I've heard these plants are sensitive to changes in environment. Is it possible that it is still adjusting to the move from the nursery to my apartment? Should I just wait this out? I'm afraid it's going to lose all of its leaves.

Like all Ficus - they're not sensitive to CHANGES, per se, but they are sensitive to cultural changes (usually light and temperature) that go from what they are used to, to something less favorable.

Al

I think you might be able to reverse the positions of 1 & 2 in many cases because people often tend to over-nurture/over-water new plants. Over and under-watering cause the same drought response, but I put under-watering 4th because the plant tends to remain very tolerant of dry conditions before defoliation as a drought response.

Al

So I am getting varying opinions on whether I am under watering or over watering... What to do?

The inexpensive moisture meters are pretty much of no value. They measure EC (electrical conductivity), which is more nearly a measure of the concentration of fertilizer salts than it is moisture levels. If you doubt what I said, take a reading by inserting the probe into a cup of distilled water. It will read 'DRY'. Add a teaspoon of salt and dissolve - read again, and it will read all the way to the moist side.

Al

That is the simplified version. If you want the technical explanation, read this.

Al

Will the leaves regrow along the stems/canes?

Yellow leaves, usually at bottom, because that's the leaf closst to the problem, is caused from either over or underwatering. But, when it is the lower leaves that are yellowing, and possibly falling off, its due to the light levels not being sufficient. Move it so that it receives the best light available. That speaks for a southern, or western exposure.

If you've been fertilizing, the plant, at this time of season, is probably not using it. Its not growing. The food is being force fed to a plant it cant use.
You would be the judge here also.

Hopefully you don't really mean the plant is allowed to dry down completely. When soil dries out, it shrinks. Sometimes the soil shrinks away from the sides of the pot.
This causes any watering to slide down the sides, to the drainage holes. In the meantime the water doesn't get to where it is intended....the roots. When the water is seen in the saucer, the thought is the plant has been watered when in fact, it hasn't.

Never let a plant's soil dry out completely. Dry down..yes, but use your finger to test whether there is dampness below and if not, water. If there is, let it go another couple days, and test again.
Or use a viable humidity tester which can be bought at any garden center.

It is common for plants to lose some leaves; usually the bottom ones due to a change in environment.
Your heated air is different, your water from the tap, might be quite different that what had been given;
Hopefully you have not given the plant water that is on a softening system. That will cause a plant to have problems most definitely. Water given plants should be allowed to sit overnight, to gain room temperature and not be too cold....as from a tap which can cause it stress.

Usually the cause of dropping leaves is because the air in your home is quite different. Your furnace is on and you problably keep the temperature at about 68º = 72º...or maybe higher. Plants usually like lower temperatures during nighttime ..in the 60º - 65º range.

Trees will back-bud with no help from us when light intensity is high and penetrating to the interior of the tree ('interior' part probably doesn't apply in your case), nutrition is in the adequate to luxury (a real term) range, there is good air movement around the tree, and soil structure is conducive to good root function/metabolism.

If one or more of these requirements is suspect (and on your tree they must be - because of your description) you can still force back-budding by tip-pruning either selectively or over the entire plant. For Ficus, simply remove the growing tip and the last leaf that emerged from each branch you wish to increase branching on. This causes changes in growth regulators/hormones that stimulates latent buds in leaf axils, and above old leaf bundle scars, if the plant was growing robustly at the pruning. The end result is more branching and branches that grow densely instead of overly long.

Al

BTW, Xanthoria - I should have mentioned that it's not normal for there to be foliage only @ branch ends on this plant. There is something causing that condition, and the most likely cause is lack of light - being severely undernourished could also cause it, but it's unlikely it's an over/under-watering issue, unless the existing foliage is exhibiting symptoms you didn't mention. Hopefully you'll be able to ID and correct the problem.

