Why ficus benjamin sheds leaves what to do. Why ficus benjamin sheds leaves and how to help the plant. Natural causes of fall

Ficus Benjamin has settled in our homes for so long that it is often considered as an unpretentious plant in care. In fact, this is only an appearance. Ficus is one of the "conservative" plants and, if it is already used to the owner and the conditions that are provided to it, it will indeed live happily ever after. Problems can arise at the very beginning, when they are just trying to “tame” the tree, or later, if the habitat or conditions of detention change.

Falling leaves are a symptom of both diseases and care mistakes, so determining what to do when Benjamin's ficus sheds leaves is sometimes difficult. It is quite difficult to make an accurate diagnosis from a distance, but perhaps this article will help you correct mistakes and save the life of an indoor flower.

Cases when the leaves turn yellow for natural reasons

Immediately after purchase

Ficus does not tolerate a sharp change in growing conditions and reacts to any stress factors with defoliation, that is, it “drops ballast” in the form of leaves. In nature, this makes sense, but at home it looks depressing. To help the plant adapt faster, transplant it into store-bought ficus potting soil. Be sure to put a good layer of expanded clay drainage on the bottom, check that the holes for water drainage are quite large (at least 1 cm in diameter).

Ficuses love well-drained soil that allows air to pass through, retains moisture sufficiently, but dries out at the same time, so take care of drainage in advance. It is better to put the pot in a place away from drafts and direct sunlight, but so that the lighting is sufficient. For example, southwest, southeast windows.

This is especially important for variegated forms, which lose their color without light, and fade in bright light.

Attention! If the tree was purchased in cold, inclement weather and spent some time in the cold, the recovery period may be longer. When the green pet acclimates, the crown will begin to grow again.

Be sure to read the rest of the paragraphs to know what to do when Ficus Benjamin leaves turn yellow and fall, and how to avoid it. The comments described below refer to those specimens that have been living in the house for a long time and suddenly began to lose their foliage.

natural fall of leaves

Ficus tend to lose leaves when changing not only the environment, but also the growing conditions. When the season changes (winter - spring, autumn - winter), when the temperature regime changes, the air becomes drier due to heating or, conversely, humidity increases, natural defoliation can occur. The tree loses a maximum of a dozen leaves a week, but you can see that fresh, bright green, healthy leaves are growing.

This is a typical case when Benjamin's ficus begins to shed its leaves. Try to keep the temperature and humidity as stable as possible during these periods. Do not turn on air conditioners or fans near the plant, cover the heating pipes with a damp cloth. Accustom to new conditions gradually.

Another case where defoliation is natural is the exposure of the lower branches and the middle tier of an already adult plant. In nature, ficus, just like domestic apple and pear trees, tends to grow up. As a result, the tree steadily grows its crown on the upper shoots and at the ends of the branches, but the lower tiers become bare and the branches gradually die off. If you do not want to grow an untidy tree with an ugly crown, try to help the plant.

Annually, as necessary, carry out light pruning in early spring: remove branches that spoil the shape of the crown, cut at the top every third branch into two leaves, every third branch on the middle tier into 4-5 leaves, do not touch the lower ones if they do not spoil the shape. As a result, the tree will begin to grow additional branches, and the crown will become more elegant. Defoliation will stop as the apical shoots will be cut back, the lower branches will again receive enough nutrition.

Soil and watering

Improper watering and alkalization of the soil is the third cause of leaf loss. Moreover, the symptoms are the same both during overflow and underfilling: the leaves turn yellow, fall off, the branches gradually become exposed, it feels as if the tree is drying up, although the soil is constantly wet.

Insufficient watering

With a wooden stick, pierce the soil layer as deep as possible and determine how wet it is (should become dirty). The overdried earth is dusty, poorly absorbs moisture, breaks up into small fractions that do not absorb water. To help the tree, first of all, it is necessary to saturate the substrate with moisture. Raise the pot, if roots are visible from the drainage holes, the plant should be transplanted into a larger flowerpot and filled with fresh earth.

