Is my Ficus Elastica Melany dying?!

3 years ago

Hi Everyone, Really need an advice here!! I purchased a rubber tree last year in May. I am not sure if I am losing it 😔 Some of the stems do feel mushy and they are turning brown. The tree is giving new smaller leaves but at the same time some of the leaves are turning yellow and falling. Not sure if this is a root rot or did i overwater it or something else.. we just moved into a new house and now have south facing windows and I just relocated the tree. I think my biggest mistake was not rotating the tree not even once since i bought it and that is why its leaning now.. not sure if its the winter season that is the reason or the fact that we have an air conditioner at home and it might be bad for the tree. Does anyone have any kind of advice for me to save my little baby?🥰
Thank you in advance 🙏🏼💚

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Comments (4)

tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years ago
In general your plant does not look too bad. Brown stem is normal as it matures but mushy stem is not good. Lack of light is making it look a bit lanky, especially that one branch to the side indicates it is trying to extend towards light. From the pics it also looks like the soil is very wet. Is that glass thingy a watering device? It is probably keeping the soil wet too long. Ficus would like to be on the dry side and especially in winter when growth is limited. Does the pot have drainage hole or is there a second pot inside the larger black one? If so you will have to also make sure that the bottom of the inner pot does not sit in water and become soggy. If there is no drainage hole at all then it needs to potted into one that has immediately.
Sabina Fetahovic
Original Author
3 years ago
First of all - thank you so much for your answer!
I cut the mushy stem one yesteray and placed the healthy leftover stem and leaves into the water - let’s hope they will give me some roots.
Lack of light in old house was a problem and i didn’t rotate it there at all which means the tree was facing for almost a year to one direction that might the reason for lankiness. That is why tree is currently facing to other way (hopefully it will straighten up).
Yes - soil is wet because i did water it in the shower last week.
Glassy thing is kinda device that shows when the tree drinks and when its the next time to water it.
There is second pot inside with drainage.
I still think it might the root rot and not sure if its very wise to repot it winter times.
Here in Finland it’s really cold now and the light time is short.

