My 8 inch ficus religiosa is experiencing similar problems. I haven't had any spider mite problems, but within the past week or so its leaves have been getting black spots, yellowing, and falling off. All my other plants are fine. I thought maybe it was some kind of fungus like blackspot on roses (which has been terrible here this year). I sprayed with a fungicide so now all I'm doing is watching and waiting. This is the first ficus I've ever tried to grow, so I hope it pulls through.

Weird that we should both be getting these symptoms. Maybe it's something in the Delaware air? Blame it on Ruth Ann.... ;-)

Ha ha I blame her for a lot more than the health of my ficus trees; I work for the state. Where's my cost of living raise?!?!?

Your cost of living raise was sucked up by the income lost by Ruth Ann's smoking ban. Is it an election year yet? :-)

I found this thread on the Fig forum. It looks like what's going on with my ficus. Hope it helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fig Rust

yeah, i think that is it. i just read that it can happen when the leaves are too wet or humid at night. looks like my spraying got rid of the spidermites but caused a whole new problem! guess i'll cross my fingers and try the baking soda treatment...

A neighbor who was moving had a most glorious ficus tree she gave me last year. Since then the leaves are not only dropping but there is some kind a sap that keeps wrecking everything under the tree. How can I stop it and why was she able to keep the tree on the carpet with no sweat?

HELPPP!

I would say you are right with your water-on-the-leaves assumption. Ficus trees are VERY tempermental. Even moving the tree a few feet can cause leaves to drop at an alarming rate. I lost all but THREE of my leaves last year on my 8 ft ficus tree. I think my cats were climbing up in the tree at night though and disturbing it. I placed it outside where it gets sun for 2 hours and shade the rest of the day. It is doing great this year!

On another note.....Ficus's have very specific watering needs. They like to be saturated with water, and left to dry out completely before watering again. Sometimes I do not give my Ficus water outside for 2 weeks. Keep this in mind, as overwatering will DEFNITELY cause leaves to drop.

Lafemmegiselle, it sounds as though your ficus is infested with sap-sucking insects, probably either scale or mealybugs. They open little wounds on the tree and the sap bleeds all over the place. If you can get rid of the bugs, the drippy sap problems should go with them, good luck.

My ficus has black spots on sticky leaves with small nodes on the stem of the leaves. Please advise. Elaine

i have several outdoor ficus trees....i just noticed leaves on the trees that are folded together. i opened one and found little thread like black bugs. can someone tell me what kind of bugs they are and how to treat the trees.
thanks

Ficus also lose their leaves and can lose even all of them when light and temperature conditions change...that happens a lot too when you first bring them home from a gardn centre that keeps them in a green house as well.

denise, your bugs sound like thrips. I would pull off all the affected leaves to get rid of most of the bugs and treat with a systemic insecticide containing imidacloprid, such as Bayer Tree and Shrub drench, or Marathon granules (less messy but hard to find unless you can buy wholesale). Good luck!

I have had a very hard time raising ficus trees here in Alaska. In Georgia, no problem. My four year old tree grew to 8 feet tall.

I have a tree that I've had for two years. Now it is dropping leaves, has black spots and some kind of white waxy node at the base of many of the leaves. The node can be easily removed with your nail. Sometimes there is a hair like strand attached to the node. I've tried drenching the tree in a soapy solution, but that hasn't helped. Any advice?

Hi Jennifer - I don't know if you're still hoping for an answer, but many plants, Ficus among them, posses highly specialized gland-like trichomes (hairs) at the leaf base where petioles attach that secrete oil, resin or wax, or mucilage. Wax, in the case of Ficus. A typical glandular hair has a stalk and enlarged terminal portion (what you see) which is usually referred to as a gland. It's a normal part of leaf anatomy. ;o)

Al