Seeking advice for (dying?) ficus

[jeflux]

Hi everyone,

I've had this ficus for little over two years and it has always been full of vigor and healthy leaves until I moved it inside for this winter. It almost immediately started to drop leaves and has done so for the past 3 weeks.
At first the leaves just dropped, but lately the leaves have gotten pale and curl up before turning yellow/brown and then drops.
It's under a grow light with pebble trays around it to raise the humidity, but that doesn't seem to help. The other ficuses I moved inside at the same time wasn't phased by the move, so I'm stumped.

No amount of Googling has made me any wiser so I'm throwing in the towel. Is this tree dying, can I save it?

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

It looks ok.. maybe overwatering. Let the soil dry out to a depth of 1" before you water. You look like you have it in very water retentive soil.

Otherwise just leave it. It may just be dropping leaves due to difference in light, temp, humidity, etc.

 

[jradics]

Make sure it isn't in front of a heater vent. The tree is grouchy because it doesn't get the humidity it had when it was outside. They almost always settle down and get used to the inside air

 

[TimIAm]

Is it a benjimina? Leaves kinda look like it, but hard to see from the photo, even more so with the curled up leaves.

We have mild weather here so I don't need to move trees inside, but I remember reading this about benjis on wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina

The leaves are very sensitive to small changes in light. When it is turned around or relocated, it reacts by dropping many of its leaves and replacing them with new leaves adapted to the new light intensity. The plant is also sensitive to changes in environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and relocation.

As mentioned, I don't have experience with this as my benji stays outside. Just thought about it when I saw your tree that maybe this is what's going on.

 

[jeflux]

It looks ok.. maybe overwatering. Let the soil dry out to a depth of 1" before you water. You look like you have it in very water retentive soil.

Otherwise just leave it. It may just be dropping leaves due to difference in light, temp, humidity, etc.

Make sure it isn't in front of a heater vent. The tree is grouchy because it doesn't get the humidity it had when it was outside. They almost always settle down and get used to the inside air

That's reassuring! I had it placed not too far from a radiator, but slowly moved it away and further into the room. I'll keep an eye out on the watering, I might have overdone it in fear of the tree being too dry...

Is it a benjimina? Leaves kinda look like it, but hard to see from the photo, even more so with the curled up leaves.

We have mild weather here so I don't need to move trees inside, but I remember reading this about benjis on wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina



As mentioned, I don't have experience with this as my benji stays outside. Just thought about it when I saw your tree that maybe this is what's going on.

I think it's a microcarpa, the seller listed it as an Indian Laurel. Attaching a picture from earlier this year!

I have a pair of benjis in my kitchen window and once the winter darkness rolled in (we don't get many sun hours in the winter in Sweden) they both dropped the majority of their leaves, as if on a schedule . It didn't last more than a couple of day though, which made me concerned for this tree since it was still dropping leaves at a steady pace.


Thanks for the advice, I feel like I can sleep a little better tonight knowing that the tree probably will pull through!

 

[SWfloirda]

I also do not need to bring mine in for the winter so I have no experience there. That looks like Ficus Microcarpa "tiger bark" to me. When the leaves fold up like that it could be thrips. If you pick one that is folded up the most and open it you should see very small almost worm looking bugs moving around. I usually pick off the leaves that are affected a few times a week until it clears up and if it doesn't clear up within a few weeks I use a systemic like Bayer but I doubt that's available where you are. The tree is definitely still healthy enough to not throw in the towel.

 

[ShadyStump]

Looks like f. macrocarpa tiger bark to me.
Our tree is probably just fine. Ficus are notorious for throwing their leaves off when conditions change suddenly, but then they grow them back if you're patient. Most of mine have done it to me this year, for the first time.
The tree just decided that the foliage it had was insufficient somehow for the new environment, so it got rid of them, and is replacing them with something it feels better about. It's actually a very ingenious survival mechanism. It won't be able to process water as efficiently until it has new leaves, so watch your watering for a little while or the roots could rot.

 

[jeflux]

I also do not need to bring mine in for the winter so I have no experience there. That looks like Ficus Microcarpa "tiger bark" to me. When the leaves fold up like that it could be thrips. If you pick one that is folded up the most and open it you should see very small almost worm looking bugs moving around. I usually pick off the leaves that are affected a few times a week until it clears up and if it doesn't clear up within a few weeks I use a systemic like Bayer but I doubt that's available where you are. The tree is definitely still healthy enough to not throw in the towel.

