Hi! I have a Ficus Danielle, bought in Ikea last winter, and since then I can't change it's behaviour: the leaves in the middle of the bush (close to the trunk) are withering and eventually falling down. I always have a pile of leaves under the plant. In the beginning I thought that it was too close to the radiator and I turned it down but it didn't help. I also increased the watering but it didn't help either. I keep the soil moist (generally one bigger watering per week) and make sure that there is no excess water in the pot. I have no idea what the problem is. I had once a ficus benjamina that also dropped leaves but the leaves of this one do not turn yellow, they remain dark green. About half of the dropped leaves are not even dry. About light conditions, it is in a relatively light room, without direct light, but as I live in Scotland, these months are quite dark. if anyone has an idea of what the problem might be, let me know please!
what soil mix is it in and does the container have drainage holes? what about air circulation? how big is the container and how much water and how frequently do you give it? you might need to give it more light.
About soil mix I don't know, it is still in the pot it came from Ikea. I regularly give it some plant feed liquid (every 2-3 weeks, not in winter) and water it every week once, with around half a liter I would say. I did experiment with more waterings a week, but there was no change and I didn't want to overwater it either, because ficuses are generally sensitive to that. The plant is about 1 m high and the pot has a diameter of 21 cm, of course it has drainage holes. Generally there's not much air circulation around, it is placed in the vestibule, but not too close to the entrance door. About light, I thought it should have adapted to the conditions by this time, and although it is not a very light area, it's not dark either. I included some images of the plant, as you can see, it doesn't look too bad, but I am worried because it droppes much-much more leaves than it growes.
i agree the container seems small - it's likely rootbound and this is the wrong time of year to repot it. soil could also be issue - if it's old and lacks nutrients...although, applying fertilizer may combat that. this is dormant season, so, cut back fertilizing to once per month. amount of water is appropriate for that size container. i'd suggest checking the soil for moistness first and then water if it's needed - hold off a day or two and check again if soil is still too moist when you first check. good that there's drainage - that's something that is SO important and the mass growers don't always pot accordingly since their conditions are so much different than what they are in people's homes. drafts from the door may be an issue. ficus are generally very picky and will drop leaves for no apparant reason...drafts will definitely cause droppage. you're right about it being adjusted to the lighting - that definitely should not be an issue at this point. it generally looks pretty good, so you're doing something right :) i would try to ascertain the amount/condition of the roots - just feel down into the soil, especially around the perimeter of the container. if you feel a lot of roots (more so than the amount of soil) and they seem very compacted and if there is a lot going around the perimeter, you may have to repot it even though this isn't the best time to do so. if there's not enough soil and/or it's severely root bound, it may continue to go down and it would be a true shame to lose such an absolutely lovely tree!!! i agree with fluoride in the water as a possible issue. also, chloramines (different than chlorine) could be a problem. they don't dissipate like chlorine does and you'd need to call the water supplier to find out if they use them to treat. charcoal filters will remove fluoride and i think they'd also remove chloramines - again, you can check with the water company about that.
Thanks a lot for your detailed answer! I checked the roots and yes, indeed it may be the pot size...the roots are pretty much filling in the pot. Although, as I said earlier, this condition has been the same since we brought home the plant from Ikea, and in the store it looked healthy. But the first weeks I thought it was from the trauma of bringing home in winter time on the local bus... So what would be a good time to repot it? Spring? Or maybe I should risk a bit and do it now? So to sum it up, do you mean that dry leaves are not always the signs of underwatering, but it can also be the result of less nutritious soil? Or even draught? I thought it's some watering or dry air issue, so I'm surprised to hear about so many possible causes.
ficus are extremely fussy and many different conditions will cause them to 'pout' and drop leaves. yes, initially, the plant would be healthy even with a bit of root-boundness (lol, is that a word? ). over time, the density of the roots and the fact that they are compacted does become an issue and that's when you see the plant suffering (this applies to most plants; not just ficus). when the roots become too compacted they don't have the same ability to uptake the water that's offered. when there isn't enough soil in the pot, to retain some moisture, the roots can't take advantage of the water offered. with both situations you end up with an under-watered plant even though you are providing proper amounts of water. another thing that happens in either of these two situations is that you see the water coming out the drain holes much sooner than previously and that leads you to think sufficient water has been given when, in fact, it has not. when there is not enough soil and/or the roots are compacted, the water just flows right past it, instead of sticking around so the roots can get a proper drink. yes, i would repot it now even though early/mid spring would be a better time. if it's starting to go down hill, it may not survive the winter...so, do the repot now.
Thanks again for your explanation, I understand now much more what's going on. Indeed, I saw the water coming out the holes quickly after watering, which was not like that before. I will definitely try to repot it as soon as i can. Fingers crossed for my plant to survive the operation...
maybe just take it easy on the plant and plop the whole thing into a bigger container and just put fresh soil in it (below, around and above the rootball). the roots will have room to spread out a bit and you won't shock it too much if you don't fiddle with the roots. then, late spring you can unpot it again and properly remove the old soil and spread the roots out a bit - just reuse most of the soil with only adding in a small amount of new stuff at that point. good luck and let us know how it fares. it really is beautiful and i hope it does okay!!
I had a ficus for several years. I also had the same problem. Sometimes there's a lack of humidity in he house; especially if if it's near or below freezing outside. The only time it was happy was in the summer when I put it outside. Check for spider mites. Also it has been my experience and the experience of others; that if you move it, then the leaves drop. In other words try not to move it. They are notorious for dropping leaves though.
