Ficus elastica - droopy leaves and leggy

6 years ago

My mother in law gave me 2 ficus elastica plants in pots as a housewarming present. I have had them for around 4 weeks now.

One is growing very well with leaves growing upright. The other has leaves that are droopy and not as upright and also facing everywhere.

Is this normal and what could be causing this behaviour?

Also, the bottom of the plant is bare. Is there a way to encourage growth in this area?

The plants are in an area that gets indirect sunlight. The problem plant gets a little bit less and also gets only afternoon light.

The soil I used is store bought but it’s not compact or too loose. Soil in both plants is identical.

I water both plants as needed when the top inch of soil feels try. I use a stick to check if the soil is dry.

Is there anything else I am missing?

Featured Answer

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

3 years ago

As a bonsai practitioner, I have to know a LOT about how plants work in order to be successful. Technically, a new leaf cannot grow from the bud in question, only a new branch with the potential to give rise to many leaves can grow there. In every leaf axil (an 'axil' is the crotch formed by the leaf stem [petiole] and the branch the leaf is attached to) and above every leaf/bundle scar (the scar directly under the bud in your image), are a row of latent buds waiting to be stimulated to grow. In healthy trees growing outdoors these buds produce random branching whenever growing conditions are very good. Trees growing indoors, due primarily to lack of light and inadequate air movement, often need these latent buds to be stimulated chemically into becoming active. I'm not talking about them being stimulated by actually applying a chemical stimulant; rather, I'm referring to the change in the plant's chemistry which occurs when the growing tip of the branch is removed. This area at the tip of the branch is called the branch apex, plural is apices, or it's often referred to as the apical meristem. Primarily in that area of the branch, a chemical, auxin, which suppresses activation of these buds is synthesized. Auxin moves only downward toward the roots, so removing the the apical meristem where it is primarily synthesized sharply limits auxin flow and its suppressive influence on the axillary buds we're discussing. This allows another chemical (cytokinin) to become dominant, and one of it's jobs is to activate the axillary buds. This antagonistic balancing act between auxin and cytokinin is the chemical relationship on which almost all pruning strategies are based.

This is a Ficus microcarpa cutting from which the apex/apical meristem has been removed. since that halts almost all synthesis of auxin, new branches are forming in the axils of both mature leaves. As these branches develop, many single leaves will grow along the new branches, and they too will have a row of buds in their axils, or if the leaf is shed, above the scar left where it was attached (what your image shows).

So, leaves that form at nodes while the branch is extending will always remain a single leaf - like the two mature leaves in my image - they can never be anything but a single leaf. All growth that comes from the dormant buds in leaf axils or (the same) dormant buds above old leaf scars, will always be branches. BTW - these buds remain able to be activated at any time during the tree's life, even if the scars are no longer visible and bark growth has completely obscured the older leaf scars.

Questions?

Comments (42)

somegu7
6 years ago
i'm no expert but it looks healthy. I even see a strong new leaf going out. The bottom is as it is, new leaves will shoot from the top, the lower part will remain a stem-tree like. The plant is beautiful
mmauenn thanked somegu7
Sage TX 9a
6 years ago
I agree, it looks healthy. The only way to make the stem backbud is to prune the top, but you don't want to do that until spring...assuming it's currently autumn where you are. If it doesn't get direct sun through that glass door, it will eventually take on a greener (less burgundy) tone and start to have increased stem length between leaf nodes as the plant reaches for light.

