I'd snip it off below the soil line; reason being, it's going to grow a bunch of roots down through the old roots, making it harder as time passes to do a complete repot. Your plant will not miss it. It's not uncommon for me to remove 90% or more of a plant's roots during a repot.

A ficus benjamina:

Thank you Al!!

Hi Tapla. Quick question about leaf shed. I know that watering and light can affect leaves but I've been doing the same thing all summer and the tree was thriving. In general, will a tree sporadically shed old leaves that have been on branches for years? I have three trees that have been out on a porch. They put out a lot of new growth during June/July. Since then they have shed quite a few thick, older leaves at the base of the branches. I haven't done anything different since I put the tree out in the spring. I was fertilizing with Foliage Pro for probably 3/4 of the waterings, weather has been typical hot summer weather. Pic of leaves attached. Thanks in advance!

Tapla, thank you for your response. Interesting about the plant needing to take nutrients from older foliage, that's the first time I've heard that. I have been attentive to everything you wrote here but wonder if I did wait too long to water recently. Who knows.

This may be a strange thing to offer to you but I have a box of vintage bonsai bookplates and I would love to give them to you. Part because I think you'd like them given your hobby and also as a thank you for all the info you've imparted here. If can send an address where I can mail them I be happy to do it. Thanks again!

Such a generous offer - I'd be happy to accept, but only if you allow me to reimburse you for at least the postage. I see that your profile page doesn't have a provision for exchanging messages, but if you message me, I'll provide an address. Thank you very much for the kindness.

The early stages of leaf senescence is accompanied by dissolution of cell membranes, which in turn causes a marked increase in cell permeability. This increases the loss of ionic gradients/ingredients accompanied (usually) by export of carbohydrates, amino acids, and minerals contained within the leaf. In the end, reduction in the flow of auxin sufficient to keep the leaf from abscising (shedding) starts the process. Ethylene, another growth regulator can be a strong contributor to leaf loss, but not an initiator.

So, if you have a tree circling the drain and are tempted to remove the spoiled foliage, try to resist so long as the leaf has some viable/green tissue because the tree is likely salvaging the recyclables for use elsewhere.

Thanks again for your kind offer.

Al

Hi Al - I messaged you, just want to be sure you got it. Thanks!

I did. Thanks very much. We've had company, but I'll get my info to you soon. Thanks again!

Al

Hi! I had thought my fiddle had died past the point of no return, so I had put it outside and almost forgot about it. It’s been on my porch for the duration of the summer and a couple weeks ago I noticed some small green popping out the bottom! The large center trunk is dead wood. How do I go about saving my tree! I will need to bring it indoor soon as I live in Massachusetts and a frost is probably around the corner. Do I cut the new green and repot? Help!?

What is meant by "small green popping out the bottom"?

Al

Small leaf buds growing out of roots from the bottom of the original plant.

From the basal area of the plant, i.e. the root to shoot transition zone; or, from roots growing through holes at the bottom of the pot. An image would be a good idea.

Al

I’ve tried posting an image twice and it won’t attach. It’s from exposed root at the top of the soul, entirely separate from the original trunk

Without seeing it, all I can say is a single root out of a hundred attached to the base of the tree can prevail when the rest of the tree is dead. In consideration of the fact you can always remove the dead parts of the trunk at a later date, but you cannot restore the living parts you removed because you might have been in a hurry. I suggest you put yourself on tree time (everything happens slowly for trees [except lightning strikes]) and wait to see what else develops. Be sure you do not over-water. Best strategy would be to use a 'tell' to tell you when it's time to water. Don't fertilize until you see new growth ....... and even then it might be wise to look at the bigger picture of watering habits, soil choice, light levels, temps, and try to figure out the best nutritional supplementation for you going forward. There's just not enough info to help any more than that.

Something about Using a Tell

Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor.

In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water.

Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'.

One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue.

Al

I bought my fiddle leaf with the roots already exposed and circling around above the soil. Should I take off all the soil and repot it in the same pot but deeper so everything is covered? Does the top have to be covered with something specif?

I also cannot attach a photo ....

What you describe is common. You can correct the circling roots when you do your next FULL repot (usually in June [for residents of northern hemisphere] or December [for southern hemisphere residents], which includes bare-rooting and correcting root issues. Repotting is much more extensive than potting up and the only way to eliminate the limitations imposed by root congestion at the center of the root mass.

Al

Hi! Help with my fiddles!!! I have two, had them for about three months and

they’ve been shedding their leaves and leaves are also browning! Don’t know what I’m doing wrong! I’ve had fiddles in the past and never had an issue!

Is the soil too moist too often? Mine are doing the same thing!

I’m having a similar issue where new roots are growing up out of the soil. I recently added fresh soil to top it off and the plant is growing new growth. I purchased the plant a year ago from a big box store and it had a rough start until I repotted it with good draining soil and the proper pot. Not sure what this new root growth means. Any suggestions on what causes this and what I should do? Thanks I’m advance!!