I see! I immediately checked the tree, but couldn't find any thrips (or other signs of them). It had some scale insects when I moved it inside though, but I haven't seen any since I removed the initial scales and sprayed the tree with a mix of diluted neem oil and soap

Looks like f. macrocarpa tiger bark to me.
Our tree is probably just fine. Ficus are notorious for throwing their leaves off when conditions change suddenly, but then they grow them back if you're patient. Most of mine have done it to me this year, for the first time.
The tree just decided that the foliage it had was insufficient somehow for the new environment, so it got rid of them, and is replacing them with something it feels better about. It's actually a very ingenious survival mechanism. It won't be able to process water as efficiently until it has new leaves, so watch your watering for a little while or the roots could rot.

That's super interesting, but at the same time frightening for new and overly protective plant parents like me, haha
I haven't fertilized the tree since I moved it inside, is that something I should do to help out the new growth, or is it more of a waiting game while trying to keep the soil the right amount of watered?

 

[jeflux]

My first reply had to wait for moderator approval, so the replies might be out of order

 

[ShadyStump]

I haven't fertilized the tree since I moved it inside, is that something I should do to help out the new growth, or is it more of a waiting game while trying to keep the soil the right amount of watered?

Never fertilize a sick tree. It may be somewhat normal for a tree to do this, but it's still stressed out. Just let it recover on its own.

 

[Paradox]

How often do you water this tree?
Take a wooden chopstick and put it in the soil and leave it there. Take it out once a day and look at it. Water the tree when it is almost dry but not totally dry. This will teach you when your tree needs water.

My tropicals need water every other day at the least sometimes every day while inside.

 

[Warlock]

They hate being moved

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

TBF don't mind being wet. Did you water before you took the pic? Looks like bugs to me.

 

[Paradox]

Curled up leaves usually is too dry/hasn't been watered enough

I have seen tiger bark get too wet and have funky leaves too which is why I asked about frequency of watering.

The spot indicated in the post above is hard to tell. It could be a water deposit from being watered overhead with a hose. It could also be scale. Looks like there could be more in a couple of other places but again hard to tell for sure from the picture. Scale does not cause curling leaves though.

 

[MeDupree]

Move it away from the other ficus. Just had a similar issue with two different pests (thrips and either spider mites or aphids) at once I believe started on my fiddle leaf fig. The leaves started curling, got spotty and a little sticky in places. I treated it by spraying the foliage sporadically with a mix of alcohol, water and a few drops of dish soap. Root rot is another possibility due to this being in indoor potting soil and maybe not adjusting your watering from when it was outside. I would do something now while u still have plenty of healthy tips on those branches but most of those leaves are probably falling off soon.

 

[jeflux]

How often do you water this tree?
Take a wooden chopstick and put it in the soil and leave it there. Take it out once a day and look at it. Water the tree when it is almost dry but not totally dry. This will teach you when your tree needs water.

My tropicals need water every other day at the least sometimes every day while inside.

I don't exactly remember, but I think it was every 2 or 3 days. I checked by poking a chopstick before watering, but couldn't really gauge the moisture from that. Will definitely use the method of leaving it in!

TBF don't mind being wet. Did you water before you took the pic? Looks like bugs to me.

Curled up leaves usually is too dry/hasn't been watered enough

I have seen tiger bark get too wet and have funky leaves too which is why I asked about frequency of watering.

The spot indicated in the post above is hard to tell. It could be a water deposit from being watered overhead with a hose. It could also be scale. Looks like there could be more in a couple of other places but again hard to tell for sure from the picture. Scale does not cause curling leaves though.

That's correct! I have misted it when I have had the time to try to help it with the moisture, so it had a few droplets when I took the picture.

Move it away from the other ficus. Just had a similar issue with two different pests (thrips and either spider mites or aphids) at once I believe started on my fiddle leaf fig. The leaves started curling, got spotty and a little sticky in places. I treated it by spraying the foliage sporadically with a mix of alcohol, water and a few drops of dish soap. Root rot is another possibility due to this being in indoor potting soil and maybe not adjusting your watering from when it was outside. I would do something now while u still have plenty of healthy tips on those branches but most of those leaves are probably falling off soon.

I checked the roots about 2 weeks ago: I got scared because all the blogs on the internet said it could be root rot, however the roots looked healthy and I didn't smell anything unusual. I did have some sticky spots when moving it inside, but I haven't seen any since I removed a couple of scale insects and gave it a spray. I'll move it away from the other plants, just in case! Is there anything else I should keep an eye out for?

 

[ShadyStump]

Just patience. Trees are tough organisms, so just give it time to do it's thing.