Hello! We inherited this potted plant from our landlady when we moved in to our new flat in Hong Kong. Our landlady could not speak English and the property agent who was translating for us could only say that it is a kind of chinese lucky plant and all we need to do is water it regularly. It seems to be some sort of chinese bonsai from my research on the web, but I really can't tell. I was hoping somebody in this community could help me identify what kind of plant it is so we can take care of it properly.
it could be ficus benjamina. not sure though. if it is that one, it's not in good health - the leaves should be uniformly green and should be a darker shade of green. see here for comparison: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-US&um=1&sa=1&q=ficus+benjamina&aq=0&oq=ficus+b&aqi=g5g-m2&start=0
good idea, togata!!!! as far as i know, all ficus ooze a bit of white when cut, so, that would be a good way to test the id. just bend a leaf until it breaks.
Thank you very much, joclyn and togata. I did as you said, joclyn, and there was a little white ooze when I broke the leaf. However, I am trying to compare the size of the leaves to the photos in the link you sent and it seems the leaves of the ficus that we have are significantly smaller and rounder. Anyway, I did some research on the ficus benjamina and it seems the best thing I can do now is make sure it gets the right amount of water/moisture. Would liquid fertilizer help quicken its recovery? I read on one site that fertilizer should not be used when the leaves start to yellow and drop. If I could bother you just a little bit more, can you please direct me to a good website where I can study how to properly care for a ficus benjamina?
fertilizer should never be given to a plant that is in distress. wait until it's on better footing for a bit before starting with adding fertilizer. there are many type of ficus - this one could be something other than benjamina. or it could be the leaf growth has been stunted due to lack of proper upkeep. the discoloration could even be due to too much light or too cool temps (no idea what the temps are like over there!) i may have some links about ficus care on the computer at home - will look later (still at work, atm). if i do have anything, it'll most likely be for f. elastica rather than other types as that's the only one i have...still, general care info is basically the same for all. although, if this is benjamina, they are much more finicky than other types - i would keep it in it's current location as they really don't like to be moved. don't like changes in temps; don't like changes to watering routines. heck, sometimes they don't like it if you breathe to close to them!! (just kidding - they are pretty sensitive to changes, though) only thing that would be of real consideration is that it's done in the bonsai style. done properly, that means the roots are manipulated/trimmed and that can affect watering requirements. going by the beautiful root system that's visible, that's an old specimen - so the roots have been modified. i don't have enough experience with bonsai in general and none with ficus, so i can't really give any info about watering needs. i WOULD mist it every few days though. maybe every day, even - again, i'm just not sure about this particular plants needs when done in this style. i have links to some bonsai sites - went looking for info a few years ago when i got some things at the philly flower show and wanted to do them in that style - never had time to get started on it and then 4 of the 5 plants i bought died, so, never followed up about it. (the one that lived is a jade and that's no problem to do as bonsai...) i'll post whatever links i have later.
