I just HAD to buy this beautiful vining ficus at the local box store to make a boring corner of my apt happy. I knew they were finicky...but jeeze! It did really well for the first 6 weeks or so. The care card said to water it every other day. Then it started looking a little droopy so I cut back on the watering to once a week. I guess it didn't like that because the leaves started curling up...but the soil still felt adequately moist (not wet - not dry). Then I moved it away from the window about a foot...and it started dropping its leaves - bigtime. I usually keep that window closed - or closed enough so any wind doesn't catch it. It doesn't get direct sunlight, just late afternoon, dappled light. I put it back where it was. But every time I water it - dry or not - the leaves drop again! I've been using a diluted Miracle Grow solution...don't want to over-feed the touchy little queen! Should I just leave it be? Burn it? LOL
I just had to laugh at you calling it "touchy little queen". I gave up on them years and years ago. My sis-in-law has one that starts to drop it's leaves if you don't talk to it enough! :-o All I know about them, is that they do not like to be messed with once they are situated in their perfect spot/throne. Sounds like you're doing everything right regarding the watering etc. If it were me, I'd just leave it alone for a bit... no pampering. And if it doesn't respond... then maybe a bonfire would be in order!
I say, put it outside in the shade. When you bring it bach inside though, it will do the same thing. They drop all their leaves at the drop of a hat at their convenience A little breeze, a lumen too bright, a lumen to dim, the Ph of the water was 1/100th off, you just looked at it...Oh My! that would do it, too. Good Luck. As Cheryl said .....Have a bon fire if nothing else and roast a few hotdogs over it.
I've got 3. One of them is the most fussy plant I've ever owned. It appears that it sheds it leaves completely randomly. One month it will put on lots of new leaves and seem really happy, then the next all the new leaves die and drop. Don't get it. My ficus benjamina varigata however seems perfectly happy. It's in a north facing window so no sun at all and I water it once a week. It still drops lots of leaves and puts new ones on but it isn't constantly almost dead like the other one. The only one which never loses leaves is my ficus ginseng: This one has been happy for years. Would highly recommend it if you're hell bent on buying a ficus!
We have a ficus at my office building. It was left by a departing business owner many years ago. No one remembers who bequeathed it to the building. It has been living in a no- mans-land hallway area where there is a window and a skylight. It LOVES it there. It does do its leaf dropping thing a bit, but grows so tall and so wide, it threatens the ceiling and the wall. We hack it back periodically. It is cared for by various business owners in the building. The woman who does the cleaning threatens to get rid of it. She objects to the falling leaves. The rest of us put up a hew & cry, and thus the tree gets to stay. It was at risk several months ago though. The building owner put in new carpet. The cleaner staged a persuasive campaign that the tree would damage the carpet, and thus should go. The rest of us had huddled discussions about this, (mainly in the women's room) and the result was the purchase of a rubber entrance mat for the tree to sit upon. The winning point was that the tree was too big for anyone to take home. It would not fit in anyone's car and even the building owner hated to simply pitch it. So the FICUS LIVES ON!!! Oh, and yes, the rest of us agreed to do leaf patrol from time to time....
I'm in agreement with Carolyn. Put it outside in the shade. Mine always seem to love it, and thrive out on my deck. They can be fussy ones! Just show it who's boss
LOL everyone! Don't give up on the office mascot, Cayuga! =) While picking the plethora of leaves from the pot today, I noticed there are roots coming up out of the soil. Maybe it just needs to me repotted...? I'd feel bad that I insulted it if it just needs a bigger home to grow into. Will just normal potting mix do? Or does it need a super secret special Argentinian soil or something? LOL I'll think about bringing it outside for the summer - see what happens. At least the leaves will blow away and I won't have to pick them up every day. (Note: Oh, in my original post I meant "weeping" ficus...not "vining". I musta had that problematic honeysuckle on my mind <sigh> )
ToadinNH--If you decide to put your ficus outside, please be careful of the sun! Indoor plants taken outside often get sunburned. Place your ficus in the shade, and only gradually introduce it to 1/2 sun. Repotting might be a good idea, but probably will stimulate leaf drop. I like your comment that at least the wind might blow the leaves away! Good luck!
Hi ToadinNH, One thing you might want to stop doing is feeding it. It can't use the food properly right now. Feeding an ailing plant can cause the problems it's having to become much worse. Wait until it stops being a pain and starts putting out lots of new "healthy" growth, then feed it A diluted weak amount once in a while. Hope the queen straightens up soon!
Indeed a ficus can become an orphan of the corporate world. Usually relegated to a atrium entryway they reach for skylights, drop their leaves, grow and reach some more. Till the powers that be deem the facility 'building non-gratis' and it spends its final days in the abandoned entryway too big to move, dropping its final leaf in silence as it succumbs to the chilling cold of winter. The wrecking ball the final sound. :-( Jerry P.S. Hang on to your ficus, they may be fussy plants but they make great sentinels of entryways.
Ficus benjamina (weeping Ficus) is notorious for shedding leaves when it is relocated and when it is not watered properly. However, once it is given adequate light, allowed to adapt to that light and watered properly, it is one of the hardiest of all indoor plants. The more direct sunlight your Ficus receives, the better it will do over the long-term. Keep it right in front of an uncovered sunny window. Rotate it a quarter turn each week so it gets even light. You have bounced from one extreme to another with the watering. Water it by need, not by some predetermined schedule. If there is a lot of loose soil on the surface not in direct contact with the roots, remove it. Then, wait for the top inch of soil to dry before watering thoroughly. That means add enough so that a small quantity trickles through the drainage holes. Do not water again until the top inch of soil is dry. If you provide good light and are consistent with your watering and are patient, your Ficus will gradually settle in and not lose nearly as many old leaves as it adds new ones. Repotting and fertilizing are not a good idea until the tree has fully recovered and settled in. ~Will Creed
Thanks Will! Patience is the key here I guess. I was going to repot it this weekend, but the pot I got is way too big. It's hard to tell how moist the soil is because the roots are so tight. I should have repotted it when it was doing well - but I was scared to mess with it! Reminds me of puppy training. Time and patience. Schedule and timing. My dog is still alive after all these years...a plant can't be that difficult....right??? lol
Just an update. I repotted the finicky ficus a few weeks ago. Left it outside until downpours were in the forecast. Brought it back inside and left it alone. 1 or 2 dropped leaves and that was it. So I gave it a very small amount of food w/watering a few days ago and now I see NEW LEAVES coming!! Thanks for all the great advice and encouragement. It would probably be suffering in a landfill if I hadn't found you awesome planty people!
