticide.

You can even make your own homemade spraying solution. All you will need is vegetable oil, liquid dish soap and water. Aphids often hide in dark spots such as holes so make sure you don’t miss them. 

PRO-TIP

Use dish soap to get rid of aphids and neem oil for mealybugs

After you are done with spraying your succulent with a spraying solution, pat the leaves dry with a damp cloth. Take extra care when removing excess soap from your succulent’s leaves. Soap can be harmful to your plant too.

Conclusion

We have looked at whether or not succulent leaves grow back and how to make them regrow. The simple answer is no. Succulent leaves cannot grow back but the fallen leaves can be used to propagate a new plant. 

If you liked reading about succulent leaves, you might be interested to check out how to make your succulent leaves regrow .

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