When an angel's trumpet begins shedding its leaves in excess, it is signaling an acute need for support. Now it's time to find out what's missing and what can be done to help - we'll help you with the detective work.
If the angel's trumpet loses leaves, care mistakes are often behind it
Why the angel's trumpet can lose its leaves
If your angel's trumpet sheds all its leaves in a dark winter quarters, this is completely normal and not critical. You can confidently trust that it will sprout freshly again in the spring when the light is restored.
However, if the angel's trumpet suddenly shows massive leaf loss in the middle of the vegetation phase, something is wrong. As a rule, it indicates a care error - and it can usually be effectively corrected accordingly. Possible causes of leaf loss are:
- lack of water
- nutrient deficiency
- (rarely) over-fertilization
- too hot and sunny location
lack of water
The angel's trumpet needs a lot of water and does not tolerate it at all if it is dry. Especially in particularly warm, dry summer phases, it is easy for your root ball to dry out. If you haven't watered at least once a day, do it now. Then the angel's trumpet can recover.
Too much water is rarely the problem, but it cannot be ruled out. Good drainage in the lower substrate in the form of expanded clay (19.73€) is an important prevention against waterlogging.
nutrient deficiency
Our nightshade plant from the Andes is not only thirsty, but also hungry. A lush and, above all, regular supply of nutrients in the form of long-term fertilizer in the substrate and phase-dependent, acute growth and flowering fertilizer once or twice a week is a must for the angel's trumpet. If you haven't already done so, just follow this rule from now on.
over-fertilization
Actually, the hungry angel's trumpet is difficult to over-fertilize. However, you can still burn them with certain types of fertilizer and excessive dosage. Above all, if you use excessive amounts of fast-acting, but cheap and rather "unloving" multi-component fertilizers such as common blue grain, this can do more harm than good to the plant. Repot the angel's trumpet, renew the overloaded substrate and use gentler fertilizer from now on, possibly for flowering tub plants or even specially tailored to angel's trumpets.
Too hot and sunny location
Angel's trumpets like a semi-shady location - if they get too much sun and heat, they can damage the leaves that are thick on the surface. However, do not place the plant in full shade as a countermeasure, but in a partially shaded, sheltered place.