By nothingelseworx

Re: Houseplant help
29 Apr 2008 15:21

Hello - I have a small Ficus which is looking very sorry for itself. Most of the leaves are dead and have fallen off but at the tips of the branches there are new leaves and buds which seem to be growing quite happily. My question is, should I strip the branches off of all the old dead leaves and let the new growth carry on, or cut all branches back to stumps and see what happens?

Thank you for your advice.

n-e-w

Replies

By *Bramble

Re: Houseplant help
29 Apr 2008 16:42

Mine has been having a bit of a mini-moult lately, so I fed it and and new leaves are just starting to show.
I wouldn't take its branches off, the poor thing sounds stressed enough already, but I would give it a feed of tomato feed or houseplant feed, whatever you have, I use miracle-gro, and see what it's like in a week. They do hate drying out, and can lose leaves days later, so rack your brains to remember whether you've neglected it?
If you decide it's in need of a haircut, keep a couple or three cut branches in a little vase of water until they root, then if there is something wrong with it you might get a replacement plant when it gives up the ghost... let us know how it gets on :-)))

By *Bramble

Re: Houseplant help
29 Apr 2008 16:44

Just a thought - is it time to give it a bigger pot?

By Krishnamurti

Re: Houseplant help
29 Apr 2008 17:10

Ficus' are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity and tend to lose their leaves as a result. I'd go for re-potting and it should perk up if you give it plenty of light and it's not too near draughts or heat sources.

By nothingelseworx

Re: Houseplant help
29 Apr 2008 17:19

Thank you for your suggestions. Has been neglected. I am a very sporadic waterer! Problem with my home is that the only shelf space I have is window sill and half the windows face due east so get direct morning sunlight and the other half due west so get the afternoon light. I guess the sun would be less fierce on the east side.