We adopted this ficus from the street (it was thrown out with trash) about two years ago. For a year and a half it stayed green, watered every one to two weeks by my wife. Then I started ‘helping’ water (I meant well), and it started to lose leaves in batches.
A few leaves would turn yellow, then drop off, then it would stabilize for a while. After a couple months of this I looked into it and decided my too-frequent watering had created a vicious cycle that, combined with inadequate light, was causing the plant to die off. So I installed much stronger indirect lighting on a timer. I also stopped ‘helping’ water it, and it’s getting water from my wife every two weeks or so the past few months. For a while the ficus seemed to bounce back; it developed new leaf-shoots for the first time ever and I thought I had saved it.
Then it suddenly started losing leaves again, faster and faster. The new leaf shoots seem to have stopped growing and turned brown at the tips. I feel terrible about this, and I really hope there’s something I can still do before it’s gone. Can anyone help?
by JamesGawley
3 Comments
Have you checked the roots? It might be time for a repot.
I have this ficus, I think it’s the exact same variety. I’ll post a photo. Mine was ID’d on one of these subs as a ficus microcarpa. I know you’re not asking for an identification, but it helps when researching growth and care.
Any who, mine thrives living next to a SE facing window. But, all of the windows in this room are somewhat shaded by outdoor trees. I’ve had this plant for over ten years and it was small when I first brought it home. I got it at IKEA and it was just labeled “bonsai”.
For the first half of its life I kept it next to a very bright window. It didn’t die, but also didn’t thrive. It would grow new leaves, but also dropped leaves constantly. When I bought my house, it started to grow like crazy in the light it gets now. They don’t like it too bright, your grow light may be too strong.
For water, I let it dry out a lot. And, it’s not a thirsty plant, it takes weeks before it dries out enough to need water again. But, that could also be because it doesn’t get bright light. Either way, they don’t like to be kept moist.
For yours, since it’s sort of flip flopping on healthy to suffering, I’d repot and check the roots. There’s a chance you may have caused some root rot with the excessive water. Root rot isn’t instant a lot of times, but it does spread if not fixed and will eventually kill your plant. Take it out of the pot, see if there’s any mushy, smelly roots, cut that part out and repot in fresh potting mix. Try not to mess with the roots as much as possible. And, if you’re potting it back in the same pot, clean that pot first. Rot is fungal, so you need to make sure the fungus isn’t still in your pot or it can reinfect your plant.
After that, give it time. It’s going to go into some shock if you had to cut some of the roots out. The less you need to mess with the roots, the better. But, in my experience, these are pretty hardy plants. Put it back in the spot where it was happy for two years, don’t overwater it, and just be patient. Good luck OP, I hope it bounces back quickly for you:)
https://preview.redd.it/lvmdenls5syg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5ff6160c3acd6d4c349cb21583b0ef0fe98e170
Would never let another man save my wife’s ficus