A common problem when growing Ficus benjamina is loss of leaf mass. If this is not massive, then no need to worry. Ficus leaves can live and function up to 3 years. Then they turn yellow and die. Losing a tree several leaves a year is a natural process. However, massive leaf fall means plant health problems. There can be many reasons for this.
Diseases
If Benjamin's ficus is sick, the leaves turn yellow and fall, not everyone knows what to do in this case. It must be understood that a houseplant is prone to certain diseases that can destroy not only decorativeness, but also the entire ficus.
Ficus Benjamin in the pot
The following types of diseases of this plant are:
- fungal diseases
- bacterial infections.
Fungal infections can spread the plant through the soil. But with proper care, they do not appear in any way. Fungus develops with systematic and prolonged waterlogging of the soil. This can happen in spring or autumn, when the room is cold and there is no heating.
There are various types of fungal infections. They affect the root system and the ground. When the roots rot, the leaves of the plant gradually turn yellow and fall off. With lesions of the ground part, spots and ulcers appear on the leaves. Leaf blades lose their color, dry and die.
Fungicidal preparations are used to treat plants from fungi. They process the crown of the tree and spill the soil.
Important! All affected parts of the plant should be removed and destroyed so that the disease does not spread to other plants. As a preventive measure, it is advisable to heat the soil before disembarkation.
Bacterial infections are characterized by the appearance of vesicles or flakes on the leaves of the plant. Over time, the leaves completely fall off. In the end, the tree dies. The treatment has not been developed. The affected tree cannot be saved, it is destroyed.
Bacterial infections affect only weakened specimens. This is a consequence of poor care. With proper care and optimal growing conditions, ficuses do not suffer from these diseases.
Fungal leaf affection
Pests
The condition of the leaves of the plant can be affected by harmful insects. Therefore, figuring out why the leaves of Benjamin's ficus turn yellow and what to do in this case, you should carefully examine the indoor flower. On ficus can live:
- scale shield
- mealybug,
- spider mite.
Scale is fed by the juice of the plant. Young insects are very small and inconspicuous. Adult insects have a protective shell. They sit motionless on leaves and shoots. They move very slowly. The leaves affected by the scale become sticky, turn yellow, dry and fall off.
Important! Alternative methods will not lead to success in the fight against scale insects. Repeated spraying of the ground part of the plant with an insecticide is necessary. Adult insects are not very susceptible to the action of an insecticide - they must be removed manually.
Mealybug - a small insect of a white hue. The insect is covered with powdery coating on top. Worms multiply rapidly on leaflets and shoots. They feed on sap, causing curl and leaf fall. You can fight them only with systemic insecticides. The treatment is repeated after 7-10 days until the complete destruction of the pests.
A spider mite is a harmful arachnid that settles on young shoots and destroys them. Small ticks are almost invisible. Their presence betrays a web on young shoots. Small-leaved species suffer especially from ticks - they lose their green mass very quickly.
It is difficult to deal with ticks. Usually, a 2-3-fold treatment with acaricide is required with an interval of 7-10 days.
Soil moisture
Ficus does not require abundant watering, it is afraid of stagnation of moisture in the roots. This leads to a disease of the root system and death of the tree.
Leaf fall
The soil in the pot should be slightly moist. Complete drying of the earth coma is not advisable. Because of this, the leaves may dry and fall.
Water the plant only when the top layer of earth in the pot dries. If this is done more often, then water may stagnate in the ground. This will lead to the development of a fungal infection that attacks the root system. In this case, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, starting with the lowest.
Sometimes beginning gardeners have problems with the drainage layer or there are no holes in the pot. Ficus drops leaves, because drainage holes should be wide enough. Otherwise, they become clogged and stop passing water. Water collects at the bottom of the pot, causing waterlogging of the soil and rotting of the roots.
Important! In order to notice stagnation of water in time and prevent waterlogging, it is necessary to check the pan after each watering. Excess water should leave, not remain in the ground
Air temperature
Ficus Benjamin is very thermophilic. The optimum temperature for it is +25 ° С and higher. But it can withstand significantly lower temperatures for a long time. It is not dangerous for him to lower the temperature to +15 ° C and even to +10 ° C.
