This is the most common reason for my sudden leaf-dropping protest. My roots are very sensitive; they need a specific balance. If you let my soil become bone dry for too long, I will become severely dehydrated. To conserve my remaining water and energy, I will sacrifice my leaves, starting with the oldest ones, and let them fall. Conversely, if you give me too much water too often, my roots are suffocating. They sit in soggy, oxygen-deprived soil, begin to rot, and can no longer absorb water or nutrients. This creates a bizarre situation where I am surrounded by water yet dying of thirst, and my response is the same: I drop my leaves. Always check my soil before watering; the top few inches should be dry to the touch.
I am a creature of habit. Sudden changes in my surroundings trigger a stress response that results in leaf loss. Have you recently moved me to a new spot? Even a shift from one room to another can be a shock if the light, temperature, or humidity levels are different. Other common environmental shocks include being placed near a heat vent, a drafty window, or an air conditioning unit. The blast of hot, dry air or a constant cold draft is extremely stressful for me. I interpret these sudden shifts as the onset of a harsh season and quickly jettison my foliage to survive what I perceive as a coming hardship.
Light is my food source. While I am adaptable and can tolerate medium light, a sudden shift to very low light will cause me problems. Without sufficient light, I cannot perform photosynthesis efficiently. I can no longer support all of my leaves, so I will shed them to reduce my energy needs. This shedding often happens suddenly after a gradual decline in my health. On the other hand, if you moved me directly into intense, direct sunlight, my leaves might get scorched. While scorching usually browns the leaves first, the overall stress can also contribute to a sudden drop. I prefer bright, indirect light to stay my healthiest.
As a tropical plant, I am highly sensitive to the cold. Temperatures below 50°F (10°C) are very dangerous for me. If I am near a frequently opened door in winter or my leaves are touching a cold windowpane, the cold damage will cause my leaves to turn black and drop off suddenly. This is a severe injury, and I may drop a significant number of leaves all at once as a reaction to the cell damage caused by the freezing temperatures. Please keep me in a room that is consistently between 65°F and 90°F (18°C - 32°C), away from any cold drafts.
Sometimes, the problem is not you, but tiny invaders. Pests like spider mites, scale, or mealybugs can infest my stems and the undersides of my leaves. They pierce my tissue and suck out my vital sap, weakening me significantly. A heavy infestation can cause a sudden and dramatic leaf drop as my health rapidly declines. Please check me regularly for any signs of these pests: look for fine webbing (spider mites), small brown or white bumps on stems and leaves (scale/mealybugs), or a sticky residue on my leaves or the surface below me, which is honeydew excreted by the pests.
