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| hi my name is chloe and im 16. im new to this whole bonsai thing but would love to learn as much as possible. the other day while at the street fair i bought a ficus from a nursery who had packed up some plants to sell their.
its currently in my room. we keep the temp around 70 but my room gets the coldest. mom only wants it in my room. i know it is an inside plant but it isnt doing to well. when it first started losing leaves i made my first mistake and watered it, the soil was already moist. this is when i found out that you should let it dry out between watering. i misted it the other morning and it seemed to do good that day. im trying to decide between a humidity trey or misting it every morning. i will tak any advice. what ever anybody knows about ficuses please shoot me and email crazy2_bme90@yahoo.com
thanx chloe |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by gnome_in_pa Zone 6 (My Page) on Sat, Nov 11, 06 at 4:13
| Chloe, Welcome to the world of bonsai, if you stay with bonsai it could become a life-long hobby. I wish that I had the resources that are available to you when my interest first emerged. Quote: " i know it is an inside plant but it isnt doing to well. when it first started losing leaves i made my first mistake and watered it, the soil was already moist. this is when i found out that you should let it dry out between watering." Ficus are tropical and as you know will not tolerate low temperatures, and as such are grown inside during the winter in much of the country. Ficus are notorious for dropping their leaves when they are moved to a new environment, especially lower light levels. If you only over-waterd it once that is probably not the problem but it is good that you are aware of the proper procedure for watering. Quote: "i misted it the other morning and it seemed to do good that day. im trying to decide between a humidity trey or misting it every morning." I see no reason that you should not do both if you are so inclined. Temperatures in the 70's are OK, more important is the light level. Ficus will tolerate low light levels but prefer brighter light and will thrive outdoors in the summer. If you have a window with good light put it near that. If not consider an inexpensive fluorescent light, it will help immensely. What is the soil like? Is it very heavy in peat or does it have a fair amount of gritty matter in it? The latter is preferable. If it is in poor soil, as I suspect, a re-potting will be necessary at some point. Don't panic about the leaf drop. Don't over-water, more trees are killed by novices by improper watering than any other cause. Concentrate on learning how to manage the tree and keep it healthy. I hope this helps and don't hesitate to ask more questions when they arise. Norm |
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