where are you ..

leaf fall in late fall .. can be a function of ..

as you suspect.. your furnace.. or your humidifier [or lack of one] .. especially if you are in the cold north ....

your latitude... which translates into weak sunlight versus summer ... anything change here.. like new windows.. new placement of the plant further from the window?

over watering done to offset suspected dryness ... to the point of damage ...

was it outdoors during the summer ....??

i usually do not fertilize indoor plants ... until late winter .... if ever

how pot bound is the plant.. when is the last time you repotted?

i have no clue regarding the globs ... an already weakened plant can be a bug magnet ....

good luck

ken

The white, waxy deposit is a perfectly normal and typical phenomenon for certain ficus. It's not an indication of a pest, disease, or other problem. The 'cool down' situation is something else, entirely. If you look at ficus at the garden centers, you are likely to find the same waxy glob, in exactly the same location. ;-)

Leaf drop in also normal for this plant at this time of year. A decline in sunlight and the decrease in humidity almost always cause leaf drop in ficus.

I see no reason for you to be incorporating magnesium and sulfur supplementation at that frequency.

Hello. The good news is that I have an indoor, 15 year old, 17' Ficus that has exactly the same symptoms. It does this every year but by the middle of summer it has replaced all of the leaves it drops, and more. I suspect there is actually a problem of some kind but the plant has always been able to recover. I believe the Ficus is casting off unhealthy leaves. The white waxy material is dried sap that is the result of the wound (brown spot) weeping. You may notice that even healthy, green leaves have a dark spot at the base of the leaf but it is covered by skin, and that there may be some of the white substance as well. Of course the bad news is I can't really tell you what the problem is. I agree that light and humidity are factors but I suspect something else is injuring the leaves that the tree is casting off. I'd be interested in anything you might learn. I suspect your tree will be fine with continued good care.

frank737, I am almost convinced that water is the problem. Here is why I think so. About four weeks ago I noticed that two spp. (Ficus and Spathiphyllum) started to use less water. It was dramatic. One week they were in need of watering and two weeks later it was as if they had not used any of the water previously applied. Since then there has been marked reduction of watering needs of most the interior plants I visit regularly. I always probe the soil to the full depth of the pot and water according to how the soil samples feel. I give Ficus trees a brisk shake so that all 'loose' leaves will fall. They are comparatively few (less than a dozen) and invariably yellow or brown. Occasionally some green leaves also fall and I take it seriously as an indication that something bad is occuring at the roots. Reducing or witholding water usually (but not always) has righted the condition. I do not fertilize indoor plants nor do I recommend it. The reasons are that there is an optimum size (and shape) for an indoor plant in its location and after that it is a program of maintenance. Secondly, there is the probability that residual salts will accumulate and give rise to problems which will require serious work to rectify.
I hope that you can use this information to help your Ficus out of its present condition.

This odd 'waxy' deposit is unique. If they exist on a ficus, they will be found precisely at the base of the leaf, not quite but almost part of the petiole. They are not an indication of a pest problem, nor do I think that they appear in association with a cultural issue of some kind. (But I really don't know that for sure.)

There will be only one of these per leaf, and always in the same location on the back of the leaf. I have seen perfectly healthy looking trees with one of these tiny globs on every leaf. 'Waxy' is a good word, but not perfect. It wipes off easily, is not sticky or gummy.

At one time, I found an article about this on the Internet, but can't locate any information at this time.

I'm kind of shocked to read the posts regarding the "whit spot" problem on Ficus Benjamina. No on has mentioned the insect :scale" the can and will suck the life out of your ficus!! These descriptions are exact to that of the destructive infestation of the insect scale. Scale can best be removed/killed with an oil solution of All Seasons oil spray, Fungicide 3 from Schultz Co., there's another one similar from Garden Safe. It will kill all stages of the scale growth. This will eliminate the need to re-treat in a few weeks as eggs develop into adults. The usual removal method is wiping each leaf with the insect with alcohol or spraying with an alcohol and detergent mixture and spraying the underside of all leaves, the branches and trunk. the problem is that it will not kill the eggs which will hatch and appear in a few weeks after the initial treatment. You can also hose off with a decent amount of pressure selection on the hose nozzle like "flat" or "vertical" spray pattern. Again repeat in a few weeks as adults appear. I have a 15' out door Ficus Benjamina that my Dad gave me when my Mom passed away. I just gave it a treatment with the All Seasons oil sprayer that I attached to my garden hose as it produces the proper diluted solution. The label states it is for all stages of scale growth. I will post again in a few weeks if the scale re-appears.

Lol, I'm kind of shocked that this old post has been dredged up! Rosie, if you read the description from the original post, you will surely see that scale insects are not the problem. That is, unless you know of a scale species that will sit in that exact location at the base of the leaf....one insect per leaf. Always in that same location and never more than one.

No one participating in this thread has described anything close to scale insects.

As I said earlier, it's a perfectly normal secretion of phenolic compounds fron that wax gland located at the base of the leaf...just above the petiole.

Thank you for your useful input about scale, but it doesn't apply to this situation.

As Dorie mentioned - a normal part of the anatomy, the purpose of which is not fully understood. It used to be referred to as a wax gland, and occurs in a high % of the plants in the Moraceae family, including mulberry. Newer literature refers to the gland as a phenolic gland, because of the heavy deposits of phenolic compounds in the glandular region. Any exudates that originate in the near vicinity of the gland are probably latex and not related to the gland itself.

