Help My 25 year old ficus is losing his healthy green leaves. No drooping, no browning, no curling just dropping leaves. I did have my windows all tinted this past summer. Could it be a lack of light. He has always done great indoors. I would like to use grow lights but my ceilings are only 8 feet tall and my ficus takes up a complete corner of the room and the ceiling too. Can I use grow bulbs in my ceiling fan or will that be awakered light. Help i do not want to lose my friend of 25 years.
No, indeed! ---Have you moved him lately? Review the usual suspects: light, temperature, moisture, infestation. If happy, which yours was, Ficus like to stay put. My guess would be that it is reacting to something new and different that it doesn't like. If his location is the same spot he's had all these years---if you have no hot or cold air newly intruding---no pests, fungus, etc---no change in watering---hmm, you may just be right. If the only change in his environment has been the window tinting, that could be it. The tinting could affect the ambient temperature, as well as the amount of light he's getting. By the way: Welcome to the Forum!
Thank you. I did not think about the effect on the mositure and air temp due to tinting. I do take him out every year and let him grow grow then I trim him up and bring him in. I will up the temp because the tint did drop my temp in the summer about 10 degrees and Im sure it is about the same now. Im going to buy the grow bulbs today. I have other old plants infact most of mine are at least 10 years old. I also have a Palm that is 20 years old. They are all like me aging, but aging with grace Lol. Iam glad I came across this site thank and have a great day. ajluckenbaugh
Hello, well it has been two weeks since I bought my grow lights and my ficus has stopped dropping as many leaves as it did prior to the lights. I guess it was the temp and light. I hope to have many more years with him. Burr it is cold in Greenville this week. Have a good one. ajl
Hey, aj! Thanks for the good news! Your ficus is lucky to be with you. I am happy for both of you! It is COLD here too---5 F. when I got up this am. Streets are still lousy, with mounds of ice and potholes everywhere. Supposed to get up to a normal warmth (?) over the next few days. That WILL be nice. Am looking forward to seeing my snowdrops sprout...and to go outside with only ONE flannel shirt underneath my winter coat!
