Hi all, This is a great forum and I just discovered it. I got two Bonsai plants as my b'day gift, but both of them seem to be dying. Here are the details: Name: Indoor Golden Gate Ficus ([WIKI]Ficus Microcarpa[/WIKI]) Location: Indoor with little sunshine Water: Every other day - in the pot and water mist spray on the leaves Fertilizers/Pesticides: None Age: From ftd.com - 4 months Problem: Loss of lots of leaves, leaves falling by becoming black, leaves drying and falling, green leaves falling and plant is becoming bare. I do not understand if I am over-watering or under-watering, if the location is sunny or shady or if I should be doing something else. Any little help will be much appreciated. Thanks a lot folks. Regards, -Neel
Hi, don't know where you got those instructions, but they're dead opposite to what your plant needs. Allow most of the soil in the pot to dry between waterings, and keep the pot in the most sun you can find all day - e.g. a full spectrum 40w fluorescent 5 inches above the tree for 15 hours a day. That's standard stuff for ficus bonsai. Do put the pot on a wide tray of stones and water, just don't let the water touch the pot or roots could rot. Next time you repot, mix a lot of perlite and/or small size aquarium gravel into the mix and try to avoid peaty potting soil that holds water much too long. Give your tree at least a few weeks to recover.
Hi All, Thanks very much for your suggestions and ideas. Following Rima's instructions, my two plants have swelled and grown up nicely... Since then I moved and my new place has a lot of sun.. In fact sometimes, it gets really hot.. Plus I was watering them only once in 1-2 weeks.. So the leaves started becoming dry.. I have now moved them to a bit of shade and water them a bit more (def once a week). Hopefully, they will grow back again. Also, I was wondering where can I find good instructions for re-potting them as I figured that I might re-pot them (it is going to be around 2 years soon)? Do the standard instructions for re-potting ficus bonsai be OK? Rima mentioned Perlite/aquarium mix. What else will I need? Thanks a lot for your help folks. Regards, -Neel
