Any idea, why the new leaf of my Ficus Decora has random white spots ?
I live in Germany and I recently bought a healthy Ficus Decora (pictures attached) a month ago with one new shoot. I re-potted and kept it in a south-west facing window sill where the plant is getting nice light (direct sun for couple of hours through window glass). I water nicely whenever the top inch of soil is dried. The pot has drainage holes and no water logging issues. Used a few fertilizer sticks also in the pot as recommended.
My concerns are :
1. What could cause these white patches on the new leaf .? Could I do something to correct it?
2. Why would the new leaf be smaller than the previous one (only 3/4 of the size) .? Also, the new shoot looks like even smaller :(
Please help.
Comments (8)
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years ago1. What could cause these white patches on the new leaf .? Could I do something to correct it? Have you used leaf shine or any other product, including household cleaners on the leaves? Fertilizer sticks are generally a poor way to deliver nutrients to a plant, so I suggest you look for a fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 3:1:2. A fertilizer's NPK RATIO is different than it's NPK %s. 24-8-16, 12-4-8, and 9-3-6 are all 3:1:2 RATIO fertilizers. I'm not sure what you have access there, but here I use
for all my trees, indoors and out. I have around 200.
The substrate looks very water-retentive. If the spots aren't a result of a phytotoxic reaction to something used on the leaves, the next suspect would be root health. If you water when the top few centimeters of soil are dry, it's almost a certainty you're seriously over-watering. Try using a "tell" to 'tell' you when it's time to water. More on that below.
2. Why would the new leaf be smaller than the previous one (only 3/4
of the size) .? Also, the new shoot looks like even smaller :( A genetic trait of plants of the mulberry family (Moraceae), which includes Ficus, is leaves that increase in size as the branch extends. The reason your leaf is small is only because it's not yet mature. It will eventually be larger than the immediately proximal leaf.This Should Be of Value
Some "Growing" GuidelinesAl
Arun A thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)Arun A
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Why is my Ficus dropping leaves?
Comments (4)I really think shorter days have something to do with falling leaves..Soro, would you say this summer differed from the last 7? For instance, here in IL we had more rain than all 7 summers put togehter. I'm not a pro growing plants, but I don't have problems w/Ficus leaf drop. Maybe a couple leaves here and there, but nothing major. Other than 2 rubber trees, my other ficus are growing as bonsais, so they don't get out in summer, but when I had a tree (gave it away) I took it outside yrly, and it did great..even fruited in fall w/red berries. One thing I did was mist leaves and made sure the humidifer was running as soon as heat was turned on. Just to be on the safe side, inspect plants for insects such as mites, mealy and scale. Search all through plant leaves/stems/trunk. This should be done just as a precautionary measure. Toni...See MoreIs there any hope left for my Ficus?
Comments (16)maulydaft, If the bugs are red or tannish, just barely visible, and they move or scurry, they are probably Spider Mites--with or without fine weblike strands. If they are small but visible, clear, bubble-like, clustered and slow, but moving, they are probably Aphids. Aphids also leave little sticky spots behind, called "honey dew." Scale have a thin transparent shell and look like little clear or brownish oval scabs, tend to cluster, and can be scraped off without skinning the plant. Mealie Bugs are soft-bodied, also tend to cluster and look white to tan and fluffy or like they've been dipped in flour. Scale and Mealie Bugs move so slowly that you have to watch them for a while to see any movement. Colors for all of the above may vary. You can look at pictures of each of these bugs by going to the URL below; then type the name of each bug in the Search box one by one to I.D. your bugs. From your brief description, I'm guessing that your Ficus has spider mites. If that is true, and you are in a situation where you can carry the plant outside to hose it off, that would be great. If you have a trigger spray nozzle on the hose, that's even better. Wear something you don't mind getting wet. First put the pot on something low and stable from which it can drain; then give it a good hard spraying, starting with the top and going out each of the branches, Under and Over the leaves, from the center of the tree and going out to the tips. Be thorough, going all the way around the tree. Spray the pot, while you are at it. Then give the trunk a bit of a shake and let it drain Thoroughly. (Ficus love being hosed down, but hate to stand in water for more than 5 minutes.) If you use this treatment, it needs to be repeated once a week (or on watering day, if that is sooner) for a month, because you will want to spray off any mites that hatch over the weeks ahead. Spider mites don't like water or high humidity, so misting your Ficus between hosing will help to discourage further infestation. Launder the clothes you wear to hose off the plant and vacuum