If you’re wondering why your ligustrum is losing leaves, the answer might be more complicated than you think.

The truth is that there are many reasons ligustrums lose their leaves, and it’s important to understand what they are so you can figure out how to stop them from happening.

In this blog post, we will talk about three of the most common reasons for leaf loss in ligustrums and provide a few solutions on how to fix these problems!

Why Is My Sunshine Ligustrum Losing Leaves?

Your sunshine ligustrum is dropping leaves because it is stressed. From my experience, sunshine ligustrum plants drop leaves when they get too dry and haven’t been given enough water.

However, this stress can be from many causes, such as too much sun exposure, pests, and extreme temperature fluctuations.

I’ll now go more in-depth into each possible stressor for your ligustrum plant, so you can understand why it’s losing leaves and what to do about it…

1. Underwatering

One of the most common reasons why your sunshine ligustrum is dropping leaves is because it’s been underwatered.

Ligustrums need a lot of water, especially in the summer months when their leaves are actively photosynthesizing and growing.

Sunshine ligustrums can be quite picky about how much they drink, too – if you don’t give them enough water or keep them consistently watered, they will slowly begin to die off.

I would recommend giving your ligustrum a good drink of water once or twice per week in the summertime, and more often if you live in an arid climate with low rainfall.

2. Sun Exposure

Sunshine ligustrums can suffer if they are in too much shade or direct sun.

If your ligustrum gets less than six hours of sunlight per day, you should look to move it somewhere with more light!

This is because ligustrums need a lot of strong light – weak indirect sunlight will not give them enough energy to survive.

If your ligustrum is in direct sunlight, it may be scorched and turning brown – this means it’s getting too much sun!

I would recommend moving the plant somewhere with more indirect light if you find that to be the case.

3. Pests

If you’ve noticed that your ligustrum is losing leaves and there are bugs crawling around, it might be that the plant has been attacked by pests.

The most common pest we see attacking ligustrums here is scale, which are small insects that suck juices from plants and cause them to turn brown.

If you catch this problem early on, I would recommend spraying your ligustrum with a pesticide specific to scale insects.

However, if the problem is more advanced and you have already lost leaves from damage, I would recommend removing those damaged areas immediately so that pests cannot continue feeding on the plant’s nutrients!

4. Temperature Fluctuations

Temperature fluctuations can also cause ligustrums to drop leaves. For example, if your plant is in a drafty area, it may lose some of its leaves due to cold drafts!

Ligustrum plants generally don’t like sudden temperature changes either, so make sure they are not exposed to extreme heat or cold for long periods of time.

I would recommend bringing your ligustrum indoors during cold winter nights if it’s not hardy enough to survive the frost.

And finally, make sure you are not exposing your plant to sudden temperature changes by moving it from a hot exterior location into an air-conditioned interior room!

Sunshine Ligustrum Plant Leaf Drop FAQ

With so much information, there is a chance that you’re still not sure what’s going on with your sunshine ligustrum. As such, I will now answer some commonly asked questions about this leaf drop.

Why is my sunshine ligustrum dropping leaves after repotting?

Your sunshine ligustrum is dropping leaves because it’s stressed. This stress can be from many causes, such as too much sun exposure, pests, and extreme temperature fluctuations. In this case, the repotting was too much stress.

Will grow lights stop my sunshine ligustrum from dropping leaves?

Yes, a grow light will prevent your ligustrum from dropping leave if the issue stems from lack of light. Sunshine ligustrums require a lot of direct sunlight, and if they aren’t getting enough sun exposure it can cause them to drop their leaves!

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many reasons your ligustrum may be dropping leaves, but the most common reason is usually due to lack of water. If you keep up with watering it regularly and have not given it too much direct sunlight or drafty conditions, then it’s likely that something else is going on!

I hope this blog post helped answer any questions you may have had about your sunshine ligustrum’s leaf drop.