I dont understand what's wrong. Second pic is how it looked like 1.5 years ago.
I had trhips half a year ago, that might have impacted this. But theyre gone now. However the leaves are still dropping.
Now I have repotted it recently, got it a grow light. Water it once the soil gets dry. The room is on southeast side so it gets decent light when its not winter.
Please help I feel miserable because of this.
by batspaz
11 Comments
What type of tree is this? And was it root bound in its previous pot? Repotting causes stress, so it’s best not to repot a plant that’s already struggling. Also, that grow light is pretty tiny and looks like it’s only providing light to a small portion of the tree.
This looks like a ficus. Some suggestions:
It’s difficult to tell from the photo but the soil does not look great. I would repot to a bigger pot with fresh, good quality general purpose soil. A rule of thumb: your canopy width should not be over 2x the diameter of the pot. Get a larger pot.
Since the plant is sitting on a wheeled base, be advised: ficus do not like to be moved or they will shed their leaves. Make sure you are not moving the pot.
Some shedding is normal in winter. As spring arrives and the growing season starts, be on the lookout for new growth. If you do repot, you could prune the plant now, say by 1/3 before growth starts. Pruning will help the plant focus its energy better on growth. 2 weeks after repotting you can add some fertilizer as well.
Final point concerning lighting. Ficus like bright light though they tolerate half shade. If your plant continues to struggle despite all of the above, I would look into your lighting situation. Perhaps your grow light is not sufficient.
Looks like they put four trees close together to make the pot look “full”. Ficuses don’t like to be too crowded, they’ll compete for water and nutrients and try to grow away from each other. If it’s possible to separate them I would do that, but they’ll most likely drop all their leaves after the repotting. Ficuses hate any change in their environment and respond by dropping all leaves. The leaves grow back when the tree has settled in though
Light looks like a cheap amazon bulb. I used to have these until i realized they do nothing. If it’s stuck indoors, get a cheap Sansi brand bulb. Hang it high so all the leaves can get some light. The higher power ones are like 40$
Blurple grow lights are notoriously the Snake Oil of the plant world. You would do better to just let it have the natural light in front of the window.
Have you ever fertilized? Mobile nutrient deficiency presents as leaves yellowing from the base of the plant, upwards. NPK are all mobile nutrients, so a general 1-1-1 or equivalent type fertilizer may be helpful
I have a similar looking plant (Chinese Banyan aka Ficus Microcarpa,) that I keep near my south facing window. It’s really benefited from micro fertilization. All my plants have. Maybe it just needs a little nutrients during the colder season.
Kitty might be pissing in the pot. Smell the soil.
Kind reminder that this is a whole ass tree that was put in a pot and stuck in a dark corner. It was doomed from the start.
Trees need so much light, it is genuinely difficult to support them with grow lights, let alone through glass windows where any amount of UV gets filtered out.
As well as ample light, they need a fuckton of nutrients, usually provided through Mother Nature – in a pot indoors, you must fertilize regularly.
If you want to grow something, I highly recommend a smaller tropical plant that you get accustomed to caring for before jumping to being an arborist
Ficus trees love a lot of light – I would put it in front of the window instead of in a corner. That grow light looks way too small for that size of a tree
They’re also sensitive to temperature changes (and environmental changes in general)- mine always drops a couple of leaves every time the seasons change.
Make sure the soil is well-draining. I usually like to mix some orchid bark or coco chips and perlite with a standard houseplant mix.
Also, I’ve noticed ficus trees LOVE fertilizer. I use an organic fertilizer, and use it every time I water (approx 1x/week).
I’m not sure it’s a ficus, but I know ficus hate cold breezes and light changes except the varietal I got 25 years ago, which isn’t like any I’ve ever had. It simply doesn’t care about light or water or air changes!
At any rate, the leaves of Benjaminas usually didn’t get wider at the top, so you need to identify it for certain.
If it’s in a self watering pot, you probably need to swap it out. It’s better to **water until it flows out** less often, rather than give it limited water more often.
You can’t do that in a drainless self watering pot.
yeah that grow light isn’t doing anything