I put Banyon because I do not know for sure what tree it is. It was brought by sail boat to Florida by a cruiser and he thought it was dead and placed it by a dumpster in the marina where we were staying. We rescued it when it was only 14" tall and had maybe seven leaves. The bulb was maybe 2" and seemed solid like wood. I have had it in the window of our home here in New Mexico for over a year now so it has been out of the tropics for almost two years. I fought and still fight spider mights about once every two months. I think I watered it a bit to much after I treated for the mights last time with Triazcide by Spectrocide. It is stated to be used on ornimental trees. I spray with one cap full to a spray bottle and it seems to keep them down. I also use one cap full to a gallon and water so it gets a shot through the roots. The last time it healed quickly when the mites were gone and new leaves shot out all over. I began to water allot as it will drink almost as much water as it can be given. So If I get the pictures on here you will see the brown patches and yellowing. I have stopes watering for a few days now the soil is still damp. The pot it is in must be a three gallon size.Please give me all the info you can. What tree is it remember it did come from Central America maybe even the Pacific Rim it has feeder roots that are starting to find ground. Not like a ficus it only sends out one fairly heavy root then it wraps the base. Only one is in the air right now.It is 28" tall and the trunk is 4 1/2" diameter. I hope to have it for many years in our Geneva green room we are building this summer on an addition to our home.
The leaves really remind me of citrus of some sort, maybe key lime? Is the plant fragrant when you pinch the leaves? If it is a citrus, you might be overwatering it a bit; this will cause leaf browning and droppage. It might also be rootbound - repotting won't hurt it.
At first I thought it was a ficus benjamina, but the leaves look a little long on yours. Whatever it is, you have done a good job bringing it back to life after life!
I an positive it is not a citrus. I grew up in Ft Lauderdale Florida and we had a yard full of Ficus and every kind if citrus you could think of. The trunk is not Ficus like what you find in the Florida area they have a piney smell when you scratch the leaves . Well maybe not quite piney but a very strong smell. As for other types of ficus I have no idea. I do remember when we had allot of Banyou trees around south Florida and they were similar to this tree. I will Try and get some better pictures maybe a little bigger and post them.
There are MANY different ficus species and to me, yours looks to be one of them, I'm just not sure which one.
You may be right it may be a ficus of some sort. It is a very neat little tree nice to look at and fun to care for. Is the Banyon tree not a ficus as well? I just remember climbing them as a kid and the bark was like this. Their were two I remember well one on the city line between Ft Lauderdale and Daina. It was maybe 110 feet high and that wide at the ends of the branches with a 40 foot trunk and feeders out to sixty feet. Beautiful we climbed in that tree all the time, sometime in the 1980ies it finally fell to airport development such a loss. I guess in 20 years or so I will know better what this tree is. The leaf patches bother the heck out of me will that heal if I stop watering so heavy. Could it be getting root bound it is taking over the pot quickley. One year to the size it is from that scroney little plant.
It's sounds like you had more than a great time on those giant trees, a climbing amusement for hours! I agree, trees, especially the larger older ones that are lost to development (bad word) is a real tragedy and should be outlawed for sure! Yes, the Banyan tree is a ficus tree, I read it's a (Ficus benghalensis) although the one I looked at, the leaves didn't look like yours, not unless they change when the tree is much older. I'm not sure what the brown spot are from, could be the way it's being watered, possibly over fertilized, or even from pest. If you have other plants nearby, they can get infected with mites as well. Something like neem oil might help get rid of the spidermites. Keep the soil a little on the moist side, then water well when the top 2" is dry.The pot should be a couple inches larger than the roots with good draining soil. Bright indirect light with some sun during the day should keep it happy. Good luck finding your tree's name!
Hello All: I am leaning toward Ficus Microcarpa at this time I am in a learning curve on Ficus. I have looked at several with leaves very close to my tree. I found that using the leaf was very hard because of so many with the same leaf. I then started looking closer at the trunks and that is where I am at at this point. Thanks to everyone who has been helpful.