To restore the substrate to a normal moisture level, take a deep container, place a flowerpot inside and pour enough water to cover the soil. Leave until no more air bubbles appear above the ground. On average, the procedure takes about half an hour.

Then remove the pot from the water and let the excess moisture drain. If you're worried that the roots might rot, take a paper towel, roll it up and place it deeper in the soil, hanging the edge of the towel out of the pot. As a result, unwanted moisture will drip into the pan.

Another method is suitable for those plants that have already braided a clod of earth with roots. Just take out the ficus along with the ground (if it doesn’t come out, press on the walls of the pot, as if “remembering” it), then put it on a layer of newspaper or other paper, and wrap the exposed roots with a paper towel. After a few hours, return the tree back. Such a “bathing procedure” will help restore the structure of the earth, saturate it with moisture.

Excessive watering: the tree is “flooded.

We are accustomed to believing that if the leaves began to turn yellow, it means that the plant does not have enough water, and we diligently pour it. Of course, ficus loves water, but does not tolerate stagnation. As a result, with improper watering, the roots begin to rot and die, and since water is absorbed mainly through the root system, the crown begins to experience a lack of moisture. We see yellowing, we are upset that the branches “dry”, we water even more, as a result, the tree dies. To help the pet, the substrate must be dried in one of the following ways:

remove the plant from the pot along with a clod of earth, inspect the roots, carefully cut out the brown, soft-looking unhealthy roots, sprinkle the slices with crushed activated charcoal. Put the tree on a layer of newspapers, wrap it with paper that absorbs moisture well and change it when wet. Then carefully place in a pot, add fresh earth;
just do not water;
use a paper towel.

Soil alkalization

Improper watering leads to another problem that is not as obvious as the first two, but the result is the same - the leaves fall for no apparent reason. When a tree is watered in the usual way, moistening only the top layer of the earth, but not to such an extent that water comes out of the drainage holes, all the salts that were dissolved in the water settle into the soil.

There is an accumulation of salts in the substrate, its alkalization. When there is more salt outside the roots than inside the cells, the normal process of moisture absorption stops, and the earth draws water from the roots. This is observed with a “burn with fertilizers” and that is why it is recommended to soak the soil before adding fertilizers.

In order to avoid alkalization and wash out excess salts, you need to water in two doses. The first time you water as usual to just wet the ground, after half an hour you add so much water that it starts to pour out of the holes in the flowerpot. Ficus Benjamin needs to be watered approximately 1-2 times a week, and even less often in winter.

Attention! The main sign of the need for watering is the dryness of the topsoil and drainage holes. Never water a flower "on schedule", try to only do it "on demand" when the tree needs it. If you take such watering as a rule, the question of why the leaves of Benjamin's ficus fall heavily will stop worrying you for many years to come.

Pests

Benjamin is very fond of high humidity, spraying, when the pot is placed on a pallet with small pebbles, in which there is water. If the air becomes too dry, the tree sheds leaves and pests appear on it.

Scale insects, spider mites and other small living creatures suck the juices from the leaves. Leaf blades become marbled, with dots of yellow and white, which gradually grow, and the leaves die off. Determining the presence of pests is quite simple. Ticks leave behind a thin cobweb, scale insects look like white “scales” that stick to the leaves, after which a sticky coating remains.

When ficus leaves begin to fall, not everyone realizes that there are some problems with the flower. Unfortunately, if it is not possible to notice the trouble in time, then it is quite possible that it will no longer be possible to save the ficus. True, it is also not worth panicking ahead of time, because sometimes leaf plates fall off due to the change of seasons.

Experienced gardeners note that a slight shedding of leaves is allowed (no more than 10 pieces per month). If the process only intensifies, then in this case it is already necessary to think about why this is happening. It is especially important to find and determine the cause when not only leaf fall occurs, but also the drying of the flower, wrinkling of the leaves, and the like.