In ficus elastic photos where the plant seems very bushy, it's because there are multiple stems growing in the same pot or else the plant has been branched very low on the trunk. They've probably also been pruned so the tips of each stem are staggered, giving the appearance of greatest fullness. There are some excellent posts here on how to prune ficus trees, but again it's not a thing you want to do heading into winter.
mmauenn thanked Sage TX 9a
Related Discussions
Ficus Benjamina
Q
Comments (29)
My only ones in pots are accidental (compliments of some 'toilet trained' birds that still prefer to use a potty). The one in this photo grew out of a drain hole. Because the original plant had died I ignored it. But it's roots got to reaching the ground. I've decided that coming wet season it's going to be hung up high in a tree and then it can do what benjaminas do best. Hung it up on a ladder so the roots would show up in the photo. They were already touching the ground. A self sown fern has joined it. The trunk runs along under the pot before turning upwards.
...See More
Ficus Elastica: Please Help Troubleshoot & Transfer to Gritty Mix
Q
Comments (19)
Hi again @tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA) ! I cut a square of mesh from an onion bag I had, worked great, thanks! You were right, not much root development, so I made sure to trim only a little bit and was able to repot late Friday night. I waited until Saturday morning to flush with water and then set it outside on my fire escape. Unfortunately, the fire escape is the only place I could leave my plants outside. A couple of further questions: When will it be okay for this guy to get direct sun again? I haven't watered it since Saturday. When should I water next? Or better yet, does it need to stay moist while it is getting acclimated? 2/3 stems are slanted. Should I stake them straight up? In one of the pics below, I circled the "wrinkling" that appeared on 2 of the stems while in the previous soil mix. Is this due to salt pulling water from the stems? How could I help the 2 stems recover from the trauma? Does this mean the roots will no longer take up water? Does this mean the roots are vulnerable to sunburn? Hypothetically, if I would have removed the bottom leaves, which were the first to show signs of salt/mineral trauma, would that have slowed down the traveling of the salt/minerals upwards? I am asking this because 1 of the 3 stems does not show any signs of wrinkling on its' stem. This stem also had a combo of more root development and fewer leaves. Not sure if there is a correlation there but I found it interesting and wanted to see if anyone could chime in with the science behind what is going on there. In another picture below I circled I think is called the apical meristem (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong). This stem in particular is in the worst shape of the 3. I noticed the shealth was extremely crunchy and hard - - Is this also a result of the salt/mineral build-up? Or a nutrient deficiency perhaps? Or is it the surrounding environment that causes this in plants? The plant doesn't have any signs of shock from the repot (yet). I am holding my breath but so far, so good. I apologize for all of the questions - - I am just very curious! Thanks for reading all this if you have made it this far lol roots: roots cont'd: my outside oasis aka fire escape: close up after the repot: What does the shriveling circled below mean? too much of a slant here? Should I stake it straight up? Crunchy apical meristem(?) :
...See More
Ficus rubber plant a bit slow
Q
Comments (5)
How long has your tree been in the pot it's in now? Your best back-budding response, by far, will come from a well-timed pruning of a healthy tree, and the best time to prune is either here or is fast approaching (if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. The partially formed branches you can see/feel in leaf axils (crotch formed by leaf stem and branch) and/or above leaf/bundle scars are repressed by a growth regulator/hormone (auxin) synthesized primarily in the branch apex, where extension growth takes place near the tip of the branch. This is a ficus branch started as a cutting. By removing the apical meristem at the tip of the branch (note the stub as witness to it having been removed), I eliminated the source of the chemical that represses lateral growth, sometimes called side shoots. The new growth in leaf axils are new branches. Had I NOT pruned the tip of the branch off, the cutting would have continued to elongate indefinitely and the lateral breaks might never have occurred. You can force lateral branching, and even decide where that branching will occur, by pruning strategically. More light very often does cause some lateral breaks here and there, but there is no guarantee insofar as where they will occur or even if they will occur. If your F elastica is healthy, you can be almost certain it will back-bud from 2-5 or more nodes immediately proximal to any pruning cuts that eliminate an apex. The most enthusiastic response will come from trees fertilized at luxury levels and moved outdoors into dappled or open shade several weeks before the pruning. Provide some images of your plant and I'll help you prune it to ensure it grows shrubby instead of tree-like. Al
...See More
What to do with my leggy Ficus Lyrata?
Q
Comments (12)
