Ficus benjamina is a very attractive plant. Falling branches and variegated leaves attract the eye. But what to do when Benjamin's ficus sheds its leaves and loses its main decoration? Only proper care will help deal with this problem.

Where to put the ficus?

You need to find a suitable place in the room for the flower in advance. Moving has a bad effect on the well-being of the ficus. Therefore, it is not advisable to rearrange it. Moving from store to permanent place residence is a big stress for the plant. Often in such a situation, Benjamin's ficus sheds its leaves. It is better to purchase it in the warm season so as not to catch a cold on the way.

Lighting for ficus should be quite bright, but diffused and uniform. In winter, if the plant is located far from the window, the bush may take on an irregular shape. The temperature in the room should not be lower than 15 o C. It is necessary to ventilate the room, but avoid drafts.

Care and watering

It needs to be watered abundantly in summer and less in winter. The soil on top can dry out up to 1/5 of the pot’s volume. To saturate the entire earthen lump, you need to water it in several stages. Soil moisture should be average. If the ficus leaves have fallen, this may indicate rotting of the roots. Air humidity should be at least 50%. In summer, it is advisable to spray ficus. Sometimes you can give the plant a warm shower. The soil in the pot must be covered with film. To prevent the ficus from freezing after bathing, it must dry, then you can move it to a permanent place.

Transfer

A young ficus needs to be replanted every year, after four years - less often, as the roots grow. Best time- spring or early summer. Replanting is easier after abundant watering. The roots need to be removed from the pot along with the earthen lump, removing only the top layer. The diameter of the new pot should be 3 cm larger than the old one. It is necessary to place drainage and some soil in it, then install the ficus roots. Sprinkle the edges and top with fresh soil and compact lightly. It is difficult to replant a large ficus; you can limit yourself to replacing the top layer with fresh soil.

Propagation by cuttings

In spring and summer, when the ficus is actively growing, you can get layering from it. To do this, you need to cut off the tops of the shoots with two leaves and place them in a container with water. You can bury the cuttings with wet sand. The water needs to be changed sometimes. When the roots appear, plant the plant in a pot, covering it with a jar or film. After a new leaf appears, the cover can be removed.

Crown formation

The ficus itself is quite beautiful, but it needs pruning. It stimulates the development of axillary buds, from which branches grow. The plant becomes more magnificent. Ficus benjamina tolerates pruning well and takes any given shape. To disinfect pruning shears, it must be treated with alcohol or potassium permanganate. The central shoot cannot be cut to more than 20 cm. There should be at least five leaves left on it. Side branches can be shortened or removed completely if the crown is too thick. Lack of light can cause leaves to fall. Crushed charcoal is used to dust the cuts. To make a standard, you need to remove all the side branches except the top five. If the ficus stands on the floor, the crown is formed at a height of about one meter. For a tabletop standard, shoots are left at a height of 40 cm.

A young ficus needs support; its trunk is very flexible. To form beautiful composition Sometimes several plants are planted in one pot. Flexible trunks are gradually twisted or intertwined, giving them bizarre shapes. Trellis and supporting clamps must be loosened as the stems grow.

Why does Ficus benjamina shed its leaves?

The cause may be lack of nutrition. Ficus has a rather capricious character; it is better to buy special fertilizer for it. The plant should be fertilized twice a month, in spring and summer, alternating mineral and organic substances. There is no need to fertilize in winter; at this time the plant hardly grows. Moreover, the ficus can even react to complementary feeding by falling leaves. If you turn it or move it from its usual place, the leaves may also turn yellow and fall off. This happens especially often in winter.

Seeing that Benjamin's ficus is shedding its leaves, its owner will, of course, be upset. After all, this plant is valued precisely for its lush crown. leaves different varieties Ficus plants are dark green, variegated or white, yellowish. Leaves with a clear pattern, for example, dark ones with a wide white stripe along the edges, look especially elegant. The shape of the leaves resembles a drop or a boat. Their surface is smooth, and the edge can be smooth or wavy. The leaves are up to 7 cm wide and up to 12 cm long.

Why do the leaves fall? Ficus benjamina - evergreen. But each leaf lives no more than three years. Therefore, they periodically die off. You should be concerned if ficus benjamina drops leaves into large quantities. It is quite difficult to comply with all maintenance conditions, so any ficus sometimes turns out to be bare. Possible reasons a lot of.

The female scale insect sits motionless on a leaf, covering the clutch of eggs. It secretes a sticky secretion on which fungus often develops. This causes even more harm to the plant. This is why ficus benjamina drops its leaves. It is easy to remove scale insects from a leaf, but it is not always possible to completely get rid of it. The waxy shell protects this insect from the action of insecticides. It is better to wipe the leaves and stems with garlic infusion or regular vodka. Then you should remove the top layer of soil; there may be larvae in it. These procedures must be repeated several times a week.