Your tree likes a fast soil that doesn't stay soggy, weak doses of a 1:1:1 or 2:1:2 ratio fertilizer, bright light, and temperatures consistently in the 65-80* range. You can allow the plant to dry to the point where the soil first feels completely dry at the drain hole with no ill effects, and you SHOULD allow the planting to dry down considerably between generous waterings.

There are some statements that are simply not true in the above post:

Yellowing leaves low on the plant are not unequivocally water related. Mites and a macronutrient deficiency (particularly N) are both very common causes of yellowing/loss of older leaves.

You cannot "force feed" a plant or make it "eat" too much fertilizer. Plants take what they need and leave the rest. You must, however, be careful about not applying so much fertilizer that it makes it difficult or impossible for the plant to take up water and the nutrients dissolved in it.

The inexpensive moisture meters you buy at plant stores are useless for determining moisture content. They measure electrical conductivity - not moisture. To prove this, dip the probe in a cup of deionized (distilled) water. The meter will read 'DRY'. Dissolve a tsp of salt or fertilizer in the same water and it will read 'WET'. Inexpensive moisture meters are better at reading fertility levels than moisture levels.

I hope you've found my offerings at least somewhat helpful. Take care.

Al

I have to leave now, but I'll stop back with some comments about watering and soil, and how several cultural factors are related to soil moisture and plant vitality.

Al

And could you also mention whether I should, then, get rid of the tray?

I have also been told two things about cleaning the leaves of dust - to do so, and then, never to spray them.

The confusion mounts!

Thanks again,

Sadie

Dust inhibits the plants ability to photosynthesize and can marginally inhibit respiration, so it's not a good thing. Misting, from a physiological perspective, is much more likely to cause harm than it is to do any good. It's totally unnecessary. You should try to keep leaves clean though, so a monthly trip to the shower (when the plant needs watering) and a high pressure spray (within reason) over the leaf surfaces will help keep them functioning well.

Al

The plant is too heavy for me to carry to the shower so I will have to mist or wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. Would that be better?

Sadie

Al

Al

If I cut what is remaining down completely to just stalks is there any chance it would revive? Otherwise, I'll give it my condolences and bid it farewell.

When a plant is declining like yours, you need to rule out light issues as the immediate cause, then insects and diseases, though these are more likely able to be traced back to a poor soil. Once you have ruled out those possibilities, you consider adequate nutrition. If you feel nutrition isn't the issue, you can almost be sure that it is a soil-related issue, which was probably covered above.

Decline caused by cultural issues usually doesn't reverse itself without some detective work and effort by the grower to correct the cultural inadequacies. Moving the plant into better light is sort of like putting all your eggs in one basket, hoping it is only a light-related issue. It would be better if you systematically eliminated the possibilities I mentioned previously, which would have probably left us exploring a poor soil, inappropriate watering habits, or a combination of the two as the cause, which is by far the most probable.

I honestly feel that if you had had the opportunity to learn to make and then use a very good soil, that it is unlikely you would be having the difficulties you relate. If you think there is anything I can do to help, or if you have questions, please let me know or ask, and I'll be happy to do what I can.

Al

"When soil dries out, it shrinks. Sometimes the soil shrinks away from the sides of the pot.
This causes any watering to slide down the sides, to the drainage holes. In the meantime the water doesn't get to where it is intended....the roots. When the water is seen in the saucer, the thought is the plant has been watered when in fact, it hasn't."

...What I do to get around this little problem is to place the pot into a bucket that is slightly larger than the pot and fill it with water right up flush with the soil line. I let it sit long enough that i know that the whole rootball has been soaked. Next i let it drain completely and leave it alone until next watering.

If you forget, you can also water twice. I.e., water enough to wet the surface of the soil, then return several minutes later and water again. The initial watering breaks the hydrophobic tendency of the soil at the top. The soil in the center of the pot is probably not as dry as the soil on the top (or plants would have collapsed), so the entire soil mass will absorb water on the second go-round.

Al

I repotted with soil suggested at the gardening store for this plant.

Al

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I appreciate the advice.