Ficus B aftercare? Leaf drop after scale & repotting

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Hello! Looking for advice about aftercare for my poor benji.

Ficus is kept indoors with eastern exposure (no outdoor option). In zone 5a/6b (Chicago).

June 2018: Repotted into 511 for the first time, it thrived after root prune and new container mix.

May 2019: Scale infestation got bad. Treated with Bonide systemic (imidacloprid) and 3 applications of neem oil (in evening).

June 2019: While repotting, bare root pruned and misted the roots while working but they might have gotten dry for a short time. Applied a tourniquet to trunk with 2 zip ties (hoping for nebari development). Repotted into fresh 511 mix and watered.

I'm sure there is hefty transplant shock. Lost about 65% of canopy, mostly lower branches where the scale was worst. My biggest worry is that I might have lost some of the finer hair roots while left dry during the root prune/repotting work. If I could do it over again, I would have kept the roots in a bucket of water during the process.

Anything I can do to help it recover?

Should I apply another round of systemic to prevent scale, since the plant is so weak right now?

Last year I also had a problem with fungus gnats, should I add mosquito bits at this stage as a precaution?

Normally I check the medium with a skewer/sharpened dowel rod dipstick to gauge if I should water. Should I be watering a little more around the rootball during the first few weeks after repot?

Any hot tips on how to encourage backbudding or lower growth? Goal is to style as a living-room sized tree rather than a bonsai.

Should I prune upper branches now to help balance things out (relative to roots), or wait for the tree to stabilize first?

The current state of ficus, lost 65% of leaves so far.

The roots while repotting.

Thanks for all the knowledge shared, it's been super helpful to learn from everyone.

Featured Answer

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

7 years ago

I inherited a pair of 30 year old Ficus Benjamina (weeping fig) trees,
one of which succumbed to a heavy scale infestation this year. I treated
the scale and after it looked like that was under control, decided to
do a proper repot into 511 mix. Now it's lost about 65% of it's leaves
and it looks sad. I'm holding off pruning branches until it hopefully
stabilizes. Is there anything I can do to help this tree recover? It's not unusual for Ficus to lose a lot of foliage after a repot. This is especially true if the root work was harsh and or a measure of roots was lost to desiccation during the repot. If the tree was healthy and still has some leaves, there is a very high likelihood your tree will recover in very short order and take right off. I often purposely defoliate my benjaminas to stimulate back-budding, which increases ramification (more leaves and branches).

F benjamina:

Ficus retusa:

6 weeks later:

After styling:

What you can do to help it recover is avoid over-watering and withhold fertilizer until you see signs it's pushing new growth. Keep it warm and in very bright light, but not full sun yet. By the time the plant is pushing growth earnestly, you will be able to move it to full sun if you like. It will do best there, after acclimation.

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Comments (9)

Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
7 years ago
Ficus are tough. I hacked this one a little over a month ago and it just starting to push out new growth.
User thanked Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
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User
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Wow, thanks! and woah - super inspiring pics! Seems like they can really take more than their reputation implies.

So the tree lost even more leaves but seems to be stabilizing. Will monitor moisture level before watering again. Is now a reasonable time to give it a haircut -or- should I hang on to every leaf possible while waiting for it to start putting on new growth before pruning?
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years ago
Can we have a look at how it appears today?

Al
User
Original Author
7 years ago
Here's the latest. 14 days after root prune and repot:
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years ago
I'd prune it if it was mine, concentrating mostly on pruning the top back so it's within bounds and pinching any branches with 3 or more leaves or nodes back to the most proximal living leaf on the branch.

Al
User
Original Author
7 years ago
More leaves fell *but* see some new growth! The trees really perked up since repot into 511 last year (even had little figs this year!) and it's certainly reassuring to hear how tough ficus can actually be, but I didn't want to go overboard with pruning so this will probably turn into a multi-stage project haha. Especially after seeming weak during the scale episode, I didn't want to completely hack it apart to start reshaping quite yet. I did try to open up some space for the birds to fly through. Aren't ficus supposed to be a bit bushy though? I guess I don't know what a good one looks like when they're over 6' tall, but hoping to find the tree within the tree over time. Anyway, seems to be recovering well!

Spun it around, still trying to find the face and shape.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years ago
"I did try to open up some space for the birds to fly through." No doubt a reference to our good friend, John Naka? "Be sure to leave enough open space in your trees to let the birds fly through".

Aren't ficus supposed to be a bit bushy though? The trees with smaller leaves (like benjamina, retusa, microcarpa, salicifolia, ...... can be made to look good with a sparse or a dense/compact canopy, and either look can be achieved with about the same degree of work. Your tree already has good bones, so it shouldfn't be hard to build on. Keep in mind that the more vertical branches and branches in the upper 1/3 of the tree should be pruned considerably harder than the rest of the tree sometime in June, every year. The object is to do your hard pruning AFTER the lanky winter's growth has changed to the short internodes and smaller leaves of summer. That way, you'll never be forced to retain lanky growth as a permanent part of the tree. Keep in mind that internode length also affects back-budding density long after successive seasons of growth have been added.

Al
User thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
Laurie (8A)
7 years ago
It looks like your tree is a survivor, congrats