Golden Gate Bonsai Needs Help! 911!

[MR10]

Hello there,

I am writing because my golden gate bonsai (approximately three years old) is having a very tough time and I don't know what to do!

I'm attaching photos here. He is dropping leaves (rapidly) and I have not seen any new growth in the last few days.

I live in a very dry, humid environment. He stays inside, in a corner office with decent sunlight from two windows and a sky light.

Any suggestions on what I can do to help him thrive again?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Paradox]

First of all, it cant be dry and humid at the same time, those are opposites, which is it?

Where are you located? Even though the plant is inside this could be important info.
Has the heat recently been turned on in your building?

Which direction does that window face?

How often do you water? Do you let the soil dry out some or do you water everyday regardless?

Has the plant been moved to a new location recently?

This looks like a response to a change in environment. Ficus often freak out and drop their leaves in response to this. I just had my two do the same thing a few weeks ago when I moved them to their winter quarters inside. They are both doing fine and growing new leaves now.

Another thing: absolutley DO NOT fertilize this tree right now.

 

[MR10]

Paradox,

Thank you for the response!

My apologies for the confusion. I live in a high, dry environment. (You're right: dry and humid makes no sense. Definitely didn't mean that.) I am located in Denver, Colorado.

We have one large southwest facing window and one large southeast facing window. The skylight (above) is muted with a sun shade.

I water about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water most days, but check the soil first to make sure it isn't wet. I find that the soil is usually quite dry.

We recently moved a small deep freeze near the window by which the Bonsai usually sits, and around that time is when he started dropping leaves. Initially thinking maybe the HVAC current was too strong for him (sometimes it's A/C, sometimes it's heat), we moved him to a conference table in an area of the room that is farther away from the air vents. He really didn't like that (possibly because it's too far away from both windows?)

So, we moved him to an area of the room where he has better light. He stayed there for a few days (almost a week, maybe) but that's when he really started looking brown and dry.

Can moving the plant around be stressful for it?

One thing I have noticed is that on the weekend, and possibly at night, the temperature in the office gets dramatically warmer. My office thermostat is externally controlled, so I can't keep the temperature in the room constant. If the change in temps is what's stressing him, I would be willing to take him to my house and see if he might be happier in that environment.

Thoughts?

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Try to gets this plant as much light as possible not to close to a window.
Think tropical 70 degrees and sunny.
Make sure the soil is free draining and has not compacted.
My office plants sit high on top of the cabinet right under the t-8 lighting and grow well in the winter.

 

[Paradox]

Yes, ficus can get stressed if their environment changes and one response (the most typical) is to drop leaves.
Moving to the conference room table and reduced lighting could have done it.

Change of temperature, change of light conditions, too much water, too little water all. All these things can stress a plant.

The good news is, they can bounce back easily if given the proper conditions. Find a good place for it and keep it there.
It may take a few weeks so be patient, dont panic and dont overwater/underwater or fiddle with it too much.

 

[skrit]

Just like Paradox, mine did the exact same thing when I moved it inside from its summer place on my deck. After about 2 weeks it had all its leaves back, so don't worry too much, don't fertilize, and keep up your sensible 'check first' watering schedule, and everything should be back to normal soon. Oh, and try to keep him out of direct HVAC currents if possible!

It may seem strange, but some people seem to report that some plants will respond negatively just to being moved just a few feet away from where they're used to. I'm new to the world of bonsai and at first it seemed strange to me that a tree might be able to notice and respond to something as simple as moving it. After thinking more and realizing that (1) most plants put down roots in the ground and never move again and (2) plants can sense lots of things around them and respond to changes in day length, temperature, humidity and other seasonal changes, it made more sense.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Another thing to remember is...when they have less foliage they do not need as much water that was previously given.

 

[MR10]

Thank you so much for the responses!

 

[James H]

I am moving to Denver soon and really hope that my ficus will do ok with the move. I will be looking at getting some humidity trays for my trees as the moved from humid fort worth the dry Denver air will be a shock for them. You might hit up the Bonsai Nursery on federal and get a humidity tray for your tree and see if that helps it out.

 

[Smoke]

Have you thought about asking Him what he needs?

 

[Skinnygoomba]

Just some thoughts, when I first moved my tropicals indoors I was attempting to meter the water to the point where it just dampened the soil.

I ditched that quickly and just move them to the sink, water like I do when they are outside, let the pot drip then put them back on their drip tray and back to the same position. I rotate them slowly so that they get sun all over.

I've been using organic fertilizer that is not toxic to humans rather than chemical.