If the leaves of your ficus benjamina are turning yellow, it may be infected with spider mites. These are small arachnids up to 1 mm in length. Their presence on the leaves first appears as white or yellow dots and specks. Then the discolored and thinned areas increase in size, and the entire leaf dies and falls off. Mites multiply quickly in warm and dry conditions. Therefore, the plant needs to be sprayed regularly. In case of defeat spider mite Ficus should be treated with sulfur or phosphorus preparations, not leaving secluded places unattended, for example, cracks in the windowsill. It is better to alternate medications so that ticks do not develop resistance to them. Eggs remaining in the soil can remain viable for several years. It is not easy to remove spider mites, so it is better to monitor the air humidity and take action at the first signs of the disease.

Prevention of leaf fall

So, in order to avoid such trouble with the Benjamin ficus, the following conditions must be met:

• the plant must have a permanent place;
• should be supported optimal temperature, maintain sufficient air humidity;
• Good drainage and moderate watering should be provided.

Despite its capricious nature, Benjamin's ficus does not lose popularity, because it is able to decorate an exquisite winter Garden or greenhouse, as well as the interior of any room.

Ficus Benjamina is one of the indoor plants that is ideal not only for keeping at home, but will also perfectly enliven the interior of any office, since it does not require constant care.

And yet, when growing ficus, you need to know some nuances so that the plant always looks healthy and attractive. The article talks about ways to overcome the difficulties that arise when caring for Ficus Benjamin.

Natural causes of leaf falling

The most common maintenance problem is leaf falling. You should know that this phenomenon occurs both for natural reasons and as a result of violations of detention conditions. Therefore, in order to determine the true cause of the fall, all possible factors should be taken into account in a complex manner.

Plant age

If you notice that the leaves of a flower begin to fall, do not rush to panic. Perhaps this is caused by natural reasons, because their life expectancy is 2-3 years (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Ficus leaves falling

After this period, they begin to yellow and die. However, you should know that in this case they only turn yellow lower leaves, mass yellowing is provoked by other reasons, independent of age.

Ficus benjamina is shedding leaves, what to do?

Sudden leaf drop is the most common problem when growing crops. To identify and eliminate the most likely cause of this phenomenon, it is necessary to take into account not only the symptoms, but also external conditions. For example, wilting and curling may indicate low air temperatures. A change in color of the tips most likely indicates insufficient humidity, and shredding indicates a lack of light and nutrients. When the soil is over-moistened, the foliage turns yellow.

Note: You should know that leaf fall most often occurs in the autumn winter period when several factors coincide in time. Thus, in winter the culture finds itself in conditions high temperature, insufficient humidity and short daylight hours. Therefore, it is necessary to try to eliminate such negative factors through additional illumination and spraying. It is also recommended to use special anti-stress drugs such as Epin or Zircon, which increase the resistance and resistance of the crop to adverse factors. environment.

Sometimes leaf fall can be caused by certain pests or diseases. In this case, it is necessary to treat the flower with special chemicals. Sometimes, despite all the efforts made, the disease progresses and the foliage continues to fall. In such conditions, it is recommended to check the condition of the root system. To do this, remove the flowerpot from the container and carefully inspect the roots. In this case, all soft, rotten, dried and wrinkled roots must be cut back to healthy tissue. The cut areas should be disinfected with charcoal powder (you can take activated one), and the plant should be transplanted into a smaller container with partial or complete replacement of the substrate.

A change of scenery

Ficus may shed its leaves due to a change in its usual environment. So, transporting a plant from a greenhouse to a store, and from there to home or office, is already stressful. It will take several months for the plant to acclimatize to new conditions (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Placing ficus in the house

In addition, even under normal conditions, a plant can react to transplantation or formative pruning procedures. For this reason, it is recommended to treat the plant with one of the anti-stress drugs before transportation to make adaptation faster and easier.

Insufficient lighting

Since ficus is a light-loving plant, insufficient lighting can cause foliage to fall. Most often this happens in autumn-winter period when daylight hours are short. Lack of light leads to loss of beautiful varietal color and yellowing, leaf fall. In this regard, it is necessary to artificially continue the duration of daylight hours, using additional illumination with lamps.

Drafts

Sometimes one of the reasons for leaf fall is ordinary drafts. In this case, you should pay attention not only to windows and doors, but also to air conditioners and fans as a source of drafts.

Cool air

Since the plant comes from the tropics, it reacts quite painfully to drops in ambient temperature below +16+18 degrees and sharp fluctuations temperatures Therefore, even placing a container on a cold windowsill, bringing its leaves into contact with the glass winter time or watering cold water may cause leaves to fall. Try to maintain a stable temperature in the room from +18 to +20 degrees.