Many gardeners, not having dealt with the root cause (it is far from alone), begin to reanimate the flower in every possible way, unaware that they sometimes make it even worse, exacerbating an already difficult situation. Under no circumstances should this be done. First you need to assess the condition of the sheet plates.

It is possible that the following points were noticed:

spots on the leaves;
plaque on leaf plates;
cobweb, entangled the whole flower;
the appearance of larvae on the green.

All these important nuances will lead to the fact that sooner or later the leaves will begin to turn yellow, and then completely fall off.

Important! Another omen that something is wrong with the ficus is the fall of old leaf plates and the appearance of new ones, but of a different size and irregular shape.

Having noticed all this, you should first of all think about how the plant is cared for.

Natural causes of leaf fall

Flowers, like people, tend to experience stress. Of course, plants will not say this, but they will show this with their appearance. If a flower has just been bought and brought home, then there is nothing surprising in the fact that the first thing he will start to do is drop the leaf plates. In this case, you do not need to touch the ficus, after a while the leaf fall will stop, and the flower will begin to grow green mass.

Falling leaves can also occur in the autumn-winter period. In fact, ficuses are the same trees, but only small and they also tend to fall leaves before the approaching winter. Therefore, no resuscitation of the flower in this case is needed.

Unnatural causes of leaf fall

In the case when the ficus tree has been growing at home for a long time, and in spring or summer, then it is necessary to carefully think about what caused and led to such a situation.

It could be:

frequent rearrangement of the flower pot;
unsuccessful transplant;
lighting problems;
drafts;
non-compliance with the temperature regime;
low humidity;
improper watering;
lack of fertilizers;
diseases and pests.

Having identified the error in care, salvation will come by itself when the gardener returns to proper care.

Frequent rearrangement of the flower pot

Ficus benjamina, or any other species, is not a plant that welcomes constant “moving”. If a tree is constantly moved or moved from place to place, then it will spend all its strength on adapting to new conditions. And if so, then the ficus will rapidly lose its green mass.

Failed transplant

After each transplant into a new substrate, ficus may lose leaf blades in a small amount. If after a while the flower dries up and strong leaf fall is noticed, then the plant was transplanted into unsuitable soil. In the case when the ficus is transplanted frequently, it can also begin to lose green mass in response to severe stress.

Lighting problems

Almost all types of ficus need bright lighting. True, you should not put a flowerpot with a flower so that the sun clearly shines on it. In this case, the leaves will become hard and dry, and after a while they will completely fall off. Therefore, it is better to shade the tree a little in strong sunshine, but not hide it in a dark room, because in this case the plant will not dry out, but will fade due to lack of lighting.

drafts

When deciding to buy a ficus, you need to remember that there should not be any drafts in the house.. All of them are detrimental to the flower. Growing a plant at home, it needs to create suitable conditions. By the way, putting the flowerpot in the place where the air conditioner blows is also not worth it.

Non-compliance with the temperature regime

The correct temperature regime is the key to good growth and condition of the plant. In winter, the temperature should not be below +18 °C, and in summer - above +25 °C. If the flower dries, but the room is not hot, then most likely the pot is located next to the heaters.

Low humidity

It is a mistake to think that ficuses will grow in a room with low humidity. These plants react sharply to such a nuance. The leaves begin to quickly darken and disappear. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to ensure that the humidity in the room is kept at around 50-70%.

Watering

Manipulation should be carried out as needed. Many gardeners once read that this is done a couple of times a week, and follow the erroneous recommendation. And then it turns out that the leaf plates are covered with brown spots and the flower dies. A similar moment signals the decay of the root system. If, on the contrary, the flower is completely dry, therefore, it has been forgotten to be watered for many weeks.

Lack of fertilizer

In the case when there are not enough nutrients in the substrate, the ficus may begin to fade, the leaf plates will curl and crumble. This can happen with an overabundance of fertilizing in the soil. This point must be monitored carefully.