Hi, Sarah. It looks like I missed some of your questions last month, so I didn't get to thank you for the kind words. If I’m understanding the fan and air circulating is a good thing? Keep that going? There are several benefits to having a fan moving air in areas where there are plants. Air movement disrupts the boundary layer or (still) air surrounding leaves, which increases evapotranspiration, which increases the speed of the nutrient stream, which delivers more nutrients, nutrients that serve as the building blocks plants need to grow normally and keep their systems orderly. It also helps to limit insect and disease pathogen infections, especially fungal and bacterial. Deflection (flexing/bending) of thin stems/branches caused by air movement stimulates production of lignin, a natural polymer that makes plants strong and woody. Air surrounding groups of plants grown indoors in still air can have a higher oxygen concentration than normal. Air movement increases the amount of CO2 plants need to synthesize simple sugars (the 'true' plant food) during photosynthesis. If you grow under lights it helps limit heat build-up in foliage, and limits the amount of dust likely to collect on leaves. Currently this tree is getting SE morning sun. After pruning, if I put it directly outside of the sunroom, on the deck, it will get direct sun till about 1-1:30pm. Since only 3 lower leaves will be left do I need to be concerned that they will burn? As long as the plant was reasonably healthy when you pruned it, you needn't worry much about leaves burning. That isn't to say they won't, because they likely will, depending on how much light they're acclimated to. It just won't be that big of a deal because the pruning will force back-budding immediately proximal to the pruning cut(s), and these leaves will come on line perfectly adapted to the photo load wherever the plant is sited. The larger concern is the danger of sunburn on green branch tissues. No need to worry about branches/stems covered with corky bark which is dead and will provide shade/protection for the live bark located between the dead bark and cambium. I regularly pinch Ficus branches and skip acclimation of leaves when moving trees from the basement (under LED lights) to their full sun summer location. The increase in light burns the leaves, which are then shed, and new branches grow from the axils of leaves being shed. I end up with lots of back-budding, which includes adventitious buds (buds on internodes or places other than the leaf axil), and a new flush of pristine leaves perfectly adjusted to a full light site. This is a pretty big deal if someone is trying to increase their tree's ramification (leaf and branch density). Should I have used a different soil mix or can this work for at least this year till next spring? The more water-retentive a medium is, the more care should be taken to get watering intervals right. Ideally, getting to a place where you can trust your mix to hold most of it's water in internal pores of porous media components, on the surface or all media particles, and at the interface where media particles contact each other, leaving all or a very large fraction of the open air spaces between soil particles free of water. Advantages offered by extra sharp (fast) drainage and high air porosity can best be achieved by ensuring a very large fraction of your grow medium would be retained above an 1/8" screen. Examples of what I use: When pruning if I make a cut but then a day or so later decide I want to cut lower removing more leaves on a stem from the top, will that come with repercussions? No unless we were talking about a tree that's circling the drain and you're considering removing some of its last few leaves. Cutting any branch back farther, to a leaf closer to the trunk or roots, is not a problem for a reasonably healthy tree, but you have the tree's natural rhythm to consider. It's habit will be to grow long gangly branches in winter, and nice tight growth (shorter internodes) in the summer. You want your pruning strategy to be in sync with the tree's natural rhythm: Mid-May - Prune off all lanky winter growth, all the way back to the previous summer's tight growth/ short internodes; this, because when your tree back-buds after your spring pruning, the new branches will come from the leaf axils of last summer's tight growth. So, where last years summer leaves were close together, the next years branches will also be close together because they come from those leaf axils or above the leaf scares where a leaf was once attached. Summer - As new branches elongate, wait until the 3rd leaf is about to open, then pinch the branch back to 2 leaves. As you have already seen, this will force new branches to grow in the leaf axils. Keep a close eye on all branches; and, when that 3rd leaf is opening, pinch the branch back to 2 leaves. This is the best way to increase ramification by pruning. Fall - Stop pinching around the first wk of Sep and allow the tree to grow unchecked by any additional pruning. IOW, don't prune after the first wk of Sep unless the tree is absolutely growing out of bounds. Even then, only remove the growing tip (apex/ apical meristem) of the offending branch, reason being - if you cut back too far you'll activate the buds you're saving to activate next summer and the branches they produce will have long internodes. I was thrilled and shocked at how quickly new stems started growing. Would you suggest that I prune the new stems? What I originally suggested: "So, what I would do is, cut all the branches back to a single healthy leaf. Removing the growing tip of the branch will force back-budding proximal to (behind) the pruning cut." Other than instituting the pinching regimen I suggested, whether or not you should prune depends on what you want to achieve. My plan, to cut back to a single leaf, was meant to force back-budding closer to the trunk, which would allow you to prune back harder next summer. If I thought you would be amenable to cutting the branches all the way back so there were 2-3 leaf scars and no leaves on the branches, I would have had you do that. I figured it would be better to earn credibility step by step that to suggest what you would surely view as a operation too radical and just give up on me. So, what is your vision for the tree? - what do you eventually want it to look like? Al
...See More
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
I am glad to know that my plant is healthy and I was worrying for no reason.