the area where the plant stays to get any stray mites. Since it is late November and you are to the north, this outdoor hose treatment may not be possible. The Ficus can take water that is pretty cold (I've done this in February), but the tree wouldn't like temps in the 30's. If it is too cold to hose down your Ficus outdoors, then Plan B could be to use the shower. If you have a hand-held shower with good water force, you should be able to spray under and over the leaves pretty well. As with the outdoor treatment, drain the Ficus well, and repeat the shower spray every week for about a month. This isn't the only treatment for spider mites on Ficus, but it is one which worked for me, and the mites never came back. If your plant has some other kind of bug, and you can identify or describe it, someone here should be able to point you in the direction of an effective treatment. I wish you success in rescuing your Ficus from the varmints. Sc...See MoreFicus benjamina 'White Spot' Problem
Comments (27)OMG - having just noticed this condition, I.e. observation, while cleaning and trimming my 12’ ficus, that was also dropping leaves, I have to say, 1) I’m glad I didn’t try to do anything about it, other than knocking off the waxy globs, before I consulted the “internet” meaning, you guys ... 2) my husband and I are laughing our heads off reading this thread - hysterical debate - thanks for the laugh ... 3) sorry Ficus, no way you’ll be pollinating anything anytime soon! ... on a more instructive note, I’ll just say that my ficus has always been very hardy and not very fussy. However, I had moved it to a less sunny spot to accommodate our Christmas Tree. It didn’t seem to care for that location, so it had started dropping some leaves, causing me to search for extraneous clues, and finding the white globs ... I am happy yo report it is now back in its original sunny spot, has been trimmed and had leaves spritzed and cleaned. I’m sure will be a happy camper once again, very soon! Fondest regards to everyone and their ficus trees!...See MoreMoving Ficus Lyrata/Fiddle Leaf Fig Outside for Summer
Comments (50)I don't get how people can't seem to live in a place instead of just squat there. The same people who went through (and PAID for!) the naturalization process and uprooted their lives abroad to get to a country can't let go of the old one. I get ethnic food and fond memories, but if you make a conscious effort to live near and exclusively interact with other ex-pats in the native language, what can you learn and know about the culture and people of your new home? When i have lived abroad (as opposed to simply traveled), i have left my American ways and language at the airport for me to collect on my way back to the US. I never looked for other Americans or spoke English. I interacted with and lived among the people with an open mind. If my language was not sufficient to get my point across, I invited people to correct me so that i learned. I ate the food, i visited the landmarks and learned about their significance. What would i have gained if i brought my flag and waved it to ward off people that were not like me, and only interacted with other Americans? Nothing but distrust of the people and culture of the place i called home. I would feel isolated and unaccepted by everyone around me, unaware that i CAUSED it myself. Everyone would seem like a racist from that perspective, wouldnt they?...See MoreArun A
3 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years agoIf you can find pine bark in an appropriate size, you should be golden.
The bark at 3, 6, and 9 0'clock are from 3 different packagers. Any of the 3 are what you're looking for. It might not be as easy as you think it will be. If you find the bark, buy a small bale (1 cubic foot) of peat moss and a bag of perlite. You'll also need some garden lime. Espoma brand sells it for about $1.50/lb in 10 lb bags, or you can buy 50 lbs from big box stores or national hardware chains for about the same price as a bag of Espoma lime. Make sure you're getting garden lime (often called dolomite or dolomitic lime), not slaked lime or hydrated lime. There is a significant difference, chemically.
If you don't find the bark, buy a commercially prepared potting mix and a bag of perlite - I'll guide you through getting the ballast in place.
Good luck shopping. You'll be looking for pine bark mulch or pine bark soil conditioner. It doesn't matter what it's called, as long as there is pine bark of an appropriate size in the bag. BTW - the 5:1:1 mix looks like what you see in the middle (when dry). Here's a look at a batch that's a bit coarser than usual:
AlArun A
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years agoFor reference:
Ideal Particle Sizes
In a perfect world, the mineral fraction for use in the gritty mix would range in size from 1/10 - 5/32" (.100 - .156", or 2.5 - 4.0mm). The bark fraction would be slightly larger to allow for some breakdown over the life of the planting ........ from 1/8 - 1/4 is about ideal (.125 - .250" or 3.25 - 6.25mm).
For the 5:1:1 mix, bark particle size should be from dust to 3/8". (0 - .375", or 0 - 4mm), with most of the bark ranging in size from 3/16 - 3/8" ( .188 - .375", or 4.8 - 9.5mm). The perlite should be on the coarse side - something like the all purpose or super coarse shown below.