Diseases and pests

What to do to save the ficus

When deciding how to revive a ficus, you need to rely on the root cause. Having determined which care rules have been violated, they will need to be corrected, then the flower will quickly gain green mass, and the gardener will no longer be bothered by the problem.

As for pests and diseases, sometimes they arise due to care errors, and sometimes they "come" into the house along with new plants. In this case, you can first treat the flower with soapy water (it helps fight many pests), and then spray the ficus with insecticides. Some gardeners use folk methods that are effective when the trouble has just made itself felt.

By carefully monitoring all the manipulations that occur with ficus, they will not have to be revived, because it will not come to this. Flowers react sharply to any changes and it is impossible not to notice in the appearance of the plant.

So, as we have already established in the previous part of the article, one of the most popular questions about ficus is the question: "Why do ficus Benjamin leaves fall". After reading this article, we suggest that you definitely read the first part, which lists the other causes of leaf fall.

As long as we continue.

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Why do ficus benjamin leaves fall

cool air

Ficus Benjamin does not like not only temperature changes, but also when the house is too cool or too hot. The temperature comfort zone for it is 17-23 ° C, and in order to maintain this temperature throughout the year, you need an air conditioner, preferably with an air humidification function right away. But remember that the ficus should be placed away from the air conditioner, and even better - in the next room, which has air exchange with the one where the air conditioner is located.

dry air

Benjaminchik does not tolerate heat and too dry air, which is the most common cause of leaf fall. Therefore, you will often have to spray the plant - 2-3 times a day, but from a fine spray gun from a distance of 20-30 cm. But it is best to buy an air humidifier.

Wrong watering

This mistake in plant care is also often the cause of leaf fall in Ficus Benjamin. And the difficulty of eliminating it lies in the difficulty of developing a formula for sufficient watering: you need to learn how to guess how much water your fussy will be just right. With excessive watering, root rot may appear: the leaves weaken and begin to crumble. Insufficient soil moisture is also very harmful for the ficus, because, trying to keep the root system and the woody part in the right tone with a lack of moisture, the ficus gets rid of the leaves. After a series of waterings, he, of course, will depart, but it will take a long time to grow leaves.

How to avoid mistakes with watering? Check soil moisture. The soil mixture between waterings should have time to dry 1.5-2 cm deep from the surface. If the ficus is an adult, then even 3-4 cm. In winter, it is enough to water Ficus Benjamin 1 time in 7-10 days (depending on the air temperature: the colder the room, the less often you need to water it).

Moreover, Ficus Benjamin should be watered only with warm settled water.

Soil depletion

Another reason for leaf fall is soil depletion. If a flower grows for a long time in the same soil without a transplant, then it depletes the soil, and therefore the flower must be regularly fed with liquid fertilizers for decorative leafy plants. And it would be nice to pour fresh soil into the pot from time to time.

ficus disease

Well the worst reason falling leaves at Ficus Benjamin is a plant disease, namely the appearance of a spider mite on it. If you start the disease, all the leaves may fall off, and it will be difficult to cure the flower, so it is important to prevent the disease - maintain the correct air humidity and preventively treat the flower with a preparation for spider mites once every six months. For example, such as Fitoverm is a fairly safe broad-spectrum insecticide.

So, let's sum up. What you need to keep Ficus Benjamin leaves from falling

change its location as little as possible;
protect from direct sunlight;
maintain sufficient humidity in the room;
organize proper watering;
keep the plant away from drafts;
apply fertilizer on time.

My mother-in-law gave me a ficus. I brought it home, put it on, and in the morning - oops! Some of the leaves are lying on the table. I stealthily (so that my husband would not see) collected them, read on the Internet about caring for this plant, on the way home from work I bought top dressing for the scoundrel ...

And the same picture awaited at home: the beginning of leaf fall. I don’t know how my second mother grew a plant that accurately conveyed her capricious nature, but the ficus had to be urgently saved, otherwise my reputation as a flower grower would die for a long time. And I did cure this picky plant!