I am in Sydney Australia so we’re actually heading into summer now. Is that too late to prune?

Is there a way to make a petiole more rigid? I noticed a couple of them are softer than the others which causes that droopy leaf appearance.
somegu7
6 years ago
I don't see a droopy leaf appearance. Plant places it's leaves are at different angles. You could try to give it more light, indirect light, don't burn it. I wouldn't prune it. 1. To get it more bushy from the bottom you need to crop almost all leafs off, you can kill it. 2. You just got it. Let it settle and get bigger, you can prune it next season.
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you. I think I will take your advice and just leave it and let it settle.

I feel like growing plants is like practice parenting. Worrying that something is wrong with child no 2 because it does not act like child no 1. =)
robin98
6 years ago
Maurene your photos look like the same plant to me - did you mean to show one of each plant so we could compare them or are they both of the problem child? (in which case there’s no problem as it looks really good)
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Both photos are of the problem child.

I have attached a photo of the good one.
somegu7
6 years ago
They look great m8 :) Take a look here for comparison & for branching strategies for later on. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3052597/how-to-force-side-shoots-on-a-rubber-tree?n=73
robin98
6 years ago
Agree they look great. But I do see the differences you mean. Possibly they’ve grown with different light exposure, eg. one directly overhead so leaves have set very upright, the other one with light more all around, and the leaf position reflects this. But I’ve also had rubber tree leaves become more rounded and softer and lower when I’ve overdone the fertiliser.

You haven’t had them long so this probably happened before you bought them. But if the leaves have changed since you’ve had them then it could be the difference in light that they’re receiving. They like lots of light. Sunlight coming through your windows onto their leaves is good, as long as they don’t get really hot. So maybe alternate positions so they both get a turn in the best light spot?

If you’re looking for a fertiliser see if you get Dynagro Foliage Pro, it’s available here in NZ but I don’t know about Australia.
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
I think I will swap them every week so they both get good light or move it entirely to a different spot.

I fertilized 10 days ago with liquid fertilizer but I think that is meant for vegetable plants not specifically for foliage plant.

The brand you recommended is not available in Australia. Is there anything comparable? If not, I could try to find a supplier that would ship to Sydney.

How often should I fertilize?
robin98
6 years ago
No big rush to fertilise as plants from the growers usually have some controlled release granules in the soil and yours look healthy, however you are going into the biggest growing seasons spring & summer so getting a liquid fertiliser you can use when you water wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The Dynagro stockists (bioleaf.co.nz) say they ship to Oz so you could look into that if you can’t find anything else suitable for houseplants locally. I use a low dose at almost every time I water. It’s popular on this forum but I’m sure there are others too. Organics aren’t so good as pots don’t always have the populations of micro organisms required to break them down into useable components.
somegu7
6 years ago
I'll just add, place them in a well lit place, water them when soil is dry and "forget" them. They don't like to be moved around too much etc. Too much love will kill them. :)
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Does the soil have to be dry all the way to the bottom? I water when the soil is dry on top and damp a couple of inches lower? I use a stick to check.

Thank you for the tip on the Dyna Gro stockist. I will see if they can deliver to Oz.
Sage TX 9a
6 years ago
Yes, dry all the way down. Ficuses hate having their feet wet. In nature, they're epiphytes, so they want lots of air around their roots, not soggy dirt. That's why their roots do best in a potting mix that drains as well as orchid mix -- hence the emphasis on fast-draining mixes. Meanwhile, their leaves crave as much ambient humidity as you can give them. See this post for all you ever wanted to know about ficus trees: Ficus Trees In Containers IV.
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you! I will read that post.

