Succulent losing leaves

(Question)

Hi there and thank you so much for any help you can provide. Please see photos below. I bought this succulent three years and it has always struggled, losing one or two leaves every week or so but growing more. I thought perhaps it’s not getting enough light so changed my potlights to two high power grow lights that go on at night because the glare is too bright for me during the day. The plant is in cactus soil and I only water it every ten days. I will send a photo of a recent dead leaf under separate cover. Regards

(Answer)

Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners.

Houseplants generally lose their leaves due to over or under watering.  When you water your succulent, do you check the soil to see if it is dry?  It is best to let the soil completely dry out before watering succulents.  Another factor that may be at play is the nighttime temperature.   Are your two high power grow lights giving off heat?  Succulents generally prefer cooler evening temperatures than during the day.   Perhaps turning the lights off at night would provide more favourable conditions.

We received a similar question in the past about a succulent houseplant that was losing leaves.  The query and response can be viewed here:

Succulent leaves dropping

You may wish to also refer to our Gardening Guide on succulents, which can be viewed here:

https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Growing-Cacti-and-Other-Succulents-A-Toronto-Master-Gardeners-Guide.pdf