GrowingHQ
Physiological disorderLeavesWhole plant

Transplant shock

Wilting, leaf drop or a stall in growth in the days after repotting, planting out or moving. Often not a problem at all but a normal adjustment, and the commonest mistake is to react to it by changing something else — which turns a recoverable check into a real decline.

What brings it on

Root disturbance during repotting or planting, moving a plant to a position with different light, planting out without hardening off, or root damage from digging nearby. Ficus and other plants that resent movement can drop leaves days or weeks after the change, which is why the cause is so often missed.

source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Transplanting

Checked 2026-08-13

Preventing it

Ordered by how much difference each measure actually makes, not by how often it is repeated.

  • Disturb the roots as little as possible, water thoroughly after moving, and harden plants off over one to two weeks before planting out. Repot in spring when the plant is growing and can recover quickly.
    source

    Sourced guidancehigh confidence

    • Royal Horticultural Society: Repotting

    Checked 2026-08-13

Dealing with it once it is there

  • Keep the conditions steady and wait. Water normally, shade from strong sun for a few days, and do not feed — feeding a plant with damaged roots adds stress rather than helping. Most plants recover within two to three weeks.
    source

    Sourced guidancehigh confidence

    • Royal Horticultural Society: Transplanting

    Checked 2026-08-13

Signs that lead here

Each of these lists the other things that produce the same sign, and how to tell them apart.

On sprays and treatments

GrowingHQ does not tell anyone what to apply, at what rate, or how often. Pesticide approvals differ by country, change without notice, and the product label is legally binding — it is also the document you are holding. What is described here is cultural and physical control, which is what a home grower can act on without a label in front of them.

Plant-specific guides

Where this is one of several causes that look alike on a particular plant, GrowingHQ publishes the differential rather than the general answer.