Ficus often have other regularly spaced white dots inside and along leaf margins that are often misidentified as pests or glands. They are lithocysts that contain crystals of calcium carbonate or calcium oxylate called cystoliths

Al

woohoo! I am really pleased i've found this thread on the internet. I'm in the u.k. and I've got 2 large weeping figs with this very problem. I didn't think it could be a pest because the spot is in exactly the same place on each leaf. I'm so relieved to have found the answer so, even though it's a few years out, thanks peeps!

rogersrosie is correct. This "scale" infestation has caused 2 large. healthy Ficus to drop leaves like crazy and begin to secrete a waxy-like substance on sofa. White scale in same place on every leaf...can't ignore...there's no LOL about it....I don't know about weeping figs or other trees, but this is a pest and must be treated...see Rosie's suggestions. I finally had to (when only 25-50 leaves were left on my 12 ft ficus) take in back yard, wash roots completely and start over...leaves grew quickly, however, the infestation is back now. I just ordered the Shultz Fungicide 3----no other treatment has had any permanent solution. May have to order online. I haven't tried this product yet....but rogersrosie is on the right track, so I'll give it a try. You'll be sorry if you have a splendid ficus and you don't treat this infestation!

Oh brother....I give up. Lol! rternoir, please Google ficus phenolic glands at your convenience.

rternoir - agreeing with someone who's already wrong doesn't mean you're right, it means you're wrong, but with company. That there's only one spot in exactly the same place on each leaf should be enough to make anyone with even minor experience dealing with scale infestations realize the description doesn't fit the pest's less orderly paradigm. After rereading the OP, I can see there actually is nothing at all in what Frank said that can possibly lead to the logical conclusion the plant is suffering the burden of a scale infestation. If you disagree, it should be easy to put us in our place by walking us through how you reached your conclusion.

Al

rogersrosie & rternoir - you've already been told what it is, why do you seem hellbent on conjuring up something else? it's a natural secretion of the plant, nothing sinister, nothing scary. you appear to be a bit agitated. don't worry, you're not going to be invaded.

I know nothing about this, but am am left wondering if anyone really did check each leaf. "...273, 274, 275, 276. Yes, it really is on all 276 leaves!"

(Ducking back out of discussion really fast... at least it's not a pun, right?!)

I've had my ficus tree 15 years and never had white waxy substance at the same location on the inner part of the leaf as the picture above. I do now. Therefore, this is not normal as it's never happened before. I know it is some type of pest; the hardware store told me to use Palmolive and water in a spray and spritz it but that hasn't rid of it completely. Help!!

Your conclusion is faulty. That you've never observed it in one of your plants doesn't mean it's not a normal condition for plants in the mulberry family. I have a Hawthorne bonsai that is 25 years old. Up until this summer it had never bloomed before. It bloomed this summer, therefore this behavior was abnormal - right? Not right. It's normal for Hawthorne to take up to 25 years to bloom. If what you see is the same as what's shown in Frank's image (see OP), it's a normal part of Ficus leaf anatomy, the purpose of which is not fully understood. It used to be referred to as a wax gland, and occurs in a high % of the plants in the family Moraceae. Most new literature refers to the gland as a phenolic gland, because of the heavy deposits of phenolic compounds in the glandular region. Any exudates (secretions) that originate in the near vicinity of the gland are probably latex and not related to the gland itself.

Ficus often have other regularly spaced white dots inside and along leaf margins that are often misidentified as pests or glands. They are lithocysts that contain crystals of calcium carbonate or calcium oxylate called cystoliths.

Using a solution of Palmolive (which has no palm or olive oil in it) is also a significant error as it will easily dissolve the cuticular waxes in the leaf cuticles and leave you with problems where none existed previous to your actions.

Al

My goodness! Now I understand how you people let Trump in!

Thanks for the nettlesome little brickbat.

Al

Should anyone still be convinced that these 'white spots' are indeed some sort of plant pest and ignore the very accurate and convincing arguments of two of the most experienced and skilled horticulturists I know, just Google "ficus phenolic glands" and read the explanations and examine the images. If you cannot accept the explanations provided by a couple of extremely knowledgeable GW plant persons, maybe you will be convinced when seeing their same explanations documented by various reputable horticultural sources.

Or perhaps you just believe the entire Internet is just a pack of lies :-)

Trying my best/patience; your choice!

Heck yeah! In 3 years, I look forward to the next zinger, another really well-placed, concise, amazingly lucid commentary on "you people!" Somebody's got to do it.

Oh get A grip man! Time to move on.

LOL my ficus has soft brown scale problem. So I've been inspecting my ficus leaves in detail. Noticed the white waxy stuff and black dots underneath and set to google. After reading this chain of comments, I'm pretty sure many people with scale infestation just notice the white waxy stuff for the first time and assume it's related to the scale bugs. But the white wax was likely there long before the scale bugs.

Sort of an old thread, but I give your contribution 1 'hallelujah' and 1 'amen'.

Al

OMG - having just noticed this condition, I.e. observation, while cleaning and trimming my 12’ ficus, that was also dropping leaves, I have to say, 1) I’m glad I didn’t try to do anything about it, other than knocking off the waxy globs, before I consulted the “internet” meaning, you guys ... 2) my husband and I are laughing our heads off reading this thread - hysterical debate - thanks for the laugh ... 3) sorry Ficus, no way you’ll be pollinating anything anytime soon! ... on a more instructive note, I’ll just say that my ficus has always been very hardy and not very fussy. However, I had moved it to a less sunny spot to accommodate our Christmas Tree. It didn’t seem to care for that location, so it had started dropping some leaves, causing me to search for extraneous clues, and finding the white globs ... I am happy yo report it is now back in its original sunny spot, has been trimmed and had leaves spritzed and cleaned. I’m sure will be a happy camper once again, very soon! Fondest regards to everyone and their ficus trees!