Why is my new plant dropping leaves a week after delivery?

Usually acclimatisation. A plant moved from a bright, humid nursery to an air-conditioned apartment sheds a few older leaves while it adjusts to lower light and drier air; this settles within two to three weeks. It is a problem only if many leaves drop at once, stems go soft, or the soil smells sour, which points to overwatering.

Last reviewed 14 Sept 2026 by Uzman Haider, Head of Horticulture · Written for UAE homes

Plants grow leaves suited to the light they have. When the light drops, the plant lets go of the leaves it can no longer support and grows new ones adapted to the room. Lower, older leaves go first. Ficus species, including fiddle leaf fig, are especially dramatic about it.

Help it settle: put it in the brightest indirect light you have, keep it out of AC airflow, and do not water until the top 2–3cm of soil is dry. Resist fertilising and repotting for the first month. Wipe dust from the leaves so they can use the light they get.

Warning signs that are not acclimatisation: mushy, blackening stems near the soil (root rot from overwatering), sticky residue or webbing under leaves (pests), or a plant that arrived visibly damaged. For damage on arrival, send us a photo on WhatsApp within 24 hours and the alive-on-arrival guarantee covers a free replacement. If it is simply not recovering inside its first 14 days and you followed the care card, the 14-day settle-in promise covers one free replacement.

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