i have a problem with my old ficus. Since 1-2 months all the leaves are hanging down and more and more leaves make the same transformation. They start with getting some light yellow spots which are getting more and more brown till the leaf drops. (see below)
First of all i thought false watering is the issue but i already tried watering less and more for a few weeks. No change at all. Do you think it could be something root related? The tree stands in pure akadama for 1.5 years already. It did good (not perfect) in this time but now it is really on a downward spiral. It’s a really old ficus (30+ years) and i don’t want to lose it. Do you think it wouldn’t be a problem to repot it after that short time and during this time if i repot it indoor or should i try to wait till spring?
Other issues like bugs or mites i can clearly exclude because i can’t find anything on the whole tree.
Sorry to hear about your old ficus, never nice when your tree is in trouble. I live in Australia in the sub tropic, where ficus grow naturally everywhere, but I am certainly not an expert.
I guess your ficus is inside for the German winter now, correct? Are you using the same place (temperature, light,…) in your house as you have done in the past?
I find dangerous to put a ficus in 100% akadama, especially in Germany. In Australia (Brisbane), I use scoria/pumice/zeolite, so not too much water retention, as ficus prefer to be drier than wetter. How often do you water, especially now in winter?
Have you lifted the tree off the pot and checked the roots health?
I have more questions than answers, but maybe one will lead you to the path of recovery, and hopefully someone else with more experience will be able to help you better.
Good luck,
Pierre-Antoine
Lots of questions to ask, but it just looks like a change in the amount of sun light. You move a ficus from one window to another and leaves will drop. It’s very sensitive to a change in placement. Water less and wait till spring.
Thanks for your comments. @Pierre-Antoine you’re correct, the tree is inside at the moment on a southside window. Temperature and everything is the same like every year. I started to put up my plant light 3 days ago and it seems like more light makes it a little bit better for the tree.
To use 100% akadame was definitely not the best idea and i will repot it again in spring. That’s for sure.
At the moment i water the tree every 3 days with a indoor temperature 22-24°C and a dry air due to the heating in the house. Unfortunately the tree is bond to the pot so i can not really lift it and check the roots.
My plan at the moment is to get the tree more or less healthy into the spring and then do the repotting i just hope it can hold up so long or does anyone have any experiences with repotting ficus during winter? Due to the fact that it is a subtropical plant and it is kept inside i thought there shouldn’t be so much difference between repotting in the spring or during any other time.
I have absolutely no idea how being indoor impact repotting timing for a tree. I would suggest it would most likely be ok with a healthy tree, but a tree struggling a little might be risking it...?
How about misting it once or twice a day, ficus love humidity (not to be mistaken with wet feet…! ).
Good luck, and please keep us posted!
Pierre-Antoine
I bought a meter for water measuring and i was pretty surprised because it said that the soil is dry every 2-3 days. So now i water more often and the tree is getting better. This surprises me a lot because it is in pure akadama and i wouldn’t have thought that it dries out this fast but as long as it gets better now i am happy.
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