What are the reasons for a bonsai ficus losing its leaves
Bonsai ficus is a fairly common ornamental plant in everyday life, and hobbyists who grow bonsai ficus often find that it drops leaves; normal leaf drop is when old leaves fall so new leaves can grow, while some abnormal leaf drop is caused by poor routine care, so let us take a look together at the reasons for a bonsai ficus losing its leaves and the solutions!
Improper watering causes leaf drop
When watering a ficus, you must stick to the principle of not watering until dry, and watering thoroughly when you do; dry here means the surface of the potting soil is dry, not that the potting soil has dried out completely, though of course even if it has dried out completely it will not cause much harm to the ficus in a short time, because ficus leaves are thick and small and have a certain drought tolerance.
Improper fertilizing causes leaf drop
Fertilizing a ficus needs to be done by the method of light fertilizer applied frequently, avoiding high-concentration chemical fertilizer or organic fertilizer that has not been fermented and decomposed, otherwise fertilizer burn will occur, with light cases causing leaf drop and severe cases causing death.
Insufficient light causes leaf drop
Ficus grows well in an environment with sufficient light; during the high-temperature period in summer, if 30-50% shade can be provided the leaf color will appear more emerald green, but when the temperature is below 32°C it is best not to shade, so as to avoid leaf drop.
Pests cause leaf drop
The pests that cause leaf drop in ficus are mainly red spider mites and scale insects; although “thrips” are also harmful, this insect only curls leaves and sucks sap, its harmfulness is somewhat less than the above two, and thrips are also easy to control, and you only need to pick off the curled leaves and destroy them. Red spider mites are relatively small, and the usual damaged area is the back of the leaves; they are caused by poor ventilation and dry air, and you can rinse the whole plant with plenty of water and then spray with miticides specific to mites, such as maitan and ketan. Scale insects mostly damage areas such as stems and leaf stalks; they vary in size and color, and in shape are round, oval, and so on; they generally do not move, but they are quite harmful and need to be controlled promptly; you can brush them off with a toothbrush or wipe them clean with a rag, or spray a 0.2% solution of washing powder or wind-oil to control them, or spray pesticides such as methidathion to control them, all with good results.
Solutions for ficus leaf drop
1. Within four weeks, water less; ordinarily just keep the growing medium at 50-60% moisture. Too much water increases the chance of wounds on the root system rotting. A drier medium favors the growth of new roots.
2. Shade 50% to 70%, or place it in a semi-shaded environment for three to four weeks; too strong light will increase transpiration.
3. Spray the leaves with water more often, to keep the small environment at higher air humidity and keep the leaves moist; this can lower leaf temperature, reduce leaf transpiration, and reduce water loss.
4. Ginseng ficus is native to the south and likes slightly acidic water and soil. For the growing medium, peat soil is recommended, and the water used for irrigation also needs to be softened; wrap one jin of activated carbon or peat soil in gauze, soak it in a bucket of water for 24 hours, and it can lower the pH of the water.
5. Do not consider fertilizing within four weeks; ginseng ficus itself has a large amount of water and nutrients in its body to sustain it for a period. If you fertilize it before the wounds on the root system have completely healed, its root system not only cannot absorb it, but overly concentrated fertilizer will also force the water in the root cells to flow back into the medium. After four weeks, it is recommended to apply the nutrient solution sold in flower markets.