Ficus Retusa excessive leaf dropping

14 years ago

hi all ;)

am knew to the forum so please be gentle! am hoping i can get some help regarding a ficus retusa which i have recently been given as a gift - 2.5 feet in height.

the plant sits in a warm well lit (10) hours of natural light /day and is watered from the top when dry as its too heavy to move easily.

I check water level by inserting chopstick 1 inch into soil for about 5 mins to see if wet / dry.

The soil hasnt been changed from when it was bought (IKEA) although a top layer of bonsai general purpose was added.

plenty of new buds are forming and no sign of disease / infection / parasites that i can tell (no expert here so please dont rule this out!)

however it has been dropping huge amounts of leaves every day, some seem dessicated others are still vivid dark green, and every shade in-between. 50-100 leaves per day.

am at a loss to think what i am doing wrong as i cant believe that this is normal for a healthy retusa.

have also noticed a sandy yellow substance in the soil - not sure what this is....

any help / advice would be greatly appreicated as am hoping to keep this plant for very very long time indeed :)

many thanks

AKS

PS - will try and take a picture and link here in a day or so.

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Comments (8)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years ago
Have you lifted the plant & checked for root mealies? How long have you had the plant (trying to get a handle on what 'recently' is). A better description of the yellow substance in the soil, please? Any sticky substance on leaves or the pot? How long since the last repot? How deep is the pot it's in, and how root-bound does it seem - roots crawling over the surface of the soil?

Gentle enough so far?

I know this plant well, so I don't need a picture (though it might be helpful to others who might wish to help), but a good picture of the soil condition (yellow substance) would be helpful.

Al
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aksnc30
Original Author
14 years ago
hi tapla and thank you for your post :)

i havent repotted yet or checked for root mealies. have had the plant 2 months and wanted it to get more accustomed to the new environment before going down that path - this may be an error.....?

the pot is oval, 18 inches wide, 12 inches across and 4.5 inches deep.

i have noticed a sticky yellow substance on the edge of the pot when the soil dries - its almost like wax.
the yellow substance in the soil is more granulated but the same colour, a golden yellow like sand at the beach.

i have been pretty gentle with the plant thus far, but it has nw reached the stage that even if i just touch some green leaves they drop off occassionally for no reason.

no roots showing at the surface of the pot thus far...

hope this info will help and thank you for any advice you may have.

still trying to find a camera charger so i can post a pic - will try to do so this evening!

Many Thanks

AKS
0
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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It sounds like it's in a bonsai pot & is likely wired into the pot. Don't fret about cutting and removing the wires and lifting the plant to inspect roots. The wires are only to prevent the plant from toppling until it's established firmly in the pot. Roots should be tan/white and succulent. If some are dark and stringy, they need to be removed & you need to cut back on watering. Look for the mealies while the plant is out of the pot. You may as well learn how to tend to the plant now (if you don't already know), because it will require similar active maintenance to maintain vitality for as long as it's viable.

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aksnc30
Original Author
14 years ago
picture as promised

Here is a link that might be useful:
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years ago
Mmhmm - It looks like the tree has been treated with a soil systemic like Marathon (or other). I wouldn't worry about the yellow material.

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I would get the tree outdoors into full sun as soon as temps allow (nights consistently above 50-55*) and let the tree gain some strength before bare-rooting & repotting into a more appropriate and coarser soil.

{{gwi:5648}}

If you discover it to be afflicted by scale, you'll need to concentrate on getting that under control, too.

Good luck.

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aksnc30
Original Author
14 years ago
thank you all for the info and advice!

unfortunately sticking the ficus outside is a death sentence here in the UK :) i will find it a direct sunlight window for about a month before repotting in better soil and see how that does...

is there a website you can recommend that shows images of various parasites / fungi / diseases for ficus that i could look at? particularly scale infection....

many thanks

AKS
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years ago
A friend of mine maintains a website that's pretty much devoted to rearing tropicals in containers (bonsai) with a VERY strong emphasis on Ficus. You can visit his website by clicking on this link. He has lots of information there & a forum you can participate in if you can't find answers to your specific questions.

I have about 50 plants, some very old, covering 10 different species of Ficus in various stages of development as bonsai, with retusa well-represented among the plants, so I should be able to answer most of your questions if you'd like to use me as a resource, but Jerry IS more knowledgeable than I, and a great teacher if you can get his attention. He's a busy guy. ;o)

Al
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aksnc30
Original Author
14 years ago
think i have for now sorted this one for now - seems to have been a simple case of underwatering.

noticed all the leaves that dropped were wilted or fresh and green and were primarily from the top 1/4 of the plant.

seems the water i was giving it was not reaching the bottom roots hence the leaf droppage from the top.

have been giving it more water and the leaf droppage has virtually stopped...

...that my theory anyway! :) lol
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Ficus Retusa excessive leaf dropping

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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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Ficus Retusa excessive leaf dropping

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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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