Another question about another ficus elastica - this one is a variegated one.

I noticed the leaves on this one are wavy with cups on the surface? Is this normal?

This one is also very leggy but I think it’s from not getting enough light in the nursery. Hopefully it will grow more compact now that it is getting plenty of light.
robin98
6 years ago
I’d be wondering about a nutritional deficiency...
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Would fertilizing fix this?
Sage TX 9a
6 years ago
That potting mix looks really heavy. I would start with changing the soil so the roots aren't being suffocated. Then give it 4 weeks before fertilizing. Fertilizer will burn recently disturbed roots. It's good to give them some time to heal and adapt to their new circumstances first.
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Will it be safe to re-pot again in the same season? Should I wait until next Spring to repot and just be more careful watering until I can repot.
robin98
6 years ago
You won’t change the waviness/distortion that’s already there, your aim is to get the general care right so the next leaves are better. Get the lighting, the soil, the watering and the nutrition right. If you just chuck fertiliser in without doing the first three as well you might make things worse. Been there done that!

Found this post but couldn’t figure out how to link it so took a screenshot of the question (similar to yours) and of Al’s reply (he knows what he’s talking about). Overall your plant looks good - I wouldn’t have called it leggy.
Sage TX 9a
6 years ago
Oh no, there's no need to wait until next year -- November is prime gardening time in Sydney. If I've got my geography right, you're at 33.8S lat, which corresponds to Dallas/Fort Worth in the US, at 33.8 N lat. Though, granted, I have no idea if you're on the subtropical side (humid) or temperate (cooler and dryer). If your nights are still a little long and cool, you could wait 2 or 3 weeks to repot, until the days are just a bit longer and the plants have more sun to fuel their growth. If you're on the warmer side, the ideal time is still anywhere between now and midsummer.

Sorry this is so much conjecture! I've got friends in Canberra and Melbourne, but I don't know much about Sydney.
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
I think Sydney is borderline humid subtropical (had to research). But summer has officially started this week and we are getting at least 13 hrs of sun each day.

So I think I will be repotting this weekend. I have read the discussions on soil etc especially for ficus and most advise making your own potting mix. Unfortunately I am limited to off the shelf potting mix. Would cactus mix be good for this because it’s quick draining or a mix of normal potting mix and cactus mix?

Thank you so much for answering all my questions. I’m very new to plant care and I am now realizing there is so much to know!
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
I forgot to ask, when I repot, does that mean I will remove all (as much as possible) the soil from the roots and then put in fresh new soil?
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
There is a lot of myth perpetuation in this thread so far. While pinching (removing the growing tip of the branch - the apex) is a method that makes back-budding certain, the enthusiasm with which the plant back-buds is highly variable, depending on when the plant is pinched, what the plant's vitality level (health) is when pinched, and what the plant's current ability to carry on photosynthesis (make food) is. Your tree will also back-bud and form new branches low on the trunk if you move it outdoors into full sun and moving air, and fertilize it at luxury levels with an appropriate fertilizer.

By pinching judiciously, you can also make a single-stemmed plant as full and bushy as a planting that utilizes many plants

Ficus lyrata and elastica are on the list of plants that have leaves that, after surviving a wilted state for even short periods, are commonly unable to recover their previous spacial position after turgidity is restored. If you are watering as soon as the top inch of soil is dry, you're definitely over-watering, which is likely the cause of the drought response/ wilting.

The best time for you to repot would be in the 2-3 weeks immediately prior to Christmas. Repotting into an appropriate soil, that is to say a soil you can water to beyond saturation w/o your plant being made to suffer from an extended period of soil saturation, will make a tremendous difference in your ability to maintain your plants in the kind of help we all strive for. A good soil also makes fertilizing effectively very easy, where poor soils make an effective supplementation program something very difficult to achieve.

Al
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
An update... (sorry this is a long update but to TL;DR — it looks good)

I repotted last weekend. I know Tapla said wait a few more weeks but last week was my last chance before the Christmas madness.

