diff --git a/pkg/controllers/management/node/controller.go b/pkg/controllers/management/node/controller.go
index 9a8c64473b0e16434282252803c743eca11447f4..72126a1b33d116cc4a149924f626739e30bfd8f4 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/management/node/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/management/node/controller.go
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@
 	userNodeRemoveCleanupAnnotationOld = "nodes.management.cattle.io/user-node-remove-cleanup"
 	userNodeRemoveFinalizerPrefix      = "clusterscoped.controller.cattle.io/user-node-remove_"
 	userNodeRemoveAnnotationPrefix     = "lifecycle.cattle.io/create.user-node-remove_"
-	userScaledownAnnotation            = "nodes.management.cattle.io/scaledown"
 )
 
 // aliases maps Schema field => driver field
@@ -290,16 +289,6 @@ func (m *Lifecycle) Remove(obj *v3.Node) (runtime.Object, error) {
 	return m.deleteV1Node(newObj.(*v3.Node))
 }
 
-func (m *Lifecycle) enqueueNodePool(obj *v3.Node) {
-	logrus.Debugf("[node-controller] enqueing node pool %s", obj.Spec.NodePoolName)
-	pool, err := m.getNodePool(obj.Spec.NodePoolName)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Errorf("[node-controller] enqueue nodepool error %s: %s", obj.Spec.NodePoolName, err)
-		return
-	}
-	m.nodePoolController.Enqueue(pool.Namespace, pool.Name)
-}
-
 func (m *Lifecycle) provision(driverConfig, nodeDir string, obj *v3.Node) (*v3.Node, error) {
 	configRawMap := map[string]interface{}{}
 	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(driverConfig), &configRawMap); err != nil {
@@ -492,9 +481,6 @@ func (m *Lifecycle) ready(obj *v3.Node) (*v3.Node, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	// if the node provision failed let the pool schedule it for delete
-	defer m.enqueueNodePool(obj)
-
 	// Provision in the background so we can poll and save the config
 	done := make(chan error)
 	go func() {
@@ -524,35 +510,6 @@ func (m *Lifecycle) ready(obj *v3.Node) (*v3.Node, error) {
 	return obj, err
 }
 
-func (m *Lifecycle) scaledown(obj *v3.Node) (runtime.Object, error) {
-	logrus.Debugf("[node] checking when to scaledown node %s", obj.Name)
-	scaledown, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, obj.Spec.ScaledownTime)
-	if err != nil {
-		return obj, fmt.Errorf("[node] failed to parse scaledown time, is it in RFC3339? %s", obj.Spec.ScaledownTime)
-	}
-
-	// time to scaledown, send to nodepool to delete the node
-	pool, err := m.getNodePool(obj.Spec.NodePoolName)
-	if err != nil {
-		if kerror.IsNotFound(err) {
-			return obj, nil
-		}
-		return obj, err
-	}
-
-	if scaledown.Before(time.Now()) {
-		logrus.Debugf("[node] enqueing nodepool %s for scaledown immediately", pool.Name)
-		m.nodePoolController.Enqueue(pool.Namespace, pool.Name)
-	} else if after := scaledown.Sub(time.Now()); after > 0 {
-		logrus.Debugf("[node] enqueing nodepool %s for scaledown in %s", pool.Name, after)
-		m.nodePoolController.EnqueueAfter(pool.Namespace, pool.Name, after+(5*time.Second))
-	}
-
-	copy := obj.DeepCopy()
-	copy.Annotations[userScaledownAnnotation] = "true"
-	return m.nodeClient.Update(copy)
-}
-
 func (m *Lifecycle) sync(key string, obj *v3.Node) (runtime.Object, error) {
 	if obj == nil || obj.DeletionTimestamp != nil {
 		return nil, nil
@@ -567,12 +524,6 @@ func (m *Lifecycle) sync(key string, obj *v3.Node) (runtime.Object, error) {
 }
 
 func (m *Lifecycle) Updated(obj *v3.Node) (runtime.Object, error) {
-	if obj.Spec.ScaledownTime != "" {
-		if scaledownAnnotation, ok := obj.Annotations[userScaledownAnnotation]; !ok || scaledownAnnotation != "true" {
-			return m.scaledown(obj)
-		}
-	}
-
 	newObj, err := v32.NodeConditionProvisioned.Once(obj, func() (runtime.Object, error) {
 		if obj.Status.NodeTemplateSpec == nil {
 			m.setWaiting(obj)
diff --git a/pkg/controllers/management/nodepool/nodepool.go b/pkg/controllers/management/nodepool/nodepool.go
index 8ec08cd16374254d29c8bce76097f5373d08a8e6..200489b80915cd76eeeb1a731acb28d5411fb214 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/management/nodepool/nodepool.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/management/nodepool/nodepool.go
@@ -353,6 +353,8 @@ func (c *Controller) createOrCheckNodes(nodePool *v3.NodePool, allNodes []*v3.No
 		}
 
 		if node.Spec.ScaledownTime != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("[nodepool] scaledown time detected for %s: %s and now it is %s",
+				node.Name, node.Spec.ScaledownTime, time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339))
 			scaledown, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, node.Spec.ScaledownTime)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Errorf("[nodepool] failed to parse scaledown time, is it in RFC3339? %s: %s", node.Spec.ScaledownTime, err)
@@ -368,6 +370,9 @@ func (c *Controller) createOrCheckNodes(nodePool *v3.NodePool, allNodes []*v3.No
 					quantity--
 					continue
 				}
+
+				// scaledown happening in the future, enqueue after to check again later
+				c.NodePoolController.EnqueueAfter(nodePool.Namespace, nodePool.Name, scaledown.Sub(time.Now()))
 			}
 		}