the areas near the veins are getting lighter in color.

The tree gets indirect light all day, it's near a big window. Temp is about 67/68 in the day time right now. Humidity is on the dry side (being in the northeast indoor heat).

stems of the leaves attach to the main trunk are turning brown and bending down

The bottom leaves have always been smaller and never grew any bigger. The main stem have always been brown.
The bigger leaves are drooping down more and more.

Any help is much appreciated!!!

You gave no indication of watering practices.

Although they like to dry out some in the Winter, if it is too dry the leaves will bend down as you describe.

I water it approx. once a week or maybe a day or two more (I try to feel the soil with my fingers, just about dry on top). It gets I am guessing 24 oz to 1 qt. max.. the planter is about 12" x 12".

Since then I transplanted it to a self-watering planter (called Lechuza) that should self regulate the amount of water it needs. Edges of the leaves are still slowly turning brown. I spray the whole tree almost every day.
Is there anything else other than water deficiency?

In Ficus, as branches extend, the mature leaf size gets progressively larger, so your smaller/ older leaves are normal.

Often, if you're losing leaves on the lower part of your plant or are losing the leaves closest to the center of the foliage mass, it's a light issue - not enough light to allow the leaves to make more energy than they use. When that happens, chemical messengers tell the plant to shed the burdensome leaves.

Several other issues can cause the loss or spoiling of foliage (appearance). Root congestion = shedding of inner/lower leaves; over-watering/ under-watering/ a high level of salts in the soil solution, all cause a drought response which causes shedding and assorted appearance issues.

Your best bet is to help the plant limp through until summer, then start on a program that will revitalize your plant. If you're interested, I'll help with that.

Keep in mind that with a self-watering container, ALL the salts from fertilizers and tap water (something already suspect at this point in time) will remain in the soil and eventually kill the plant unless you periodically flush the plant very thoroughly from the top. Your self watering container might or might not work well. Success depends on mating the container to a soil that's appropriate. You need a soil like Baby Bear's porridge - just right.

I'll leave you some reading that will definitely help you if you apply what you learn.

The Basics

Growing Ficus in Pots

About Soils - this could very well turn your growing experience around.

Al

(I try to feel the soil with my fingers, just about dry on top)

==>>> with the furnace running... the surface is not a great indicator of how damp the media is... even an inch down ...

insert finger at least an inch .. and find out... use a teaspoon if you cant get your finger in ....

i also note... from the pic directly above... all the affected leaves are.. first.. facing the wall ... and second.. now being shaded out by newer .. larger ones ...

i suggest... you turn it 90 degrees.. every time you water it... which i think you said was once a week ...

all plants lose leaves ... and its always the oldest.. and the lower they are.. usually means they are the oldest..

frankly.. your plant looks rather healthy otherwise... i would go trying to love it to death.. to try to save some old ugly leaves ...

based on the vigor of the newer healthier ones... i would snip off the old.. and CONTINUE WHAT YOU ARE DOING... as it seems to be working ...

try to avoid changing everything... just for the heck of it ... simply do NOT panic.. and screw it up ...

perhaps i am not seeing all of what is going on ... so do review al's suggested reading ...

ken

FWIW - I'd leave the leaves in the process of being shed on the plant until there is no more green on them. The plant will reclaim (not the best word) mobile nutrients and bio compounds from those leaves and translocate them to other or new plant parts. Your call, though. This is a consideration more import for plants that are actually circling the drain.

Al

Thank You Al, and Ken,

I read the 3 articles, I think the door to understanding plants' needs just open for me! It makes a world of sense and clarity in the dynamics and balance of water, air, and soil, etc. I think I grew a little too.THANK YOU Al!!! Now only if I can help my plant :)

My Ficus is probably suffering from root congestion to start (even when I first got it), I way over watered it the first fall/winter (2 years ago) thinking it needed water with the radiator blasting dry heat... When I re-potted it, I found the root ball was almost exactly the same size and shape of the plastic pot that it came in (like a big hair-ball). I gave it a bigger pot - about 1" all around maybe 2" deeper last spring when I was doing research on GW (but not not good enough, I just added more bark, perlite and gravel to the soil - should have eliminated the soil all together), never did anything to the root ball, put it back intact (didn't know better). Holding back the over-watering helped it a little. But it was still slowly going down hill. Now I think the root is desperate for air and probably been pickled in its own rot and needs to be flushed. Any fertilizing was making situation worse.
When I re-potted it this late Dec, just over a month ago. I put it in the self-watering planter (still thinking the heat, the heat, needs water) but probably not helping the "salt" part - this time I put the same tight hair-ball back intact as well - yikes! (always so nervous about the root thinking the more the better and don't touch it). Since I took those photos, couple more of the leaves' edges have turned brown (the window facing side, so it's not the matter of the light).

