Ficus Leaves Turning Brown, Falling Off

[ShadowScythes]

So, I have a Ficus...Ginseng I believe? (I'm not 100% sure it's that exact species but I know it's a Ficus) that I've owned since around summer of 2022, and it's made it fine through one winter so far (it's an indoor plant) but all of a sudden this time around it's started having its leaves turn brown and dropping off, I have no idea what the cause is. I've not been fertilizing it since the start of the winter as I read they shouldn't be fertilized during this time, but prior to that I've been giving it some liquid tropical plant fertilizer dissolved in water every 2-3 weeks almost since I've had it. For watering, I've tried to water it decently when the soil starts getting dry and a couple times it's gotten a little drier than I'd like but I would always give it a good watering again when I realized, and so far it's been fine. I haven't changed the soil or the pot yet, it's still in the one that it came in (I plan to re-pot it for the first time this spring). As for temperature and humidity, I live in Canada so it's pretty cold around here right now, and as I keep the door to my room shut (blame the cats lol) my room is a bit colder than the rest of the house which is kept at around 23 degrees Celsius, though I think this still falls under the reasonable range for an indoor Ficus to be kept at. Humidity might be a little low as it's winter, and I haven't kept it on a wet pebble tray since fall. Lighting-wise, I have it a few feet from an east-facing window (see pictures for the exact positioning). Another thing to note might be that the back set of branches lost their leaves some time ago but never re-grew them and have been barren ever since, however the one long branch that's appeared since I bought it continues to slowly produce new leaves. Apologies for such a chunky paragraph lol, I wanted to provide as many details as possible but I just want to figure out what could be causing the leaf droppage and what I might try to fix it. Thanks in advance to anyone who offers suggestions.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Does the pot have a drain hole on the bottom? Looks like it could be overwatered, but in the lower winter temperatures, & low winter light ficus will drop leaves. Have you checked it for pests?

 

[ShadyStump]

I'll get the required, "bad plant person," stuff out of the way here.
Trees do better outside, always.
Gensing ficus are to bonsai what hatchback Hondas are to custom car shows: no, that's not what we're about, but there's always someone so I guess we'll take it.
Fertilize when the tree needs it, regardless of the calendar, but don't fertilize when it's sick.

Now we can get on to healing trees.
It's only recently started this, or has it been dropping leaves all winter? I guess better yet, when did it start?
It's very common for tropicals to drop leaves when there's an abrupt change in conditions, so has anything changed abruptly recently? 23C should be just fine otherwise.
Also, does that poor thing look pot bound. That alone could be it.

 

[19Mateo83]

It looks like a root issue. It looks like it is in nursery soil that has stayed too wet ( no drain hole?) If the soil has stayed wet than more than likely the roots have started to rot. Is the bottom part circled soft to the touch?

 

[ShadowScythes]

It looks like a root issue. It looks like it is in nursery soil that has stayed too wet ( no drain hole?) If the soil has stayed wet than more than likely the roots have started to rot. Is the bottom part circled soft to the touch?
View attachment 529634

Yeah you're right it is still in the soil and pot that it came in, which has no drainage hole. The soil has been drying out a bit sometimes cause I try not to overwater it but there have been times where it stayed wet for a while and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a root problem. The area you've circled doesn't feel that soft, maybe a tiny bit of give compared to the upper areas but nothing super noticeable.

 

[ShadowScythes]

I'll get the required, "bad plant person," stuff out of the way here.
Trees do better outside, always.
Gensing ficus are to bonsai what hatchback Hondas are to custom car shows: no, that's not what we're about, but there's always someone so I guess we'll take it.
Fertilize when the tree needs it, regardless of the calendar, but don't fertilize when it's sick.

Now we can get on to healing trees.
It's only recently started this, or has it been dropping leaves all winter? I guess better yet, when did it start?
It's very common for tropicals to drop leaves when there's an abrupt change in conditions, so has anything changed abruptly recently? 23C should be just fine otherwise.
Also, does that poor thing look pot bound. That alone could be it.

The leaf dropping from what I can remember only seems to have started maybe a month ago or less, definitely not all winter. I don't think anything has changed much temperature-wise as my bedroom always gets colder at night, but as you and others have said I could definitely see the small pot and the roots being an issue as it's been 2 years since I've gotten it and I'm pretty sure it's in need of a repotting with better soil and a better pot. I'm waiting until spring for that though since I imagine doing it mid-winter isn't the greatest idea.

 

[ShadyStump]

Ficus you repot and work in summer generally, while they're actively growing. That said, if it's gone south this quickly, you might not have time.
If your plan is to just get it into a bigger better pot, I think you can do that. No root cutting this go, just out of the old, loosen the roots a little, and into the new.

 

[Carol 83]

That really looks like the tuberous roots are rotting to me. Unless you are really enamored by them, I would cut back the rotted part. Plant into a bigger pot with substrate that drained better and maybe bag it.

 

[19Mateo83]

What the flower girl said.