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Fed up with ficus!

PegathaPegatha Posts: 94
in Problem solving
I have seven ficus plants in my house, and five of them recently died, or are dying... in the space of just a few weeks. 

They were previously doing very well. One of them was thriving in my bathroom for at least two years, I recently re-potted it and for some reason it didn’t like that. It’s shed over half it’s leaves since then, and keeps losing more every day.

The other is in my kitchen, getting indirect/filtered light and daily misting. Always been fine since I purchased it last autumn, until that really warm day we had last week. In the space of 24h it went all saggy, and again is shedding its leaves. 

Yet another plant, this time in my living room, is shedding its leaves having been fine since I bought it several months ago. 

Two more were in my porch and didn’t last more than a few weeks after I bought them.

I’ve heard these plants are notoriously sensitive, but I’ve tried so hard with them, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. They’ve been misted almost every day, and haven’t been moved - apart from when I re-potted the bathroom one but he went straight back there.

Has anyone else had success with these plants? Any tips? I’m at my wit’s end!

Thank you :) 

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Did you see any signs of vine weevil when you repotted it
    Devon.
  • PegathaPegatha Posts: 94
    Hello, nope no sign of weevils.

    Here is the re-potted one. Bearing in mind that before re-potting, it was full and lush, and with leaves that were a darker green.



  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Get a rubber or an umbrella plant...much less fussy 😉 but in all seriousness that pot looks on the small side for a Ficus Benjamina. They do appreciate good light and a good amount or root space. I think misting is overrated especially when the UK climate is so damp anyway. If you want to keep one in a darker space you can always try to use a grow light. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • PegathaPegatha Posts: 94
    Hello, yes you’re probably right I should probably shift my focus to other types of plants, as I do struggle with ficus.

    I think the pot just looks small in that pic because of the angle. It’s at least a size bigger than the one it was in before (when it was thriving).

    I did put a dying ficus under a grow light but think it was too late to save him. He’s in the bin now 😞
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