A monstera drops a leaf for one of six reasons, and the number of leaves, their condition when they fell, and the soil under the plant sort them out. One lower leaf yellowing and dropping every few months while the plant grows is normal shedding. Several leaves dropping over a week or two, with wet soil and soft stalk bases, is root rot. Leaves that drooped, crisped at the edges and dropped with dry soil is thirst. Lower leaves dropping slowly over months in a dim corner is light. Green leaves dropping within a fortnight of a move, a repot or a cold night is shock or chill.
Count what has dropped, look at the fallen leaves, feel the soil, and, if the soil is wet, check the roots.
What the dropped leaf tells you
| What you see | Most likely cause | Check this first |
|---|---|---|
| One lower, oldest leaf yellowed and dropped, plant otherwise firm, new leaf forming | Natural shedding | Nothing else changed |
| Several leaves yellowing and dropping over days, stalk bases soft or dark, soil wet, sour smell | Root rot from overwatering | Root check |
| Leaves drooped, browned and crisped at the edges, then dropped; soil dry and shrunk from the pot | Underwatering | Soil to the bottom; pot weight |
| Lower leaves yellowing and dropping over months, small new leaves without splits, long stems | Too little light | Distance from a window |
| Green leaves drop within two weeks of a move or repot, soil neither wet nor dry | Shock | Recent changes |
| Leaves darken, go limp and drop after a cold night or a draft | Cold | Position; temperature |
| Leaves drop with stippling, webbing, sticky film or cottony spots | Pests | Undersides and leaf joints |
Natural shedding
As a monstera climbs and produces new leaves at the top, it retires the oldest leaves at the bottom one at a time. The leaf yellows evenly over a week or two, the stalk softens at the base, and it falls or comes away with a gentle tug. Everything above is firm and green and a new leaf is usually on the way. What to do: nothing; remove the leaf when it is fully yellow.
Root rot from overwatering
In soil that stays wet, monstera roots suffocate and rot, and the plant sheds leaves it can no longer support. Several leaves yellow from the edges inward and drop over a short time, leaf stalks darken and soften where they meet the stem, the soil is wet days after watering, and the pot smells sour.
What to do: slide the plant out. Healthy roots are white to tan and firm; rotted ones are brown, soft, and pull apart. Cut rotted roots back to firm tissue, remove the old soil, and repot in fresh airy mix (potting soil with plenty of bark and perlite) in a pot with drainage, no larger than the roots need. Water once to settle the mix and then not again until the top few centimetres are dry. Leaf drop may continue for a couple of weeks and then stops as new roots form.
Underwatering
A monstera left dry droops first, then browns and crisps at the leaf edges, and drops the worst-affected leaves, usually lower ones. The soil is dry to the bottom, the pot is light, and often the soil has shrunk from the rim so water runs down the gap.
What to do: water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage hole; if the soil has shrunk, stand the pot in a basin of water for twenty to thirty minutes to rewet from below. Then check the soil by finger every few days and water when the top few centimetres are dry.
Too little light
In a dim room a monstera cannot support all its leaves and sheds the lower ones slowly, yellowing them first, while new leaves come in small, without splits, on long bare stems reaching for the window.
What to do: move it to bright indirect light near a large window, out of hot direct afternoon sun. Judge the fix by the next new leaves.
Shock after a move or repot
A monstera moved to a new room, brought home, or repotted may drop one or two green or slightly yellowed leaves within a fortnight while it adjusts. The soil is fine and the remaining leaves are firm. What to do: keep it in one bright spot and wait.
Cold
Monsteras dislike anything below about 15 degrees Celsius. A cold night by a window, a draft from an outside door, or an unheated room darkens and limpens the leaves, which then drop. What to do: move it away from cold glass and drafts. Leaves that went dark and soft are lost.
Pests
Spider mites, scale, mealybugs and thrips weaken a monstera and cause yellowing and drop. Look for fine stippling and webbing, brown bumps on the stems, white cottony specks in the joints, silvery streaks, and a sticky film. What to do: wipe, treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil weekly for a month, and isolate.
The root check
Whenever more than one leaf has dropped and the soil is wet, look at the roots. Tip the pot on its side, support the stems, and slide the root ball out. White, firm roots mean the roots are not the problem; brown, soft roots mean rot, and the repot above is the fix.
What to do today, by cause
- Natural shedding: remove the leaf and change nothing.
- Root rot: unpot, trim rotted roots, repot in airy mix, water only when the top is dry.
- Underwatering: soak thoroughly, rewet from below if the soil has shrunk, check by finger.
- Too little light: move to bright indirect light.
- Shock: leave it in one spot for two weeks.
- Cold: move away from cold glass and drafts.
- Pests: wipe, treat weekly for a month, isolate.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal for a monstera to drop leaves?
One lower, oldest leaf every few months is normal as the plant grows new ones at the top. Several leaves in a short time, or green leaves dropping, is not, and points at the roots, the water, the light or a recent change.
Why is my monstera dropping green leaves?
Usually shock after a move, a repot or a cold night, in which case the drop stops within a couple of weeks. If the soil is wet and the leaf stalks are soft at the base, it is root rot instead, and the roots need checking today.
Will my monstera grow back the leaves it dropped?
Not the same leaves, but new ones grow from the tip of each stem once the cause is fixed and the plant is in good light. A bare lower stem stays bare; new growth comes at the top, which is why monsteras are often cut back and rerooted to make them bushier.
How many leaves can a monstera lose and survive?
A monstera with a firm stem and healthy roots survives losing most of its leaves; it regrows from the nodes. A monstera whose stem base has gone soft will not, though a healthy tip with an aerial root can be cut and rooted in water as a new plant.