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House plant leaves dropping off
mcintyre45
Posts: 2
Would appreciate any help in (1) identifying this house plant (I'm sure it will be well known and easily identifiable to readers) and (2) Any solutions or help with the problem of leaves turning yellow and dropping off as in the small bottom left pic? it sits near a south facing window in SE London, has grown over 12 years from 2 to 6 feet and is well watered, but recently more leaves than usual have been turning yellow and dropping off. Thanks in advance for any help or tips.
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Hello mcintyre. Your plant looks very like a weeping fig - Ficus benjamina. As you have had it for 12+ years without too many leaves falling can you think of anything you have done differently? They do not like too much water in the winter months and they don't like big fluctuations in room temperature - such as at night times.
How long has it been in that pot? It might be pot bound or just plain hungry as that's a lot of plant for not a lot of pot.
I have a variegated form somewhat larger than yours which was also shedding and it has been much better since I potted it on last spring. However, it is now also in as big a pot as I can manoeuvre so, in future, will stay in that pot but have its roots trimmed and then a bit of fresh compost top and bottom and some liquid feeds in spring.
The other thing I do is to stand it in the shower and give it a good rinse every 3 months or so to remove dust from leaves and give the pot a good soaking but also good drainage. They don't like wet feet.
Thank you both Ladybird and Obelixx for your swift replies. I will take note of your helpful advice as I believe there are contributing factors in both your responses. I must hold my hands up and say that I did water it probably too much this week (it had wet feet - oops) and also changed its location from front room to back over the Christmas period to accomodate a Christmas tree - (temperature fluctuation). Hopefully your responses are indeed, circumstantial indicators of the problem and I will leave well an good alone for a while to monitor. Many thanks for your help. I also hear what you say, Obelixx about the size of the pot and will repot in a larger one soon. I too had trouble moving the pot but the one in the photo is very easy to move as it is sitting on a plant holder on wheels, bought from a local florist. Thanks again.
Mine's on a wheely thing too and it's great but doesn't help when I want to lift it into the shower or - as I plan to soon - move it downstairs. We have 2 new kittens who think it's a climbing frame so it needs to be put in a room with a door I can close instead of its current position on the landing.