Will Ficus Benjamina recover after repotting?
Hi,
I was given this 6 ft Ficus Benjamina about 3 years ago having been a slightly neglected office plant previously. It came to me in a much smaller pot (not shown) in which it has stayed since I received it. Each year since I received it, it objected to my heating in winter and dropped most of its leaves, only to fully recover in springtime. This winter has been the first time it hasn't dropped any leaves as I seem to have found a spot for it in the house where the temperature doesn't vary dramatically through the year. Instead, in late Spring I noticed that the pot it was in was starting to shatter along a line as if a big root was pushing outwards, and the leaves of the tallest/thickest part of the tree started to droop and die. I had been expecting regrowth in the Spring this year but it never came, except for a lovely patch at the bottom of the plant which is thriving.
Anyway, I decided it was overdue a repot and so repotted it about 3 days ago in a larger pot, gave it nice new soil and a big long drink. Since then, the leaves show no sign of recovery and the soil no sign of drying out. The water has not been sucked up from the saucer either.
I'm worried that the plant is so traumatised that it's just not recovering. I realise Spring is the recommended time for repotting, but the situation seemed so dire, I thought I'd better get it moved asap rather than wait a year.
So any hope that the plant will recover would be much appreciated, as would pointers about how to better care for it in case you can see any obvious errors on my part.
Thank you for your time!
Comments (8)
ediblelandscaping.sc
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Pruning ficus b. after July 9 Repotting. Pic Heavy!
Comments (7)Randy I have very similar tree, even lopsided like yours. The tree was getting too tall to keep inside, but luckily was not infested. I was looking for info how to prune it & that is how I found this forum. I have followed Al's recommendations to a letter (and I have never even read about root pruning/proper repotting): 1. 'inspection' of roots/flushing thoroughly/proper watering & fertilizing - all few months ahead of proper repotting; 2. then at proper time (July), root pruning (the root ball was a mess)-repotting into brand new soil mix (5-1-1); 3. continue proper watering/fertilizing as recommended 4. pruning branches approx. month later I am very satisfied with results, the tree looks much better and has lots of new leaves growing. An it is few inches shorter (more pruning next year). It took some effort, but if you really want your plant to grow well, it is worth it. I am following similar routine with all my potted plants - it will take some time since I have 'few', but by same time next year all of them will be in new soil mix, root pruned/repotted/branches pruned and I am sure growing much healtier. The info you'll find on this forum is very helpful. Al has many extremely informative threads, and I have save them for reference. Much easier for me to get infor-he does all the hard work of writing it all... Many other members have very good posts and photos too - sorry I can't think of all the names right now. Good luck with your tree. Rina...See MoreNeed Help w/ Ficus Benjamina that had Dead Middle Branches
Comments (7)Sounds good. I'm glad the thread I started helped you. Al (Tapla), has incredible knowledge about these trees any many others. If you read thoroughly through that thread where he was offering me advice, you should definitely get a feel for pruning. In the right conditions, these trees grow insanely fast! chop it back a bit and stick it outside in direct sunlight when the weather warms up again next year. Leave it there all summer. You may notice leaves turn white and fall off, but when the new growth comes out, it'll be thicker and fuller than ever. You could have a great looking tree by the end of next summer! when in direct sunlight, you will need to water more often. repot in June and use 5 parts pine bark mulch, 1 part peat and 1 part perlite. Al's gritty mix is also a great option, or so I've read from many. You may need to prune some roots too. Since you've had that tree 9 years, the root system has to be hindering its ability to grow and take up nutrients as the roots are probably all strangling each other at this point. just make sure you don't over water it right now. You could also elevate the pot and add some wicks to help remove some of the perched water in the soil. I've done that and it works wonders. Do you water in sips, or do you water till it starts coming out the drain hole at the bottom? The skewer method works pretty well. Stick it in, it it comes out with dirt sticking to it, the soil is still wet. If it comes out clean / with very little soil sticking to it, it's time to water....See MoreFicus Benjamina Rejuvination
Comments (32)I only see the picture you posted on 8/18, that shows a plant rising vertically from the soil. I'm talking about making the tree lean in the pot at a 30-45* angle so the heavy branches appear pendulous. The tree is begging for that to occur. ;-) The ballast wouldn't be used primarily as a counterweight, though you might need it to serve dual duty as such. I was talking about using ballast to reduce the amount of soil in the part of the pot that holds perched water, since you're concerned about soil saturation. Note how ballast reduces the volume of PW a pot can hold by observing D in the first image and the far right pot with the ballast in the lower image. Can you see that by NEARLY filling the bottom of the pot with ballast you can reduce the amount of soil capable of holding PW to nearly nil? Al...See MoreFicus repot soil mistake: still wet after 1 week
Comments (1)Moisture control is about the worst soil you could use. I'd mix pine bark, perlite and some of the fafard mix. Try to mimic the 5:1:1 if your bark is capible. Where in the world are you located? if you can't do anything, put it back in the pot it was in. Ficus benjamina are very easy to care for. However, a constantly wet soil will likely kill them over time. what are the light conditions? Looks to not be near a window. These want bright, even direct sun coming through a window. You want it right up in front of the glass. Lastly, this is the edible fig section....See Moreediblelandscaping.sc
10 years agotreegemma
10 years agoediblelandscaping.sc
10 years agotreegemma
10 years agoJust a little update to my new stumpy tree. There was no improvement after a week so I gave it the chop. The trunk is not especially white or wet inside - more like the bark colour and a little damp (and ofcourse pungent smelling) but hopefully that's normal. Now I'm just going to sit tight and wait for the soil to dry out properly before watering it and keep my fingers crossed I see some new life in it soon.
Dave
8 years agostevierocks92
8 years ago
treegemmaOriginal Author