Question is should I take the whole root ball out and wash it now? Or "flush" the whole pot? Then wait till summer to deal with taming the "thick hair-ball", as in hair-cut?

Once again THANK YOU for all your time and care!

Based on what you said, I think you picked up a LOT. Whether the info comes from me or somewhere else, I think the understanding of how water behaves in soils and how to manipulate the air:water ratio will make a big impact on how hard you have to work (or not) to reach a level of proficiency you're pleased with.

I'd let your plant get to the point it needs water, then flush it VERY thoroughly by pouring room temp water = to at least 10X the volume of the pot through the soil, then fertilize with a good 3:1:2 ratio (not NPK %s) soluble fertilizer. If you think the soil might remain soggy too long, let me know - we can temporarily fix that. Monitor it's water needs so you're sure you're nor over or under-watering, and plan your work for Jun & Jul. I didn't see the whole plant, but you might be able to prune off the spoiled foliage when you address other pruning subsequent to the repot.

Before you repot, please DO take a little time to discuss a plan if it's your first repotting. There are some things you can do to make the transition easier on your plant.

Al

Thanks Al,
Very grateful for your prompt respond!

It's still snowing and freezing outside in the northeast here. Can't take it outside to "cleanse". I think I can put it in the bathtub and give it a "10-pots-wash".

How do I know if the soil is too soggy in the center? As you described somewhere - a rung out sponge, it is pretty close to how the soil feels lately after I put it in the self-water planter (sticking my finger down). The thing is this planter seems to keep the moisture pretty constant. The self-watering planters is another subject all to itself, the gravity/capillary/perched-water - it has to be possible to find a balance in that environment as well. I don't mind flushing it every summer or getting my plant distilled H20 (cheaper than feeding a cat or dog :)). But for right now I cannot tell what is at the center bulk of the root. Maybe it's very dense/packed?
Sorry the planter is a monkey-wrench, well at least a less predictable variable. If you have a chance to see their specs (Lechuza, has a water level indicator, I know, silly, I fell for it)... --- I filled mine half way.

As for fertilizer, when to add? In a couple weeks? I have been using Miracle-Gro all purpose 24-8-16 "blue powder" dissolves in water, the provided small-side 5/8" spoon per gallon.

I think I'll see how it does in the next few months to decide about the planter and the leaves. If they don't fall off or dry out, it'll need every single one to make energy....

I will keep you posted. Hope it gets better for June's re-potting.

Many Many THANKS!!!

By the way I was looking for Turface, did you know people start selling "Famous Al Tapla" Gritty Soil Mix on Ebay?

planter

I'm even less sure about the condition of the roots than YOU are! ;-)

Test the soil's moisture content by inserting a sharpened 1/4 or 5/16 wood dowel (sharpen in a pencil sharpener) deep into the root mass. If it comes out wet or muddy/ darkly stained, the soil is too wet.

Give whatever consideration you think it might deserve to a small RO water filtration system for around $200. They make up to 75 gallons of water with 0 ppm dissolved solids, (so essentially - distilled water). I use it for all my plants and all our drinking water. It's 2 years old and I've only replaced 1 inexpensive sediment filter ($6?). You'll need to flush the soil more often than once each summer - more like monthly.

I don't honestly know what to tell you about fertilizing. The MG is the right ratio, but it does lack Ca & Mg, so you'll need to address that or may I suggest you get some Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 and call it a day. You prolly won't get any closer to covering all bases from one jug.

Someone (she seemed really nice) contacted me a year or so back and asked if she could make sell the soil. She really didn't have to ask, and I never thought about profiting from it, so I wished her well. Glad to know she's still selling it, and I hope she's doing well. She promised she would screen it properly if she used the name, so it should be a good product.

Al

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>I wish I did a bit deeper research a year ago, would have found the special mix too... plant would have been so much happier.

I use Brita for me and the plants, not sure how much filtering it does. A real good filter is something to think about, given I drink the water too.