I forgot to say that I found some leaves with a small half circle of a hard shell on the underside of some leaves. I only have a magnafier to see them and I cant see any living bugs. I have tried to do the tree at a two week spraying to make sure I got the young bugs.Any ideas what they are pin head size.
I thought maybe your seeing the pest called "scale" but scale is a little larger than pin head size, the tiny pest are under these (feeding off juices) Can you get a close-up of these shells? Do they look anything like this...
Sorry I have been out of town and just saw your reply. I will try and get some pictures this weekend. Thanks for keeping up :)
This is a species of ficus. It is ficus retusa or ficus microcarpa, as someone already mentioned. It is a very tropical plant that grows up to 60 ft, and similarly in diameter in the wild. You can save yourself time and money by concocting a milder anti-spider mite infestation mixture by diluting some liquid hand soap and water, put the diluted watery mixture in a clean empty spray bottle and spray it down as you've been doing. This species is also known as the banyan fig. You are correct too. Good job on identification. They are also known and highly popular because of their aerial roots and ability to grow at amazing speeds especially in warm summer months. Keep fighting off those mites with a milder spray, and relocate your plant to a less pestilential area if possible. That's great that you've been attentive to their water needs but better to hold off on the water until you notice some leaves drooping. Always feel or dig a bit in the soil to make sure if the plant is dried out and needs water. Do NOT "keep it moist". Most instruction tags will tell you this, but most plants must be dried out inbetween waterings. Not necessarily dried out for days on end, but at least dried out for a few hours, a morning, whichever. Then give it a good watering down. Drain it twice through the drainage holes. If possible you may submerge it entirely in a pail or a basin, hold it there until it's saturated completely and then lift out. Watering is complete for the time being. My banyan figs thrive on direct full on blaring sunlight with lots of humidity - a wet concrete ground below or humidity tray with the ever popular pebbles. The only times figs or ficus retusa can't stand full sun, as I have found, is when they are baby plantlings no more than 2 years old. These need to be watched carefully and dry out easily especially since they're likely to be in smaller pots. Do you notice any stickiness or bleeding/leaking sap on the leaves or trunk? I would personally cut off any yellowing or decaying leaves. The plant is not healthy enough to be putting out new growth or sustaining a full foliage at the moment. I would also remove the bugger entirely from its present pot, lay it gently on a grassy soft patch, take out a water hose or watering can and give a very thorough bath. Don't be afraid to wear garden gloves or latex gloves and gently but firmly rub on the bark and all over the stems. Cut off any dead roots also, and then repot in fresh soil. Spray with mild diluted hand soap and water mixture. I would personally remove the plant from its current location and place it in a similar bright, sufficiently humid quarantine area - away from other house plants . I emphasize Similar, to decrease any shock. It could be that the area near that particular window has a crack or there are mites and other insects coming in through it when it is open. Some outdoor plants are just not meant to be kept indoors if it is not used to it. It is possible that when the tree was collected from the wild (or dumpster), it already had spider mites included in your adoption package. I hope that the other pest/s are not scales. If entirely at your wits' end, bring in your tree to a garden center or nursery for them to help you identify your problems. It sounds like there is more than one.
Thank You Flaxe Every one here has been very helpful. The tree seems to be doing much better. It is so dry here with 10% or les humidity it is a challenge to grow anything that is not from here.We were sailing our boat in the Florida area when we found the poor wafe and could not leave it to die. We drug it around on our boat for a year and then my wife took it in the car to NM. I don't think he will ever get to live outside due to the freezing cold winters ,but he will have a good sunny green room by next winter. We should name him Capt. Nemo Thanks Again to you and All
I know this is an old thread, but I came across it while doing an image search, and I don't believe this is a Ficus -- it is Conocarpus erectus, a type of mangrove shrub, also called buttonwood. If this thing was on a sailboat in Florida, it may have come from the Keys, where they're growing all over the place, but they grow throughout the Atlantic tropics. If it were a ficus, overwatering could be a problem, but if it's a mangrove shrub, it's meant to sit in salt or brackish water it's entire life. They can survive in fresh water, too, and they don't need to be submerged to live, but I wouldn't worry about getting it too wet.