The large ficus elasticas seem to be coping well. Some leaves are still a bit droopy but it’s not declining further. I read somewhere in the forums that ficus don’t normally recover after they’ve gone droopy so I’ve accepted that.

The smaller ficus elasticas seem to have recovered very well. Both plants have new leaves coming out of the leaf sheath.

This was not in the original post but I also have a lyrata which I thought was doing well until I repotted and found one bottom leaf yellowing and falling off. I have lost another leaf since repotting but I think (hope) that is the end of it. This one also seem to be doing very well after the repot with a new leaf coming out.

I did not do root pruning but I removed as much old soil as I can from the roots. There were so many old fertilizer pellets and bark but I also did not want to stress out the plant more so I just got as much as I can.

I used a mix of bark, perlite and normal potting mix. I may have added too much perlite but I think it just means the soil will dry out quicker and I will need to water more frequently. Currently, the outdoor plants feel dry after 3 days. The indoor ones are at 4 days and still moist. I have attached a photo, let me know if I have to redo.
somegu7
6 years ago
Looks ok, I would leave it consolidate and recover after repotting and new house shock. Keep proper watering and keep it in a properly lit spot, and that's it, leave it do its thing :)
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
If you're willing to keep up with watering requirements, it's hard to add too much perlite. To a large degree, the more often your planting needs watering, the more opportunity it has to reach as much of its inherent potential as possible. As in many arrangements, you can go overboard re drainage/aeration and find yourself in a 'diminishing returns' predicament, but the soil in the image doesn't portend that potentiality.

Al
litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years ago
By "dry" Al means the point when the soil is dry to the touch at the bottom of the pot, at which point there's still enough moisture inside soil particles to sustain the plant. This gives the roots as much time as possible in conditions where they get both air (for oxygen) and moisture at the same time.

Test by pushing a sharpened dowel (or wooden skewer or disposable chopstick) all the way through through the soil to the bottom of the pot. At that point water thoroughly, wetting the entire surface of the soil, until about 15% of the volume of the pot has drained. Then tilt the pot at 45 degrees for 15-20 minutes. If the pot has drain holes around the perimeter you'll see excess water draining while it's tilted; if it has one drain hole in the middle the excess water will drain out when you set it upright.
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for the tip about tilting the pot. It’s very effective. I usually do it a couple of time (tilt and drain) just to make sure that I get as much water as I can out.

I’ve become a bit paranoid now with overwatering. On addition to tilting the pot I do an up and down movement to use gravity to draw excess water to the bottom and out of the pot.

I have a few questions about watering:

1. Do you keep the skewer in the soil the whole time or do you only stick it in when you want to check if the soil is dry? I have left one in and it seems that it’s never dry. I stuck another one in for 5 minutes before watering and only the last half inch of the skewer was wet. Now I’m confused and worried I have been letting the soil dry too much.

2. When I was reading up on watering requirements for Ficus trees, it says water when the top 2 inches of soil is dry. Upthread, someone said it has to be dry all the way to the bottom of the pot.

3. With the new soil mix, I noticed that the water flows out of the container freely. Is this normal? With normal potting mix, the water only starts coming out a 10-30 seconds after I pour. I am worried the soil is not absorbing as much water as it should.

With the current mix, I am watering the indoor plants once a week. The outdoor plants get watered every 3-4 days depending on the weather. Does this sound right?
litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years ago
mauen, could you spread out a few tablespoons of mix on a plate or something light colored? I think you're fine, but it doesn't hurt to have a second pair of eyes.

1. Don't leave the skewer in between watering; just leave it in the pot for a few seconds before pulling it out.

2. Trust Al's advice to wait until the bottom of the pot is dry in any fine grained soil and in 5:1:1 mix; regardless of the advice you'll get from plant sellers and the internet, letting the bottom get dry is an absolutely foolproof way to never ever overwater a plant again.

3. Water does flow freely through a well-made 5:1:1 mix. The best way to make sure the bark gets uniformly moist is to water slowly, with the water flowing in a thin stream, and move the stream around and around to wet the entire surface of the mix. Desert humidity sometimes over-dries my mix enough that the bark gets hydrophobic, so if I'm concerned I water, wait twenty or thirty minutes, and then water again just to be sure.

