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cheri_davis

Help for Fiddle Leaf Fig- spider mites and leaf drop

Cheri
6 years ago
I believe I posted in the wrong place before, so reposting. Anyway, am starting to panic! I purchased a FLF tree at the very end of February. Brought it home, wiped down all the leaves with a damp paper towel. It had been recently watered, so I held off in that. It had appeared to be doing beautifully until one day when I went to water it (on March 21) and seven leaves dropped (three had dropped the previous week.) I then moved him into the dining room with my other, smaller FLFs, (since they were all doing so well in there for well over a year now)— upon close inspection, I found some webbing. Spider mites! (Glad I had thus far kept him quarantined!) I took him immediately upstairs and sprayed with the cold-pressed neem oil and water and left him in the (dry) tub overnight. Unfortunately, my daughter didn’t like the smell of the neem and cracked open a window to air out the room. Luckily I caught it at all, but the window was probably open for at least a good hour prior to that (still pretty cold here in zone 6b Bucks County, PA) So, cold room, but no real “wind” coming in. Since then, leaves are dropping rapidly—some don’t even get brown or shrivel up first anymore, they just drop off!

According to the “dowel test” I did two days ago, it did need water, so I (flushed and) watered him. I am normally very conscientious with my plants, so I hate to admit it, but in retrospect, I fear I likely under-watered him as well (fear of over-watering in the likely bad soil he came in.)

Can this tree even be saved? I’ve been searching and reading everything I can find on this forum but I’m still not sure if he is even likely to make it or exactly what I should be doing next...spray again with neem, or insecticidal soap or 2:1 water and alcohol solution? And, how often? I haven’t seen any evidence of spider mites after the neem was applied.

I feel like I’m just watching him die a not so slow, agonizing death...I’m hoping there is a chance of turning this around? Wondering what the pros on this forum i.e., @tapla think? Any help would be so very MUCH appreciated!!!!

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