Certainly! But this is - if we talk about plants that turn green in the open field. For example, religious or fig ficuses growing along the streets of warm countries shed their leaves every year. In this way, the plant prepares to survive a particularly dry or cold month.

By the way! Both of the above-mentioned types of ficus, getting to a permanent place of residence on the street of a warmer and more humid country, cease to be deciduous. Still, because plants no longer need to survive by saving moisture by dropping leaves.

The same applies to "domesticated" plants. Of course, the same fig at home needs both moderate watering and “hibernation”, but it will “fall” into it completely undramatically, that is, without losing its crown.

Loss of leaves on a houseplant

If the ficus grows, its trunk and branches turn from green to brown (this process of growing a plant is called lignification), then it is not scary if, over time, the lower leaves turn pale, turn yellow and fall off. Their time is just coming.

Most often this happens in autumn and winter, and immediately new leaves grow at the top.

It is much worse if the top or the whole plant “goes bald” at a time. This means either a serious mistake in caring for indoor decorative leaves, or a progressive plant disease.

Features of leaf fall in ficus Benjamin

To understand what exactly caused the leaf fall, take a good look at your pet. As you know, trouble does not come alone, and if it is a disease, other factors will also give it away.

Abrupt change of scenery

Benjamin is a terrible conservative. If you bring it into the house and the climate inside turns out to be completely different from what it was before in the store or the “mother's” greenhouse, it can “get nervous” and begin to crumble.

The same symptom may occur when first meeting with a shower or pruning. This is such a plant - with any hint of stress, the leaf fall season immediately begins.

excess water

Over watering, lack of drainage holes in the pot...

In this case, the leaves will not just fall off, but will begin to darken - in especially neglected cases, also along with the trunk. In addition, the pot will smell musty, and the plant itself will begin to wither from the top of each shoot.

lack of moisture

The leaves will dry and curl before falling off. Yes, and on the ground you will see that it is already a solid dusty lump.

lack of light

If in summer there is usually enough light for ficuses, then in winter it is not (especially variegated, that is, spotted varieties). Finding out that Benjamin requires highlighting with a phytolamp is simple: his leaves grow smaller and darker, turn yellow and crumble. At the same time, the branches are ugly stretched and, as it were, “lose weight”.

Dry air

Again, this problem is especially relevant in winter, when ficuses grow on window sills, and a radiator plows from below. However, in the summer (if the temperature always exceeds 30 degrees, and there was no rain for a very long time), the ficus also suffers.

Symptoms: the tips of the leaves dry up and turn brown, and in small ficuses they become wrinkled and crumble.

Cold

For most ficuses, this is a temperature below 17 degrees. A plant that is in a draft or wind, standing on a cold windowsill, touching an icy window with a branch, or simply watered with cold water can also freeze.

Too little nutrition

Of course, in this case, the ficus does not immediately shed its leaves. If there is little food for him, at first he will lag behind his “peers” in growth (even during the active growing season, that is, in spring and summer), his leaves will grow small and pale.

But then they still sprinkle, starting from the bottom. Therefore, ficuses need to be replanted (replacing the depleted soil with fresh and “tasty”), and also fed with fertilizers, homemade or from the store.

Too much feed

Black dots will first appear on the leaves, then they will turn completely black.

cramped pot

If there is not enough space for the roots in the “house”, they do not work well. Yes, and there will not be enough soil. In general, the plant will begin to suffer from the same lack of nutrients, and even if you begin to water it regularly with top dressing, the situation will not change without transplanting into a larger pot.

Root burn

I often write about the need to fertilize after watering. If you pour them into dry soil, the plant will not take them well, and in especially difficult cases it will damage its roots.

Too acidic or alkaline soil

Sometimes people transplant home flowers into the soil collected in the country, without even thinking about its quality, because "tomatoes grow there, and nothing." But if the ficus soil is not neutral or slightly acidic (6.5 or 7 pH), the symptoms will be the same as with overfeeding or undernutrition.

Disease, harmful insect

In the first case, the leaves will become spotty, tuberculate or overdried before falling off (perhaps not totally, but in places).

