What´s wrong with my fiddle fig?
Diana Silva
11 months ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 months agoRelated Discussions
What's Wrong with my Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree??
Comments (5)It depends. Treated municipal water might contain chlorine (often not the kind that dissipates after the water stands for a while), and hard water can cause harmful mineral deposits, but you can avoid that by flushing the soil frequently. Still, rainwater or R/O (reverse osmosis) water is great, especially to flush accumulated mineral deposits from soil. Just be aware that if your ficus's roots can't take up water at all, either because they've died of dehydration or from suffocation because water retentive soil stayed soggy for long periods of time, even the purest water won't help. That being said, one of the easiest things to start with is flushing the soil to remove mineral deposits, and R/O or rainwater make that easier. I used R/O water from a supermarket machine to flush my plants, but when I'm not up to hauling stuff I use tap water from my faucet mounted filter. Once you've done that, learned how to tell your plans actually needs water before watering, and learned how to remove as much perched water as possible after watering, you can focus on getting your ficus into a fast draining soil that doesn't pose a danger to its roots. Another excellent thread called Dealing with water retentive soils: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1415041/dealing-with-water-retentive-soils?n=62...See MoreWhat’s wrong with my weeping fig?
Comments (4)Foliar glands occur where the petiole transitions to the leaf blade, and, as Dave mentioned, are a normal part of Ficus morphology; though so far their purpose is not fully understood. They used to be referred to as 'wax' glands, and occur in a high % of the plants in the Moraceae family, including mulberry. Newer literature refers to the gland as a phenolic gland, because of the heavy deposits of phenolic compounds in the glandular region. Any exudates (oozings) that originate in the near vicinity of the gland are probably latex or residuals from same and not related to the gland itself. Ficus often have other regularly spaced white dots inside and along leaf margins that are often misidentified as pests or glands. They are lithocysts that contain crystals of calcium carbonate or calcium oxylate called cystoliths. This should be helpful. Al...See MoreWhat is wrong with my fiddle leaf fig?
Comments (1)Pls post a pic if you'd like folks to help. Sorry, but your description is not enough, we need to actually SEE the plant to try & help you....See MoreWhat is wrong with my Fiddle Fig Tree
Comments (2)Most likely: A complex chain of events that results in shedding of leaves can be set into motion when the photo load (amount of light) a plant is receiving is changed dramatically. It's especially noticeable when the photo load is diminished. Older/lower leaves are usually the first victims. Other potentialities: Over or under-watering can cause shedding of foliage, as can nutritional deficiencies of the nutrients considered mobile in the plant (mostly N, P, K, Mg). Root congestion and soil compaction are other possibilities. Al...See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 months agoMike the Fiddle Leaf Fig Guy
11 months agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 months ago
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Diana SilvaOriginal Author