ALSO i noticed that some of the leaves are turning brown
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PA - Her plant is healthy enough (at least in the picture) that it would tolerate a repot if it was done now, but the object of suggesting a summer repot has more to do with skirting how much it will tolerate now and planning around the time of year the plant is most able to deal with the stress of a repot, which includes a root-pruning and change of soil. That's best done when A) the plant's energy reserves are highest and B) when the plants current photosynthate (food) output is also at its peak. The effects of a repotting now might linger for 2 or more months after the work, while the same work done in summer might only impact the plant for a couple of weeks. During the time the plant is weakened, it's more susceptible to insects and diseases, so we want to work WITH the plant's natural rhythms instead of against them whenever we can. If the plant was in imminent danger, a repot now would be in its best interest, but it doesn't appear to be, in the picture. Juliande - I would indeed encourage you to either leave or remove the new shoot, and to cut the larger stem back quite a bit next summer. When you cut back, cut back just above a living leaf and make the thicker stem about 2/3 taller than the new shoot - even if that means cutting back the new shoot as well. Your plant won't look natural if the fat trunk ends up being shorter than the thin one. Your eye will tell you something is wrong, even if you can't quite put your finger on just what it is. Let me know if you want/need anything additional in the way of help. Al
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All plants are reactive organisms, so they react to a wide variety of stimuli. When cultural conditions move toward what is unfavored by the plant, the plant will react in a negative manner; but when cultural conditions are favorable, the plant reacts with more robust growth. The reputation Ficus b has been saddled with for reacting unfavorably to any cultural change is a misguided overview. When light intensity changes from too little toward adequacy, or when temperatures move from too cool to adequate, or when the soil moisture is just right, you can expect a favorable reaction, and not a plant that pitches a fit & throws its leaves at you. On the other hand, poor soils (and related watering issues), too much salt in soils, sudden chill, and sudden decreases in either photoperiod or photo-intensity are all negative changes that can/do frequently cause defoliation. Jeannie: Your offering of "A bigger question tho is "is the plant growing?".....because feeding a plant that is not growing is forcing the plant to take in food when it cant use it." is very wrong. I'll explain it again - You CANNOT force a plant to take in food. FERTILIZER IS NOT FOOD, and even if it was, the mechanics of osmosis (the process by which plants absorb water and nutrients @ the cellular level) are such that too much fertilizer in the soil solution PREVENTS uptake of both water AND the nutrients dissolved in it. Too much fertilizer causes plasmolysis (fertilizer burn) - it does NOT cause plants to overeat! Additionally, new potting soil, fresh from the bag, will always be deficient in some nutrients unless it has been charged with supplemental fertilizer. You can only rely on potting soil to supply the nutrients your plants need if you know it has been supplemented, and then not for long. Container culture requires that you take an active role in nutrient supplementation or be satisfied with what growth can be squeezed out of the plant while it copes with nutrient deficiencies. "... two questions: am I suppose to cut off the dead new growth :( and what can I do to prevent it from total death? If in fact the growth is dead, there is no reason to retain it, but I would be cautious about removing any viable parts. The second question is a little more difficult to answer from here. You don't need vague, 'fits all' advice, but there's not much to go on, either. Let me ask you a couple of questions, please? When you water your plants, do you water them at the same time? do you water so that the soil is thoroughly moistened and at least 10% of the total amount of water applied exits the drain hole, or do you apply just enough to give them 'a little drink'? Are there new buds forming/formed where leaves fell? what color are they? Let us know if you think the plant has been exposed to continuing or sudden chill, or if you have moved it from a bright spot to one dimmer. What kind of fertilizer did you use (brand, and the 3 numbers representing the NPK %s) and what strength dose? Al
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Because of how far north you are, you can't take the same liberties cutting the plant back as you could in more southerly locations. The safe plan would be to get the plant outdoors when appropriate, see it back to good vitality for this year and let it grow unencumbered by pruning. Next summer, prune the top back to the lowest primary branch and tip-prune any secondary/tertiary branches arising from from the primary. This should force back-budding from the trunk below the primary branch, especially if the tree summers outdoors, and you'll be able to shorten the tree to that branch the following summer. Unfortunately, trees don't conform to our sense of time. If you can be patient and work toward honing your ability to provide the conditions your tree prefers, you'll be well rewarded, both for your efforts AND patience. Al
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Your generalization is invalid, because we know with certainty that as the volume of roots in any given pot increases beyond the approximate point where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, the top mass is not a reflection of root mass. As root congestion increases, top mass and and rate of extension decreases. This holds true even if trees are potted up after the tipping point of root congestion. Bonsai trees are not in any way trained "against their natural behavior", unless you include pruning as unnatural. Bonsai takes advantage of largely unrecognized ways of working WITH a tree's natural inclinations in order to produce a desired effect. Proficient bonsai practitioners have an intimate understanding of How to care for trees and keep them healthy, even in the face of a considerable increase in the amount of stress the same species might be subjected to if it was grown under conventional container culture. You can't claim foul re bonsai techniques being applied to conventional container culture in order to keep trees at the peak of vitality, just because you might not understand how to apply those techniques. I generally find that whenever someone uses that argument, they don't really have an argument. When we pick tomatoes, it's best to remove the stems so they don't poke holes in the skin of adjacent fruits in the basket. Does that mean the practice of removing stems should not be practiced during the harvest of other fruits or vegetables? Finally, the same leaf (size) reduction and ramification strategies that are employed by bonsai practitioners aren't widely used on houseplants like F elastica for the simple reason that few have taken the time to widely share the techniques with houseplant hobby growers. The same increases in ramification and decreases in leaf size can be absolutely guaranteed if only the tree is appropriately pruned and pinched. I regularly discuss on various forums how to pinch to achieve these ends. Too, bonsai practitioners are very careful to ensure their plants do not become root bound to the point it hampers the plant's vitality. While reduced leaf size is indeed a symptom of tight roots, tight roots also decrease ramification and limit the number of leaves the plant can/will retain, so it's largely a self-defeating strategy. There are many strategies that we use to reduce leaf size, but intentionally allowing plants to become root bound is very low on the list and generally used only on older trees (mainly conifers) that are already finely ramified and in which limited growth is at least temporarily desirable. I'm not sure why you're bent on arguing about techniques and the results thereof that have been practiced for many centuries with predictable and explainable results. Al
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tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Your soil looks like it is mainly peat based and it retains a lot of water. And that can easily lead to root rot. My suggestion is to remove that watering device - it is not letting the soil dry out. A much better method is to use a chopstick or a similar wooden stick like dowel rod and insert it in the soil to measure deep in the soil. If it comes out dry then water it well. After watering drain it well. To help with draining you can tilt the pot and/or shake the pot up and down a few times. You will notice a bit of water will drain out. Another method is to let sit on an old dry towel for 10-20 minutes to draw out the excess water. You really need to let the soil dry out a lot.

Scratch those brown spots with with your nails. If they come off then it is likely scale insects. A qtip or tissue paper dipped in alcohol can be used to wipe them out. Look for them on the stem and crevices/corners too. If they do not come off then I would not worry about it. If you have larger patches of brown then it is a different matter.

Consider adding a supplemental light. Even a 100W equivalent LED light will be helpful.

Finland is a beautiful country and always wanted to visit. Light must be really low and weak now. So a bit of extra help for the plant will make the plant happier.

Also consider this post on Ficus by our resident expert Al: Ficus Trees in Containers IV

It is quite long but you read the part by Al himself and get an understanding of how to care for a ficus.
SoCal Stewart (San Diego, Ca Zone 10A/10B)
3 years ago
Be careful not to tie that cord to tightly so as not to girdle the trunks.

Is my Ficus Elastica Melany dying?!

Comments (4)

tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)

Sabina Fetahovic
Original Author

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tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)

SoCal Stewart (San Diego, Ca Zone 10A/10B)

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Is my Ficus Elastica Melany dying?!

Comments (4)

tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)

Sabina FetahovicOriginal Author

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tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)

SoCal Stewart (San Diego, Ca Zone 10A/10B)

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Sabina Fetahovic
Original Author