In another, you will notice either the most uninvited guests, or traces of their vital activity: sticky juice, “flour” from a mealybug, yellowish dots on leaf plates in places of scoundrel bites.

Sometimes, due to pests, the leaves begin to curl into a tube.

Poisoning with a floricultural chemical

If you sprinkle a triple dose of insecticide, pesticide, and so on on a ficus, not only a harmful insect or disease will be defeated, but Benjamin himself. Still, after all, with a headache, we ourselves drink only one tablet of an anesthetic, but certainly not the whole package!

Sometimes several troubles happen to a plant at once. For example, ficus can suffer both from a lack of watering and from dry air.

And how are things going with elastics, microcarps

Although different ficuses are not similar, their whims and illnesses generally coincide. So the problems with watering, lighting and humidity, which we talked about above, are relevant not only for Benjamin, but also for other types of ficuses.

By the way! The same elastica, like Benjamin, tends to lose the lower leaves with age. And if a couple of pieces have fallen from the bottom, and the leaves on top and on the tips of the shoots look healthy and well-groomed, everything is fine.

You will learn more about the rubbery ficus that is turning yellow and losing its leaves from this video:

What to do in such a situation

Everything is simple here: urgently find out the cause of all evils, eradicate it, and then grow the ficus correctly.

For instance:

If the plant has suffered from stagnant moisture, it should be transplanted into fresh soil without delay. Inspect the roots exposed during transplantation, cut off all rotten ones, rub the sections with charcoal (activated) charcoal.
Is stress to blame? Try to strengthen the ficus with an energy drink (Zircon or Epin have proven themselves well). They are bred, but not poured into the soil, but are used to wipe the leaves of the plant.
Ficus needs to be fed? Be sure to look in the store for food specifically for this type of domestic plants (even if you are offered a station wagon, it is better not to take it for a sick ficus). It has been noticed that in summer this culture perceives dry fertilizers better, and in winter - liquid ones.
Harmful insects are washed off with a swab wet with soapy water. Many stop there, but it is advisable to treat the plant with a purchased insecticide ... Or an acaricide if you are fighting ticks. Do you know what insects eat your ficus? You can try to take a picture of them to show the poison dealer. Or buy a broad-spectrum insecticide-acaricide - this is a poison "against almost everyone."
Ficus is sick with rot or fungus? This is the most dangerous diagnosis. All affected leaves, branches and roots must be cut and cleaned, the places of “operations” should be wiped with coal, and then the entire plant should be treated with a medicine - a fungicide. Do not forget: they (like insecticides) do not have the most pleasant smell, and even toxic. Immediately prepare yourself a mask or scarf on your face, gloves. At the time of processing the plant, it is better to send it for a walk at home.

In general, your plant will not be beautiful until you learn the basic principles of ficus care. Fortunately, they are simple, and the same for all species. Here's how simply and without further ado, a biologist talks about caring for our ornamental leaf:

It often happens that with good care ficus benjamin sheds leaves. This suggests that the plant is missing something or it is sick.

Ficus Benjamina can drop leaves in the presence of negative factors:

with a sharp change in temperature;
if the flower stands in a draft;
spider mite damage due to low humidity;
insufficient or excessive watering, in which the leaves first turn yellow and then begin to fall off;
watering with cold water from the tap;
frequent change of location of the flower;
low room temperature.
if the leaves become covered with brown spots and begin to fall off, the cause may lie in a burn from direct sunlight and low humidity, it is necessary to spray the crown daily and shade the flower from the sun;
if brown spots appeared on the leaves, the flower drooped and began to drop leaves, the problem may be in the low air temperature, in order to prevent it, it is necessary to move the ficus to a warmer place or install an additional heating radiator in the room, and the leaves of the plant should not be allowed to come into contact with cold glass window;
the leaves may turn yellow and fall off with insufficient nutrition, it is necessary to feed the ficus monthly with mineral fertilizers, following the manufacturer's recommendations, overfeeding will burn the roots and the flower will die.

