I brought in my MOO Jasmine a month ago and it finished it's flowering, but the leaves started drying and falling off. This happens every year (it's a 16 year old plant) but I'm not sure why.
Maid of Orleans jasminium sambac leaves falling
Your MOO is a tropical plant from the Philippines, so if you've had it for 16 years and it loses it's foliage in the winter when you bring it inside, it's just reacting to Canadian winters and lack of humidity. Since you've been able to keep it for this long you're obviously doing something right !
Where leaf petioles (stems) are attached to the branch, there is what is referred to as an abscission zone. Within that zone an abscission layer forms, which cuts off water and nutrients to the leaf and serves as the point from which the leaf separates from the branch. There are several things that can cause trigger the abscission layer to form, but they all result in a reduction in the flow of a growth regulator (auxin), which is necessary to keep the abscission layer from forming. In your case, it's almost surely a reduction in light levels from outdoors to indoors. This can significantly reduce the amount of auxin produced, causing the abscission layer to form. Drought stress and root congestion can also contribute to the issue.
Al
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