Below +10 ° C it is not recommended to lower the air temperature. The leaves of the plant can be damaged by cold. They may partially yellow and fall the very next day after the temperature drops. It is necessary to carefully monitor the temperature regime for the content of this species.
Does not like a tree, even a small, but sudden cooling. A rapid decrease in temperature to + 10 ... +15 ° C can cause the same effect as a slow decrease below its limit values for this type. A sharp drop in air temperature should not be allowed, since after this the leaves may turn yellow. Then their mass decline will begin.
Root decay
Ficus Benjamin does not need abundant watering. It must be watered regularly, but in moderation. For this plant, drying out a lump of earth for a short period is not fatal. But this should not be abused, since ficus can discard foliage.
Abundant watering and stagnation of water in the soil lead to rotting of the roots. When this part is damaged by rot, it no longer performs its functions. Roots do not deliver nutrients to shoots and leaves. The dying of the terrestrial part of the plant begins.
Root rot
The first signs of root rot is yellowing of the leaves of the plant. They turn yellow and fall, but do not dry out. The intensity of leaf loss depends on the degree of damage to the roots of the tree. Usually, a small amount of leaves is lost first. Over time, massive leaf fall occurs.
In order to reanimate the tree, experts advise to dry the soil. Then they begin to water it sparingly, monitoring the moisture of the earth. If this does not help, you need to remove the ficus from the pot and examine the root system.
Important! All rotten root sections are removed, and sections are treated with activated carbon. The plant is transplanted into new soil. Check the condition of the drainage and drainage holes. After transplanting, watering is carried out very carefully.
Other possible problems
There are other reasons that may result in leaf fall:
- drafts
- nutritional deficiency
- tightness in a pot,
- air humidity.
Drafts
Usually ficus does not suffer from drafts. The exception is cold gusts of wind. The plant is more critical to air temperature. Especially poorly it tolerates a sudden drop in temperature.
If in winter or even in November the tree stood in a cold draft, then the very next day it may begin to discard foliage. Its yellow leaves fall off. Also, the ficus reacts to being in the summer near a working air conditioner.
To preserve the tree, do not keep it near open windows and balcony doors. Also in the summer you need to remove it from the working air conditioner.
Irregular feeding
Undernutrition is another reason why ficus Benjamin's leaves turn yellow and fall off. Potted land is quickly depleted. The plant needs regular feeding. If top dressing is carried out rarely or not at all, the plant can slow down growth and begin to lose leaves.
Fertilizers for feeding
To improve the conditions of detention, regular feeding of ficus is necessary from spring to mid-autumn.
Irregular transplant
Ficus Benjamin should be regularly transplanted into a pot of slightly larger diameter. If this is not done, then the roots of the tree grow rapidly. They are running out of space. They grow through the surface of the soil. The entire volume of the pot is occupied by the root system, and there is almost no land left.
This tree content must not be allowed. In cramped conditions, the roots will not perform their functions well. This will affect the crown of the tree - the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. To revive the tree, you need to regularly transplant.
Air humidity
The plant is little critical to air humidity. It can grow both in humid tropics and in the climate of semi-deserts. There is no need to specially moisten the air for it.
But the long-term maintenance of the plant in very dry air can affect its crown and foliage. The leaves begin to dry out from the tips, turn yellow and fall off. This is true not only for Benjamin's ficus, but also for other species (rubber-bearing, lyre-like, broadleaf, Ali ficus).
Most trees tolerate a decrease in humidity and do not lose foliage. But some specimens can lose the bulk of the leaves and lose their decorative effect. To prevent this from happening, you should not greatly dry the air in rooms where there are Benjamin ficus.
Important! During the heating season, ficuses are placed away from heating radiators.
Ficus Benjamin can lose leaves for many reasons. It is important to determine in time why this is happening and to adjust care for it. This will help to avoid the loss of green mass and the death of the plant.