If the care rules are not followed, the plant will react with yellowed leaves and eventually shed them.

Attention! The cause of dropping leaves may be infection of the plant with diseases or pests.

Pest infestations

Falling leaves from Benjamin's ficus are not always associated with improper care, various pests can also be the cause:

Falling leaves are the first sign of pests. You can view them from the back of the sheet through a magnifying glass. To avoid infection, you should keep the plant clean, spray it regularly and wipe the leaves. Dried and yellowed leaves should be removed in time.

If the flower is still struck by any pest, you need to wipe the leaves with soapy water, and then spray it with an insecticide. At home, you can use a solution of tobacco, calendula or garlic.

The plant can drop leaves due to infection by fungi, which mainly occur when the soil is waterlogged and low temperatures. In a plant affected by a fungal infection, growth and crown regeneration processes slow down, leaf photosynthesis is disrupted.

A characteristic feature is yellow spots on leaves, which then dry and the foliage begins to fall off. The danger for the plant is that the fungi live in the soil and infect the root system; only a transplant with the removal of rotten roots can save the flower.

Signs of damage by fungi, in addition to dropping leaves, are:

yellow and dark spots on the leaves;
crust on soil in a pot;
the soil in the pot turns into one lump, especially when waterlogged, this indicates rotting of the root system.

As a treatment, it is necessary to transplant the plant, remove the rotten roots, hold the rest in a solution of manganese before placing the ficus in a new soil.

Do not forget that in the fall, Benjamin's ficus can shed its leaves for a completely natural reason. The life cycle of a leaf is 2-3 years, then it gradually turns yellow and falls off. But if the fall occurs for a natural reason, then the flower does not lose so many leaves, and a young green leaf always grows in place of the fallen one.

What to do

After examining all the reasons why does a plant shed its leaves , you need to know what to do in this case.

If the flower has just bought in the store, it must be transplanted, it cannot stay in the transport soil for a long time. Ficus Benjamina reacts painfully to transplantation, change of location, pruning procedure and the slightest change in the conditions of detention. In the absence of urgent need, it is better not to move the ficus or replant it. And if necessary, watering, fertilizing and a mild climate should be provided.

Stagnation of water in a pan or pot due to excessive watering, it also provokes leaf drop, the root system will begin to rot, which will lead the plant to death. Constantly wet soil will cause rotting of the trunk and shoots, the leaves will become sluggish, turn yellow and fall off. To save the plant, it is necessary to remove all damaged stems and leaves, stop watering and let the top layer of soil dry out, and then change it to a new one.

In winter, on the contrary, the flower may suffer from a lack of moisture and shed its leaves. In this case, it is necessary to provide regular watering, spraying and additional lighting. It is not difficult to determine this, the plant will respond with elongated shoots and pale leaves. Then they will begin to turn yellow and fall off.

In order to avoid problems, you must follow the rules of care:

Important! When transplanting, it is necessary to place a layer of drainage on the bottom to avoid stagnation of water in the pot and rotting of the root system, which can cause yellowing and shedding of leaves.

For top dressing, it is better to use ready-made formulations that can be purchased at the store.

How to feed when leaves fall

Benjamin sheds her leaves if the composition of the soil has become poor, timely fertilization of the soil is part of the proper care of a houseplant. But it is also necessary to ensure that you do not overfeed the plant, this will adversely affect its condition and it will shed its leaves.

Top dressing must be done correctly:

the dosage should not be too high, you must follow the recommendations on the package;
do not feed plants in winter;
you should not fertilize the soil, if the plant has just been transplanted, you need to wait a month;
fertilizers are not applied to the soil at high air temperatures, for example, on hot summer days;
do not fertilize if the ficus is already shedding leaves due to a dry earthy coma or too abundant watering, you must first eliminate the causes of leaf fall.

In order not to overfeed the plant, you can use natural compounds on the water - charcoal, nettle or mullein. You should also observe the feeding regimen and do this no more than once a week.