Plants in 5:1:1 can go 4-5 days between watering here, so a week doesn't sound bad if you're in a more humid climate, especially since your mix is draining so freely.

I hope that helps!
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you for answering my questions! I have scoured the internets and I could not find how to do a chopstick test correctly. Now I know.

As for the potting mix, here it is on a piece of paper. The soil is still damp from watering 4 days ago.

A few weeks after repot my plants are doing very well.

The rubber tree leaves are now all pointing up which is unexpected. Since replanting, I have had 2 new leaves on each leaf.

The FLF took longer to recover and lost 5 small leaves at the bottom and a sprouting leaf. But the yellowing has nows stopped and I have a new leaf coming out.

I have now repotted all my plants except for my calamondin and tomatoes.

I will leave the tomato for now but I think I will have to repot my calamondin. I have had it for 3 years. I noticed it has not bloomed as much as before. Maybe the nutrients in the soil is spent (is this possible?) or I am doing something wrong.
somegu7
6 years ago
Congrats that mix looks great! Post some pics of the plants
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Here are the plants now and a photo of the rest of my plants on watering day.

The FLF is looking a bit lopsided but I am hoping it will grow more balanced later.
Sage TX 9a
6 years ago
They look great! You can rotate the FLF's small side toward the light to even out the growth. Then, once it's evenly bushy, turn it a quarter turn every day or two, or flip it around 180* every time you water. Whichever works best for you.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
"The FLF is looking a bit lopsided but I am hoping it will grow more balanced later."

What do you mean by the above?

Al
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
Hi Al, what I meant is that the tree has more/bigger leaves on one side than the other.

i am trying to encourage growth on the “bald” side by rotating the plant towards the sunny side of the room.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
Got it. I just wanted to be sure you weren't referring to a plant that was starting to stray too much from a vertical orientation. I asked because the sooner you act to fix that issue, the less traumatic it is for growers who have reservations about hard pruning. Corrected early, it can be done with a snip snip. Left to become a larger problem might require removing a large fraction of the tree's top mass.

Al
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
I just wanted to post an update of my ficus elastica and also I have a few questions.

It has been 4 months since the original post.

It has grown 6-12 inches in the 4 months.

I had a couple of leaves with scorch marks because we had a couple of days where the Aussie sun was just too hot. Now I leave the blinds shut when the forecast is over 40.

I have lost 3 or 4 old leaves at the bottom I’m not exactly sure why. I’m not overly concerned because the tree is still pushing out new growth.

My questions:

1. In relation to light exposure, does the whole tree need to be exposed to light? If only the top half of the tree is exposed to light, will that mean I will lose the bottom half leaves? Or given enough light, will the top leaves produce enough food to sustain the 2nd half. (Sorry if this is a stupid question, I have done a search and could not find an answer).

2. Will a ficus elastica respond to pruning the same way a FLF will? So can I follow the principles in the post below to create a pruning program for my Elastica. I am not pruning yet, but maybe at the start of the next season. I have to keep the tree within door frame height.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/1478337/fiddle-leaf-fig-training-pruning?n=222

3. I noticed the leaves on my plant looking concave with the edges curling down. Does this mean it wants more light?

Thank you again for the help and guidance.
somegu7
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
1. the leafs that do not receive light will drop. if they do not provide for their own upkeep and generate additional energy, they are just dead weight for the plant. So its more efficient for the plant to drop them. that said its highly improbable that the top half would get proper light and the bottom not getting any light, not even a reflected semi-shade. Only possible scenario like that would be if you'd deliberately wrap the leafs with aluminium foil.

2. yes it would. rubber tree would be even easier to prune and branch out.

3. hard to tell the reason.

p.s. im by any means an expert, others might give you much better answer
mmauenn
Original Author
6 years ago
My plant that dropped some leaves is next to a window. The top of the plant gets light and the bottom is always in shade. I think I will have to find a better spot for it.
Gaby
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Hii, i need some orientation.

my ficus elastica / rubber plant is leggy but i think is growing new leaf in their old stalks/ nodes.

I have been looking for this in the internet but it says is not possible.

do you know something about it?