Ficus elastica Tricolor cuts & brown spots

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by moonlitpath, Jul 6, 2007.

  1. moonlitpath

    moonlitpath Active Member

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    Hello everyone!!

    I bought a Ficus elastica Tricolor a couple of months ago and when I bought it, it already had some bowns spots on it and what looks like cuts on the the leaves. Will the plant heal on it's own if I leave it alone or to I cut off the leaf?

    Thank you all!!
    ~*moonlitpath*~
     
  2. James D.

    James D. Active Member

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    You can just leave the leaves on the plant unles it looks really ugly and you want to take them off. Also, if the plant wants them gone it will just drop the leaves itself.
     
  3. moonlitpath

    moonlitpath Active Member

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    The brown spots bothers me more than the cut leaves. When I buy a new pot to replant it in, I'm hoping they'll heal up. :/

    BTW, when I do replant it, what kind of soil do I use? I have it outside currently have it outside and thought about those terra cota balls to put on top of the soil to keep it moist. Either those or I was going to purchase those crystals to put in the soil. I'm not sure yet. lol
     
  4. moonlitpath

    moonlitpath Active Member

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    Can I just repot this in a regular soil mix or do I have to use cactus mix?

    Thanks in advance!

    ~*moonlitpath*~
     
  5. moonlitpath

    moonlitpath Active Member

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    Ok ... so I noticed that my ficus is developing more of those brown spots. I have no idea what's causing them, obviously, but they're on about 3/4 of the plant now. Here are some pics if anyone can help identify and help me stop this problem before it's way to late.

    As you can see from the pictures, there are 2 different spots. One type of spot are just brown and the other looks more like a grey'ish white target looking spot.

    Any help would be greatly appriciated!!!! Thank you!

    I apologize if the pictures came out to fuzzy, I'm not the greatest with cameras. =o/

    *moonlitpath*

     

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  6. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    moonlitpath,

    Wow! Those are some BIG brown spots! The leaves almost look sunburned, or fertilizer burned. I would also ck for any pest like spidermites and scale. I wouldn't re-pot when it's in that condition, could make things worse, not unless it's REALLY root-bound, (more roots than soil)
    I would take off the most damaged leaves and leave the rest, until new growth starts to come in. The leaves will only get worse, they will not fix their-selves. Then later you can maybe do some pruning back if need be.

    Give your ficus bright indirect light (not direct hot burning sun) and water thoroughly when dry and drain out the extra water from the saucer.

    When, or if you do re-pot, just go up one size larger (if needed) or another same size pot. You can use good regular potting soil with maybe some Perlite added for added drainage which can find at any of the box stores like Lowe's.
     
  7. everlasting

    everlasting Active Member

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    Quarantine this plant to be sure. This could be a viral infectation and other nearer plants can be infected.
     
  8. moonlitpath

    moonlitpath Active Member

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    If this is a viral infection, what would I need to do to take care of it?

    I'm going to buy some oragnic pesticide today, just in case it's from bugs. Is organic better than plant soap? I'm going to start applying it tonight and see what happens from there.


    What if it is from sun burn or fertilizer burn? What would I need to do for that?

    *moonlitpath*
     
  9. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    If it's in direct sun, you'll need to move it to "indirect light" which is bright light no direct hot sun. If the leaves are damaged from high doses of fertilizer, stop using it, but only you would now for sure about these two things:>) When you feed plants, only use it on healthy plants

    Only use half, or less amount of what the directions say, that larger amount is from what I understand, mainly for the growers to use. Only use it once in a while, like every other month and only in the spring and summer, not in the winter when many plants slow down their growth, or rest.
     
  10. moonlitpath

    moonlitpath Active Member

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    So it's been almost a year since I've had this ficus and these huge brown spots keep coming back. I'm not sure if it's spider mites or it fungal. I took a couple more recent pics but it looks the same as before.

    Can anyone please help me??


    I know the pics are very fuzzy and poor due to my camera phone. But you can see a yellow halow around a very distinct brown line. It looks like it was burned but I havent used any fertilizers. I thought it could be fungal but after a search on the web and reading about fungal diseases the leaves have to be wet in order for the fungus to form, but I never ever get the leaves wet.

    So I'm very confused and frustrated that I cant help this plant. I honestly dont know what could be causing this. I'm going to try and get my sisters camera tonight so I can post better pics.
     

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  11. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    The browning can be caused by a number of things, unfortunately. we can only give opinions as to what the problem might be. Sometimes it's obvious, other times, not so easy.

    The browning could be caused by poor drainage, excessively dry, or wet soil, low
    humidity, or too much direct sun or a pest or bacterial problem. Ficus can get infested with pest like spidermites or scale which are small, so you really have to examine every inch of the leaves real good. Using a magnifying glass can help, with out one, you might go cross eyed!

    If your ficus is not being over or under watered, gets the correct amount of light and is not over fed, if possible, maybe you could take one of the worst leaves or two to a local nursery, or county extension in your area and they might be able to help further by actually seeing the leaves up close.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2008
  12. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    what part of jersey are you in? what kind of water do you have?

    well water might have too many minerals in it or other contaminants. if in northern jersey and on city water, excessive chlorine and/or ammonia could be the issue. southern nj (camden county/burlington county) has fairly soft water, so if you're in that part, then something else is going on.

    the damage looks like burns to me. if you're fertilizing, you're giving too much and/or too often. if your water has a lot of chlorine in it, let it sit overnight so the chlorine can dissipate. if you've got a water-softening system, you should not use the treated water on plants...pull from some point on the system that is before where the treatment tank is located. excessive rust in the water (from old pipes) will also damage the plants. some ammonia would be okay...excessively high amounts could be an issue...you can get a testing kit at any aquarium store.
     

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