I have been growing a tree that was originally in a countertop dish garden. I believe it is a ficus amstel king. At least it's leaves looks similar.it was only about 5 inches tall when I took it out of the dish garden and gave it it's own pot.It is about 3 years old now and It has grown to about 5 feet tall but this year the leaves have fallen off. The trunk is still alive . Just naked of it's leaves, Will they (the leaves) grow back? also the leaves eventually grow clusters of pea sized greenish-whiteish hard berries. any words of wisdom or suggestions for me?
Dmj, If it is a ficus...the leaves drop if you look at it wrong or speak to it in the wrong tone of voice. Give it time, the leaves should reappear soon. Have you moved it even an inch or two to turned it so the other side was getting some sunshine? They are very finicky. I had one for a long time and every spring and Fall it dropped it's leaves faithfully and then they would pop back out and look great until the next season. The "little berries", are they on the leaf itself or what? it sounds like a gall/insect issue to me if they are attached to the leaf.
Thanks for the reply The berries are definite not insects. But yes the tree was getting large and I put it outside for the first time in. 3years. It did awesome all summer till I brought it in, It sounds like a prissy temperamental princess. I bet it is a ficus. Of. Course if I took a pic now it is just a naked tree. But the good news is my husband bought me this iPad for my birthday yesterday and this is the first message I am typing on it. And he says it takes pictures. Once I learn how to use it I can probably post pictures without selling my soul. I am not a very technology savvy person.
DMJ, It was the move that made her drop her gown. Sorry for you, you have to live with a nekked princess. (Or an emperor with no clothes) Give her time. It will get better. I am not sure about the berries. I am not sure I have ever seen any kind of "fruit" on an ornamental ficus of any kind. Good luck on the tech stuff. I need my children to do stuff for me. good thing I was so blessed years ago.
Oh yes, ficus will generally drop their leaves when moved from brighter light to less light. And being trees, they will always be dropping a few leaves, but I don't think its fair to always accuse them of being finicky divas. Actually what yours is doing is changing its leaves - it had leaves adapted for the light outdoors, you bring it in, it throws those away and grows some new ones adapted to the light conditions indoors. There was a suggestion on another thread that you could stop the leaf drop by spraying the plant to saturation with water twice a day for 5 days. (Did I get that right? I'll have to check it again). Anyway, I hope some other people will try it, what a cool idea if it's reliable. Also, the "berries" are actually the F. benjamina's version of figs. (Where did you get the name 'Amstel King'? Sounds pretty much like a benjamina to me. Need a picture). Anyway, being outside in the good light not only stimulated it to grow, but also to fruit. If you cut the fruits open you will see a kind of "toothy" stuff filling the inside - that is actually the flower! Ficus - fig - have their flowers inside the fruit, and they are usually pollinated by a specific-to-the-specie type of tiny wasp that crawls inside the fruit. Pretty cool, huh?
Thanks for the reply.. I haven't been back here since trying to learn a new computer. Got a iPad for bday and Christmas but it like a foreign world. I am. Only now getting to find my way back to my websites. I got the name from a website that had a gazillion pictures. It kind of looked like the Amstel. But I wasn't really sure i was correct The good news is with the iPad I think I can take pics and post them with little effort. It is actually the focus of the next iPad class in2weeks. The crazy ficus tree is naked except for 2leaves hanging on. A 5'ft naked tree in the corner. Looks like a Charlie Brown tree . I hope she regrows her gown.
My ficus chick is gaining her green again! She went down to one lone leaf. Looked at her today and she has a dozen. Thanks for the info on her. I probably would have trashed her. Now my question is, if i cut the branches will they grow more or kill the plant? I will try to take a pic tomorrow and post it. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.
Yes, I had a few that were 8 feet tall along time ago. When I moved them from outside to inside for the Winter, they dropped all their leaves very quickly. I found that if I sprayed them as soon as I brought them in 2 times a day till saturated, they would not loose a leaf at all. After about a week or 2 I would spread the sprayings out till I was only doing it every 2 weeks. They were fine after that forever. I got my sister to do that and it worked for her also. You are welcome....
Will try to get a pic this morning. Barb, i see you are from PA. How is your weather? Hope you are keeping safe and warm. After living in MA for 50 years i am enjoying the southern winters. Hardly no snow. If i was smart i would have plantrd cabbages but missed the season. I am getting the itch to feel soil under my finger nails. So iwill Buy a few bags of soil and plant some seeds and grow a few things in my window.
Hope this comes out This is the. Pic of my fickle ficus. Her greenery is starting to grow in. Next thing to figure out...how to post right side up ( photo / image / picture from DMJ24's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from DMJ24's Garden )
Well, life has been .....CONSTANT! To say the very least. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and a safe start to the new year! I am pleased to report lady ficus has decided nudity did not suit her and replaced her clothes. I still,however, have not learned how to post right side up pictures. In fact without my husband's help i can't figure out how to post even the sideways picture!!!
Do you have some sort of photo editing software? You need to re-position the photo before uploading it here. Oh yeah... and happy to her that your Ficus is filling in again!
I am not sure cherylad. I am so bad with technology it isn't funny. I am so bad at it that i have been trying to use this ipad and it is so touchy that things disappear and i can't find them again. Then several days later i turn it on again and it pops up. I was definitely meant to scratch in the dirt .
