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My plumeria, grown from a cutting, is starting to lose leaves. The leaves slowly turn yellow and brown over the course of 2-3 weeks. They start off green, then have a few white spots, then turn fully yellow and fall off. This is happening primarily with the older bottom leaves. The top of the plant continues to grow new green leaves, though they are much smaller and slightly curlier than the original old leaves.

The plumeria is in a 2-gallon pot and I’ve just repotted from a 1 gallon. Its roots were grown to the walls of the 1-gallon, so I think the repotting might do good for it, but I wanted to make sure it’s not diseased or infested with something. Thanks for your help everyone!

Katherine Jin
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  • Are there drainage holes in the pot? – Bamboo Aug 14 '19 at 12:49
  • Yes, there are drainage holes at the bottom, and it’s planted in draining soil (Fox Farms Ocean Forest) – Katherine Jin Aug 14 '19 at 16:42
  • Check backs of leaves and stems with a magnifying glass - might be spider mite, and you may see those on close inspection, or a bit of webbing here and there, usually at the base of the leaves, but check everywhere – Bamboo Aug 14 '19 at 17:42
  • It's possible this is simply the result of the transplant. When plants are stressed some of them get rid of old leaves near the end of their useful life. Does this plant lose all leaves in the winter time? It may just be getting a head start. Transplantation is generally best done when the plant is going to be more active (spring). – Tim Nevins Aug 14 '19 at 19:17
  • Tim - it was losing leaves even before transplanting, and last winter it was growing fine without losing any – Katherine Jin Aug 14 '19 at 23:52
  • Bamboo - looked up some articles and videos on spider mites and that might be it! I don’t own a magnifying glass, but there does seem to be really minuscule black dots and white webbing on the backs of the leaves. Do you have any recommendations for treating? Sounds like spraying the leaves with water might be the more “natural” solution, since pesticides may cause other issues that kill the plant. What are your thoughts? – Katherine Jin Aug 14 '19 at 23:54

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