Can Someone Help My Dying Ficus

[EvanM]

Hello,

My Ficus bonsai tree (not sure what exact species) has been on the downward spiral since 5 months ago, when I gave it quite a significant prune. I began to notice it loosing more leaves than usual and no new growth developing, usually the prune would bring on lots of new growth, even at that time of year. I tried feeding it and changing the watering pattern, but that didn't help. I tried checking for pests and checking the roots, but I couldn't see anything obvious apart from it going a bit black around the base of the trunk. I re-potted it as it really needed it, trimming the roots but that was a month ago and it is getting worse, loosing further leaves and some smaller branches are beginning to go rotten as well. It sits in a window and gets a good amount of sunlight, I am only watering when the soil is dry and I try and keep the room a warm as possible, although it can get a little cold at night (I am in the UK). Any help would be much appreciated, its 16 years old and I really don't want to loose it

Many thanks

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

Ficus Retusa it looks like. I leave mine outside year round out here. They get hit with 45-50 degree weather a lot and don't seem to mind.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Indoors they don’t really do well unless you add extra lights. The heat indoors also dries the plant too much- they like the extra humidity. Also if growing near a window it can get very cold if it’s against the glass.
Put it outside once it gets 65-70.
When is your summer?
This type of light puts out some heat so you have to watch watering carefully

 

[Forsoothe!]

What we have here is a failure to communicate. The Tigerbark keeps saying,"It's winter and I want to go to sleep!!" Nurse Rachett keeps slapping him around and yelling, "Get up you lazy slob."

Right now you should be seeing the beginning of new buds because the diminishing light levels that began 5 months ago (5 months ago!) are now returning, beginning a new growing season. From now on, follow this schedule:
April 1: Turn the tree/pot upside-down and remove the pot. If the roots look like they are too crowded and don't have enough room to grow for 12 months, repot. {Cut off the the large anchor roots and retain as many fine feeder roots as possible.} Begin feeding with any commercial liquid according to directions every two weeks until August 15th.
May 1 to 15: Remove all leaves by cutting them off at the base of the leaf, leaving the stem that is connected to the branch. There is a bud in the axil that is protected by that stem and when the bud expands it will kick that old stem off. Remove the single bud at the tips of branches to make the tree more full and dense. Any branch that you want to grow longer; do not remove the terminal bud. Put the tree outdoors in full sun, water daily.
September 1: Move the tree to dappled sun/shade to two weeks, thence to full shade for two weeks, finally to deeper shade until weather dictates you bring it indoors to your window. Since all the leaves are only five months old, and you have conditioned them to low levels of light, they should last through winter.
Repeat, ad infinitum.

Any time the tree grows out-of-bounds, that is, outside the image you have in your mind's eye for the canopy, clip off that branch tip back to at least one bud or leaf shorter than where you want it to be. This can be done any time of year, but it's best to anticipate maintaining the desired canopy shape in your May denuding.

 

[Shibui]

Repotting ficus in winter in cooler climates is almost sure to set it back and often kill them.
We find they respond far better to summer work - root pruning, pruning and defoliation are all carried out from late spring through to mid summer.

Hope your ficus survives........

 

[sorce]

The text sounds like it's too dry.
Soil looks it too.

I have kept mine near the cold basement floor just out of light range and it hasn't grown and only dropped a few leaves.

The basket it is in has gotten dry AF, like dry dry, should be dead dry.

It is truly asleep.

By that window....it will be growing and needing more water IMO.

I'd cut all that moisture losing foliage off and keep it soaked till it grows anew.

Sorce

 

[KennedyMarx]

I agree it looks very dry. Keep the soil moist, not letting it dry completely out. I wouldn't cut the remaining leaves off though, I think that would definitely kill it.

 

[Steez]

Once the night lows are above 50-55 get it outside and it'll come back just fine