Fukien Tea leaves falling off- help!!

[fukientree887]

My Fukien Tea tree's leaves have suddenly started turning brown and falling off and the leaves that are still green look wilted. This started about 4 days ago when I noticed her leaves looking sad, so naturally I watered her as that usually does the trick. However this time the leaves started turning crispy brown and falling off.

Since this has started, I haven't watered her. I also cleaned her humidity tray as I noticed a few very small microscopic bugs in the water (I have had this issue before but it never affected her much).

Her set up is inside, with a grow light as it is winter and little sun. I keep the temperature around 70 Fahrenheit and the humidity is around 40% inside my house.

-A few things to note:
A cold front recently came in dropping outside temps to around 15 Fahrenheit (thinking it may be the cold).
I have also done some research and am thinking the grow light could be scorching the leaves as it is mainly on the side the light hits...however, that does not account for the wilting leaves.
Her soil also does not feel oversaturated.
I have groomed off majority of the dead leaves in the photos.
**I have had this tree for over about 2 years and had this set up for almost 5/6 months

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

This is why I have given up on the species. They are extremely finicky in my experience, and just randomly give up trying for no apparent reason. I have no advice for you, but I can sympathize.
I like the pot, though.

 

[Shibui]

There's always a reason, even if we can't work out what it is.
We've already mentioned that some of these tropicals seem to drop leaves if conditions change then grow back soon after but I don't think that's the case this time.
The bark on the bare branches looks wrinkled. That usually means dehydration. The scorched leaves also signs of dehydration or sunburn or both.
However, dehydration for plants can occur in 2 ways:
1. Direct lack of water. Not enough water in the soil so the roots cannot get enough to keep the plant hydrated.
2. Too much water (over a long period). Causes root rot then the plant cannot get enough water even though the soil is wet.
The big problem is that above ground symptoms are almost identical in both cases.
If your tree might have been dry at some stage in the past few weeks then 1 is likely. Bear in mind that adding a grow light is likely to cause your tree to need more water than before. Also pot bound trees become progressively more difficult to keep water up to. Repotting is the best answer for root bound trees.

If you suspect the light is the cause you should back it off a little to see if that helps.

Indoor trees are very prone to root rot from overwatering. Sitting in a drip tray or humidity tray can add to the problem. Watering when the leaves wilt may also cause the problem to get worse. If you suspect overwatering you really need to check the roots. Soggy soil and black roots are indicators. Occasionally there's an associated foul smell.

Sorry I can't be more definitive. Good luck.

 

[fukientree887]

There's always a reason, even if we can't work out what it is.
We've already mentioned that some of these tropicals seem to drop leaves if conditions change then grow back soon after but I don't think that's the case this time.
The bark on the bare branches looks wrinkled. That usually means dehydration. The scorched leaves also signs of dehydration or sunburn or both.
However, dehydration for plants can occur in 2 ways:
1. Direct lack of water. Not enough water in the soil so the roots cannot get enough to keep the plant hydrated.
2. Too much water (over a long period). Causes root rot then the plant cannot get enough water even though the soil is wet.
The big problem is that above ground symptoms are almost identical in both cases.
If your tree might have been dry at some stage in the past few weeks then 1 is likely. Bear in mind that adding a grow light is likely to cause your tree to need more water than before. Also pot bound trees become progressively more difficult to keep water up to. Repotting is the best answer for root bound trees.

If you suspect the light is the cause you should back it off a little to see if that helps.

Indoor trees are very prone to root rot from overwatering. Sitting in a drip tray or humidity tray can add to the problem. Watering when the leaves wilt may also cause the problem to get worse. If you suspect overwatering you really need to check the roots. Soggy soil and black roots are indicators. Occasionally there's an associated foul smell.

Sorry I can't be more definitive. Good luck.

I really appreciate your advice. The soil doesn’t feel oversaturated to the touch. Part of me wants to repot it to see if it could be root rot but am afraid of running the risk in the case this is not the issue…

However, now that I am thinking back on it there was a point within the last month I noticed her humidity tray was dry. Thinking it may have been foreshadowing dehydration?
-The only thing holding me back from believing this is her leaves starting falling after her last watering.

I also bought a mini greenhouse for her hoping this could help with the humidity. Curious if this could be part of the issue.

 

[Carol 83]

Part of me wants to repot it.

Not a good idea if the tree is ailing.

humidity tray

Ditch that. They don't do anything but rot the roots if you keep water in it. They're finicky trees. Some here have success with them, I have not. Best of luck.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Simply touxhing the top of the soil wont tell you what the bottom/roots are doing. Try a wooden chopstick. Stick the chopstick in to the bottom of the pot and leave it for 5-10min. If the stick is wet, dont water. If the stick is damp, thats good but youll need to water in a day or so. If the stick is dry, water immediately.

 

[Shibui]

Not a good idea if the tree is ailing.

That's good advice when the roots are NOT the problem.
If it is the roots causing the problem then NOT repotting will almost certainly kill the tree. I've saved many sick trees where roots were the most likely issue by repotting to remove the problem.

I really appreciate your advice. The soil doesn’t feel oversaturated to the touch. Part of me wants to repot it to see if it could be root rot but am afraid of running the risk in the case this is not the issue…

However, now that I am thinking back on it there was a point within the last month I noticed her humidity tray was dry. Thinking it may have been foreshadowing dehydration?
-The only thing holding me back from believing this is her leaves starting falling after her last watering.

I also bought a mini greenhouse for her hoping this could help with the humidity. Curious if this could be part of the issue.

As mentioned, it's not the surface that matters. The surface can feel dry but deeper in the pot the soil is still saturated. Especially true when pots are sitting in water or humidity tray.
Check to see if the tree is wired into the pot. If so cut the wire running under the pot. The pot looks like a good shape to just slide the entire root ball out intact and check the bottom soil and roots running around the pot. No need to repot or even disturb the roots or soil - unless there's a real problem and the roots are not holding the soil together, in which case it's probably better to repot than leave it be.

The wrinkled bark seems to be the biggest indicator that there's a long term problem. I'd estimate those branches have been dead for more than a few weeks but that doesn't pinpoint the cause. The fact it got worse after watering would seem to indicate root rot rather than direct dehydration.

The mini greenhouse should not be the direct cause of loss of leaves. It may mask the problem by keeping the leaves looking better than they otherwise would be. High humidity will definitely make root rot worse because the soil won't dry out properly.