What to Do When a Bonsai Ficus Drops Its Leaves? Feng Shui Considerations and Fertilizing and Care Methods

Ficus, also known as small-leaved ficus, evergreen, and ficus aerial roots, blooms from May to June. It has been named the provincial tree of Fujian Province, and the ficus is also rated as the city tree of Fuzhou and Ganzhou. So is it good feng shui to grow a ficus at home? How do you solve constant leaf drop? How do you fertilize? How do you care for a bonsai?

Is it good feng shui to grow a ficus at home?

1. In the eyes of rural people, the ficus represents a feng shui tree. If it is planted outside the house in the courtyard, people believe that planting a tree inside the enclosing wall turns it into "kùn" (entrapment), and in this way the family's luck will become very bad and they will be trapped.

2. The main saying is that the "róng" in ficus is a homophone of "róng" in "róng rén" (tolerating people), but many people like to compare things in the opposite way. For example, if a rural person's age ends in the digit nine, they will not plant chives at home, believing that planting chives means they cannot keep a person whose age contains nine, which would put the family members' lives in danger.

The ficus carries the same meaning: planting a ficus means the ficus does not tolerate people, which will make family members fall ill, and in serious cases even endanger their lives.

How do you solve the problem of a home-grown ficus constantly dropping leaves?

The following several reasons can cause a ficus to drop leaves easily:

1. Improper watering: The ficus likes a moist environment, and if the potting soil is too dry, leaf drop will occur.

Solution: In fact, the ficus has a very developed root system, and even if the potting soil dries out completely, it will not suffer too much harm in a short time. If it has gone more than 1 month without water and has dropped leaves, do not give a large amount of water all at once; proceed gradually and water little by little, otherwise it is very easy to cause poor root growth.

2. Improper fertilizing: Too much fertilizer causes fertilizer burn, affecting the plant's growth, with leaf drop in mild cases and death in severe cases.

Solution: Fertilize according to the method of light fertilizer applied frequently, and avoid using high-concentration chemical fertilizers or unrotted organic fertilizers. Water promptly the next day after fertilizing to dilute the fertilizer in the potting soil. If too much fertilizer was applied, you can let the excess fertilizer flow out from the bottom of the pot with water by watering, then let the potting soil dry out.

3. Insufficient light: The ficus has lush leaves and needs more nutrients to support them, and an important source of these nutrients is sunlight. When light is insufficient, the leaves grow poorly and leaf drop occurs. Of course, in the stuffy hot environment of summer, with excessive light, the leaves will also drop.

Solution: Adjust the light duration according to seasonal changes. Summer light is stronger, so provide 50% shade at noon; normal light is fine in other seasons. When the temperature is below 32°C, no shading is needed.

4. Pests: Common pests of the ficus include scale insects and red spider mites, which easily appear in poorly ventilated, dry-air environments. They are small in size but cause serious damage and are not easy to control.

Solution: Wash the pests off with water and spray a mite-killing insecticide. Alternatively, use a laundry detergent solution or wind-oil solution for spraying; it is non-toxic and has a good control effect.

How do you fertilize a home-grown ficus?

1. Fertilizing methods

The ficus is a relatively rough-and-ready variety, a plant that can survive with plenty of water, plenty of fertilizer, and both drought and waterlogging. Sufficient fertilizer will make the ficus branches and trunk grow very robust. Although the ficus likes fertilizer, applying it too many times will also harm the ficus roots. Fertilize according to the different seasons. Summer and autumn are its vigorous growth periods, so fertilize once a month. In winter, just reduce fertilizing, and you can even pause fertilizing.

When fertilizing a ficus, avoid using fertilizers with high concentration or those that have not been rotted and fermented, otherwise it is very easy to make the ficus leaves wither and drop in large areas, and in serious cases it can kill the ficus.

If the ficus is planted in a courtyard and it rains, be sure not to fertilize, as this will cause the nutrients in the fertilizer to be lost, and the plant will hardly absorb any of them.

2. Fertilizing tips

Each month you can apply 9 to 11 granules of compound fertilizer to the ficus. The method is to bury the fertilizer granules deep in the soil where the ficus is planted, then water promptly.

When repotting the ficus, you can put the fertilizer directly into the soil before planting.

How do you care for a home-grown ficus bonsai?

1. Soil selection for growing ficus

The ficus likes a sunny, well-ventilated, warm and humid environment. When the weather is hot in summer, provide appropriate shade and frequently sprinkle water on the ground to keep the microclimate at a certain humidity. In the north, in late autumn or early winter, move the ficus bonsai indoors to overwinter.

2. Fertilizing methods for growing ficus

During the growing season, apply a rotted, diluted organic liquid fertilizer once a month, and apply "alum fertilizer water" once each in May and August every year. Do not fertilize the ficus too much. Too much fertilizer makes the branches grow leggy, and the leaves enlarge, which is actually less attractive. Do not fertilize when the weather is hot in summer or in winter.

Because the ficus grows quickly, once it is growing normally you can apply a foliar topdressing once a day, using rotted human or livestock urine or decomposed fertilizer as topdressing. You can also apply base fertilizer when repotting; sufficient fertilizer can make the trunk grow thick and sturdy. If the potting soil is fertile, there is no need for topdressing; during the summer and autumn growing period, you can spray a nutrient solution on the leaves to make the branches and leaves dense and emerald green, giving people a sense of beauty.

3. Watering methods for growing ficus

The ficus is a tropical plant and likes plenty of water and fertilizer. It is highly adaptable and can grow in stone cracks and also in water, but once the ficus has grown, the potting soil should be kept moist and water must not accumulate in the pot. In summer, watering twice a day is appropriate.

The ficus likes moisture, so during the growing period it should be watered frequently to keep the potting soil at a certain humidity, but water must not accumulate in the pot. In winter the temperature is low and water evaporates less, so water appropriately less. The ficus likes moisture, so during the growing season keep the potting soil damp. In summer, besides watering the pot, also frequently sprinkle water on the ground to keep the local microclimate at a certain humidity. But water must not accumulate in the pot. In winter, water less; if the potting soil is damp, there is no need to water.