How Gran-I-Grit is graded:starter: 1/16 - 3/32 inch (1.6 - 2.4mm) you can sub #1 cherrystone/quartzite if available
grower: 3/32 - 3/16 inch (2.4 - 4.8mm) you can sub #2 cherrystone/quartzite if available
developer: 3/16 - 5/16 (4.8 - 8.0mm) you can sub #3 cherrystone/quartzite if available
turkey: 5/16 - 7/16 inch (8.0 - 11.0mm)
turkey finisher: 7/16 - 5/8 inch (11.0 - 16mm)
Is the Coco coir can do as a replacement .? or anything else that I can try? I've done some testing of coconut products as replacements for peat and pine bark, coir and CHCs respectively, and was entirely underwhelmed by the results. I wrote about it:
Peat vs. CoirSphagnum peat and coir have nearly identical water retention curves. They both retain about 90-95% of their volume in water at saturation and release it over approximately the same curve until they both lock water up so tightly it's unavailable for plant uptake at about 30-33% saturation. Coir actually has less loft than sphagnum peat, and therefore, less aeration. Because of this propensity, coir should be used in mixes at lower %s than peat. Because of the tendency to compact, in the greenhouse industry, coir is primarily used in containers in sub-irrigation (bottom-watering) situations. Many sources produce coir that is high in soluble salts, so this can also be an issue.
Using coir as the primary component of container media virtually eliminates lime or dolomitic lime as a possible Ca source because of coir's high pH (6+). Gypsum should be used as a Ca source, which eliminates coir's low S content. All coir products are very high in K, very low in Ca, and have a potentially high Mn content, which can interfere with the uptake of Fe. Several studies have also shown that the significant presence of phenolic allelochemicals in fresh coir can be very problematic for a high % of plants, causing poor growth and reduced yields.
I haven't tested coir thoroughly, but I have done some testing of CHCs (coconut husk chips) with some loose controls in place. After very thoroughly leaching and rinsing the chips, I made a 5:1:1 soil of pine bark:peat:perlite (which I know to be very productive) and a 5:1:1 mix of CHCs:peat:perlite. I planted 6 cuttings of snapdragon and 6 cuttings of Coleus (each from the same plant to help reduce genetic influences) in containers (same size/shape) of the different soils. I added dolomitic lime to the bark soil and gypsum to the CHC soil. After the cuttings struck, I eliminated all but the three strongest in each of the 4 containers. I watered each container with a weak solution of MG 12-4-8 with STEM added at each watering, and watered on an 'as needed basis', not on a schedule. The only difference in the fertilizer regimen was the fact that I included a small amount of MgSO4 (Epsom salts) to provide MG (the dolomitic lime in the bark soil contained the MG, while the gypsum (CaSO4) in the CHC soil did not. This difference was necessary because or the high pH of CHCs and coir.) for the CHC soil.
The results were startling. In both cases, the cuttings grown in the CHC's exhibited < 1/2 the biomass at summers end as the plants in the bark mix.
I just find it very difficult for a solid case to be made (besides "It works for me") for the use of coir or CHC's. They're more expensive and more difficult to use effectively. The fact that some believe peat is in short supply (no where near true, btw) is easily offset by the effect of the carbon footprint of coir in its trek to the US from Sri Lanka or other exotic locales.
That's the view from here. YMMV
Coir Study: https://sites.google.com/site/plantandsoildigest/usu-crop-physiology-laboratory/coconut-coir-studies
If your bark has a large fraction of fines, you might be able to do without the peat fraction; or, you might be able to screen off some of the coarsest bark particles and use that combined with Seramis for a succulent or tree soil. I would do without the peat before I'd use coir as a replacement if at all possible. If you do use coir, try to limit it to less than 10% of the mix o/a.
Would you mind sharing with me, what's the use of garden lime? It's available in huge packets. Not sure if I need that much as my scope of use is just a couple of pots Bark and peat are rather acidic. Lime added to the substrate helps to neutralize the acidity and raise pH to a more favorable level - say around 5.0 - 5.5. Also, it's not unusual for fertilizers to be formulated without Ca or Mg, macro-nutrients essential to normal growth. Garden lime serves as a long-term source of these elements when substrates are limed with dolomitic lime. No matter how you proceed, you'll need to be sure your plants are getting all the essentials and pH levels arent something the plant can't deal with. One of the issues with using significant volumes of coir in substrates is the face coir's high pH precludes use of dolomite as a source of Ca/Mg.
AlArun A thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)Arun A
3 years ago
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)