I will hold off on the fertilizing for a month (easier to remember), better not to fried it anymore.

When I get to re\-potting, I will get the mix and get rid of the earthy soil. She has 2 kinds, one is 1\-1\-1 and the other is 3\-4\-2 or something like that. I get the 1\-1\-1, right?

NY City is not a plant friendly place, it's very hard to find any kind of supply. Online order for anything, fertilizer, etc. is going to be likely.

THANK YOU ! with a bow

Hi Al,

followed your instruction of cleansing the soil. It took a long time for it to drain completely and start pouring again, etc...

It's been a week, I kept testing the soil with a chopstick, it still comes out a little dirty and damp. It means it's too wet, right?

What can I do?

What would happen if I re-pot it now? root trimming and all?

Hope you get the message, now that they change the whole system...

THANKS for your help!

Oh, golly. I wish I'd've known you were going to flush the soil. You can unpot the plant after flushing and set it in the tub/shower on a stack of newspapers/ paper bags/ old towels/ anything absorbant. This will pull/ wick the excess water out of the root mass. You can then used a wick (see fig 'E' below) and other tips you can find here (click on link) to reduce the amount of water the soil will retain after a thorough watering.

If you repot now, your plant will probably suffer a much longer recovery time than it would if you wait until summer to start the work. You should learn to work with your plants' best interest in mind by synchronizing your work with the plants natural rhythms so the plant is better able to tolerate the indignities you'll heap on it in the name of providing it with the cultural conditions it needs to realize as much of it's genetic potential as possible.

That's your main job, you know? - identifying and eliminating to the greatest degree possible, those things that are limiting your plant. Our ability to do that is what defines our proficiency as growers.

Al

HI Al,

Sorry for the heart-attack! I did take out the plant from the pot (as best I could slowly spooned out the surrounding soil), put it in one of those really cheap thin plastic pot (with the bottom cut out - afraid the whole root-ball was going to fall apart or something - which it did not), set the whole tree in the bath tub and watered it slowly, stopped say kind of 1/2 hour in between? to let it drain... Then put it back in the original pot. Maybe the original soil mix is still too dense?

The root ball is just so rotted and turned peaty? everything looked really dark when it was wet... pic was taken after wash. Wasn't as soggy as the picture when I put it back in the pot.

I left it drain out couple hours before I put it back in the pot.

Just hope the poor tree can put up with my ignorant abuses. Kept thinking I was trying to help, but don't quite have the sense to how/when to work with the rhythm or cycle of plants' life. Yikes!

THANK YOU for your patience with me!!!

This is today's reading, actually doesn't look as bad as yesterday's

I read your article and will take your advice to put a wick on the bottom of the pot where the drain hole is. I will place the pot on top of a tray of rocks (average 1") so the water has a place to drain to.

I am hoping to be able to get the 1/1/1 gritty mix in the summer (if my tree forgive my stupid mistakes...). As I mentioned before, NYC is not a plant friendly place, very difficult to find gardening supplies. I found some pumice/turface online, I am thinking the tiny 1/4" pebbles for fish tanks may work, we'll see if I can find your special mix online again.

Hope by then the little tree gets better and be ready for re-potting into all new mix.

Again THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Hi Al,
GOOD NEWS!
I've been meaning to tell you that THANKS to your guidance my tree is growing 5 new leaves, they are about 5", 6" now (didn't want to jinx it too early). I think aside of your knowledge, I got lucky - the ultimate healing power of Spring is making up for my heavy-handedness as well :)
I will keep you posted on the progress...
Millions THANKS again!

- Vic

V - Patience comes easy when talking with growers who want to learn and are possessed of both enthusiasm AND a good attitude. It hardly gets any better for a would-be teacher!

There is a grower who sells the gritty mix on eBay. She asked if I minded, and I asked if she would please be sure to properly screen the ingredients if she was going to refer to it as 'Al's gritty mix'. She said she would, so maybe you can find/buy enough to ck it out.

Your tree recognizes that the days are now longer than the nights, and is shifting to a higher growth gear, but do take some credit for your own efforts toward focusing on providing a happier home for roots. Can you see how being able to maintain a healthy root system is going to supply you with a payoff made manifest in a healthier plant that realizes much more of its growth potential, which of course no one would turn down, given the opportunity!

Al