What to do when the leaves of a small-leaf banyan bonsai turn yellow? Causes and solutions

  The small-leaf banyan bonsai is also a type of banyan bonsai. It belongs to the mulberry family and its fruit is somewhat spherical. The fruit comes in various colors, mostly red. The small-leaf banyan uses the banyan tree as its basic material and is pruned to achieve unusual forms in the trunk, roots, stems and leaves of the ornamental banyan. But in our daily care process, a slight mistake may cause the leaves of the small-leaf banyan to turn yellow. What should you do when the leaves of a small-leaf banyan bonsai turn yellow? Below, we have collected and organized some causes of yellowing leaves in small-leaf banyan bonsai and the countermeasures, for your reference.

  1. Yellow leaves due to poor soil

  If the soil is too poor, the color of the young leaves of the small-leaf banyan will fade and become yellow-green, and then the old leaves will also begin to turn yellow. If the soil is also compacted, the situation becomes even more serious.

  Countermeasure: Fertilize regularly, with light but frequent applications. If the soil is compacted, loosen the soil or repot. When watering, add a suitable amount of alum fertilizer water.

  2. Yellow leaves due to too little light

  If it is kept in a hidden place for a long time, the leaves cannot photosynthesize, and artificial supplementary light is also insufficient, so the leaves will turn yellow and continuously drop.

  Countermeasure: Move the small-leaf banyan to a brightly lit place and provide a suitable amount of scattered light.

  3. Yellow leaves due to frequent watering:

  If you see that the young leaves of the small-leaf banyan look dull yellow and lack luster, while the old leaves are normal, and the branches grow small and are somewhat dry and shrunken, then it has been watered too much.

  Countermeasure: It is best to remove the root ball from the pot. Move the small-leaf banyan's soil ball to a ventilated and cool place, and repot it after the potting soil has dried.

  4. Yellow leaves due to excessive soil fertility

  Applying light but frequent fertilizer is very particular; you cannot give concentrated fertilizer. If the concentration is too high or too much is applied, it easily causes yellow leaves. The main sign is that the leaf tips turn yellow and dry brown, similar to burns, the leaves look thick and lack luster, and the old leaves turn brown-yellow and fall off.

  Countermeasure: Stop fertilizing immediately and flush the potting soil with clean water, repeating several times.

  5. Yellow leaves caused by pests and diseases

  Aphids, red spider mites, scale insects, etc. When pests and diseases occur, the small-leaf banyan will suffer damage to varying degrees, causing root rot or damage, which will cause the leaves to turn yellow.

  Countermeasure: When the small-leaf banyan shows yellowing leaves, check the growth of the roots to see whether there are dead roots, rotten roots, damaged roots, etc., and spray pesticides in time for prevention and control.