Anytime a fig is unhappy it may shed all or most of
its leaves. Many an anxious fig owner has panicked when their plant starts
dropping leaves for no apparent reason. The most frequent cause of leaf drop is
excessive wetness or dryness, but a blast of cold air or sudden exposure of the
windowsill-grown fig into brighter sunlight may do the same thing. In two or
three weeks, when conditions improve, new leaves will regrow, but adding
another insult will probably result in the figs death. The key thing is to do
nothing. Keep the fig warm and let the soil get moderately dry before watering
again. If the fig has enough energy stores it will re-leaf in three or four
weeks time. Should the conditions that caused it to leaf drop persist, the fig
will likely die.
Your Ficus
Bonsai tree will need re potting every 2-3 years, the best time of year to
do this is in spring, however as an indoor subject Ficus Bonsai trees can
be re-potted any time of year, you can cut the roots back hard on Ficus and
they will bounce back, although just because you can doesn't mean this is
always necessary. Akadama and or Moler Bonsai soil mixed with
fine potting bark would be a good choice to repot your Ficus, you could also
add some pumice granules to aid drainage, pumice will also hold
a certain amount of moisture for your Bonsai tree. It is important
not to fertilize your Bonsai tree for around four weeks after re-potting
as doing so can burn the new roots that your Bonsai tree will be
developing, after this period carry on fertilizing as usual. You
should fertilize your Bonsai tree from spring onwards when your Bonsai
is in active growth with a balanced fertilizer such as Chempak, you
will usually fertilize your Bonsai tree once a week but feeding
guidelines will differ from brand to brand so it is best to refer to the
instructions on the particular brand you decide to use. When your Ficus
Bonsai stops putting on new growth in winter you should stop
fertilizing until growth resumes in spring. Wiring can be carried out on
Ficus Bonsai trees at any time of year, branches on Ficus Bonsai may only take
a few months to set so keep an eye on the wires to make sure they
don't cut in to the bark. Trim new growth back to shape all year
round when your Bonsai tree is in active growth, you will notice a
white milky sap coming out of the wounds, this is nothing to worry about and
this will naturally seal the wounds caused by trimming. Your Ficus
Bonsai tree may also benefit from leaf pruning (defoliation) in early
summer, partial defoliating is usually best as full defoliation can cause some
branches to die back, removing only the largest leaves ensures some leaves are
left to keep the sap flowing through the branches, this will
encourage a new crop of smaller leaves to grow and will also allow light to
reach the twigs and branches.
Ficus Bonsai
trees are a tender species (not frost hardy) and don't tolerate
temperatures below 15c very well, temperatures slightly lower than this
for short periods wont kill your Ficus Bonsai, however prolonged
exposure will eventually result in ill health, this means the only times you
can leave your Ficus Bonsai outdoors all day and night is in June and July (in
the UK). The rest of the summer you can place your Bonsai
tree outdoors on hot days and bring it back indoors in the evening,
or you may choose to keep your Ficus Bonsai tree indoors all year
round which is possible however it will do your Bonsai tree a lot of
good to spend as much time outdoors as possible in summer.
Although Ficus Bonsai trees can tolerate lower light and
humidity levels in your home, it is far better to place them on a bright
window sill away from a heat source, avoid cold draughts and
large temperature fluctuations as this can cause leaf drop through
stress. As with most if not all indoor Bonsai trees a humidity tray is
recommended, however as Ficus are more tolerant of lower humidity you
could try your Ficus Bonsai without at first, if your Bonsai tree does
well then it should be ok to continue without a humidity tray, if your Ficus
Bonsai does not do well, your home may not be humid enough and a humidity
tray may be necessary. The tray should be a few inches larger
in width and length than the Bonsai pot, and the Bonsai pot should
not come in to direct contact with the water in the tray, the feet of the
Bonsai pot should be placed on some small stones to raise the
pot above the waters surface, or you could place fine gravel up to
the rim of the tray and place the Bonsai pot on top of the
gravel. Make sure the humidity tray has the water topped up at
all times and as the water evaporates it will rise up through the
leaves of your Bonsai tree and help to keep the local area
more humid. Your Bonsai tree will also appreciate the
occasional misting with a sprayer (filtered water is proffered, as unfiltered
water can leave a white residue on the leaves) misting will also encourage
aerial roots to grow which can become one of the main features
of Ficus Bonsai trees. You should aim to keep the
Bonsai soil moist but never constantly waterlogged, you can do this
by watering regularly but sparingly, although you will need to
increase the amount of water given in summer when the Bonsai tree is in
active growth.
