Why does flower fall off?

There are a few different reasons why your plant's flowers may start to fall off - sometimes this is totally normal and other times it may be a sign of a wider problem.

Symptoms

Common causes

If you're unsure of which particular problem may be causing this symptom in your plant, you should take a look at its overall health and see if it's showing any additional symptoms. For example, if the cause is overwatering, it's likely that the soil will seem overly wet, the foliage may be yellow and drooping and, in particularly bad cases, the roots may have started to go soft and mushy - this is a sign of root rot.

However, there are other factors that may cause flowers to drop prematurely. These include: if your plant has been exposed to a cold draft or recently moved (some plants are more sensitive to this than others).

On the other hand, shriveled up leaves and excessively dry soil may be a sign that your plant isn't getting enough water, and so this may be why your plant has lost its flowers.

If your plant seems healthy and happy in general the flowers might just be at the end of their life cycle.

What to think about

One of the most popular flowering houseplants is the moth orchid. Orchids have natural pauses in between flowering and will lose all their flowers once spent. Sometimes they may not flower again for a long time, even though the plant is still healthy and happy! Don't worry too much when your orchid's flowers begin to drop. Note that some other types of plants also take a break in flowering so be sure to check if the plant you have is one of these.