Dry air

During heating season or a hot, dry summer, the plant may suffer from low air humidity, reacting by darkening and falling leaves. Spraying the plant will help increase humidity.

Improper watering

Ficus benjamina does not tolerate both stagnation of water and excessive amounts of moisture. In the first case, its leaves begin to dry out, curl and fly off, in the second, they darken and also fall off. Therefore, each time you water, pay attention to the condition of the earthen clod: if it is not dry enough, it is better to delay watering.

Soil depletion

Slow growth, pale color and leaf drop may indicate a lack of nutrients in the soil. This can happen either in the absence of the necessary fertilizing or when grown in soil that is poor in composition. Bring in necessary fertilizing in the spring and summer to provide the plant with a complex of nutrients.

Ficus disease

Ficus benjamina is exposed to various pests, as well as bacterial and fungal diseases. Among the insect pests that most often cause damage, scale insects, spider mites, aphids, thrips, mealybug, nematodes that can infect all parts of the plant.

To combat harmful insects, specific pesticides or systemic preparations are used. Treatment of fungal and bacterial infections is carried out using fungicides.

Spider mite

The danger of spider mites is that it is impossible to destroy this pest with just one treatment of the plant. Therefore, it is important to detect the pest in time in order to get rid of it as quickly as possible and not lose the plant (Figure 3).

Signs of a ficus being affected by spider mites are as follows:

1. Thin whitish web on the trunk;
2. Change in color of leaves to marble, their subsequent yellowing and falling off;
3. Slow growth, loss of healthy appearance.

Figure 3. Signs of spider mite infestation

The fight against spider mites can be carried out using both folk and chemical means. Folk remedies include wiping the leaves with alcohol or soap suds, spraying with infusion of onion peels, chamomile or garlic. Among chemicals You can name the drugs Actellik, Fitoverm, Neoron, etc.

Why do ficus benjamina leaves fall in winter?

Leaf loss most often occurs in winter. This is explained by the fact that it is during the cold season that a whole complex of factors unfavorable for the plant develops.

So, as a result of the work heating devices the air in the room becomes drier, the plant lacks moisture, so it is forced to shed its leaves. In addition, the duration of natural daylight hours is insufficient for the full development of ficus. And if you consider that the container with the plant can stand on a cold floor or windowsill, another problem appears. unfavorable condition. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to the flower in winter. increased attention, because at this time of year he has a really hard time.

Plant prevention

It is well known that any problem is easier to prevent than to eliminate. This also applies to ficus. To avoid leaf falling, it is recommended to take such preventive measures:

• Maintain proper water regime;
• Keep the plant in a bright place, if there is a lack of natural light apply artificial;
• Support temperature regime within +18+20 degrees;
• Protect ficus from drafts;
• It is planned to replant the plant in a few years;
• Be sure to fertilize in spring and summer;
• If the situation changes (for example, when moving), pre-treat the plant with an anti-stress drug;
• Periodically check the ficus to identify pests;
• Take urgent measures to combat pests and diseases.

From the video you will learn how to properly care for the Benjamin ficus in the spring so that it does not shed its leaves.

Ficus Benjamin is unpretentious, but, nevertheless, requires compliance with certain care measures. Significant violations of growing technology can lead to plant diseases, including changes in the appearance of foliage and its fall. Ficus Benjamin leaves turn yellow and fall off due to several fairly common circumstances.

Causes

Lethargy and yellowing of foliage combined with darkening of the stem and the presence unpleasant odor soil may indicate an excess of moisture, an unbalanced soil mixture, as well as non-compliance with the rules for applying fertilizers.

Ficuses are very sensitive to cold air masses. The root system of the plant suffers especially greatly from the cold. Flower pot with ficus it is strictly not recommended to place it in a cold tiled floor. Yellowing and falling of leaves can result from contact of foliage with cold weather. window glass in winter.

What to do

To increase the stability and resistance of Ficus Benjamin to a variety of unfavorable external influences, it is recommended to use solutions of such modern means, like "Zircon" or "Epin". Low air humidity in the room can be easily compensated by spraying the plant. Insufficient lighting can be corrected by placing artificial lighting lamps above the ficus.

When growing ficus benjamina varieties with variegated foliage, you should first of all pay attention to the light intensity, as well as the temperature regime: ideal temperature indicators range from 22 to 28 degrees Celsius.

Ficus benjamina: why leaves fall (video)

Ficus Benjamina sheds its leaves

Quite often you can observe that an apparently healthy Benjamin ficus begins to abruptly and en masse shed its leaves. To cope with such an unpleasant situation, you should correctly identify its root cause.

Rules of care as a preventive measure

Activities for caring for a plant such as Ficus Benjamin are not difficult, but they are correct execution depends not only appearance, but also health indoor flower. For preventive purposes, it is very important to comply with the following requirements when growing ficus:

• Maintaining moderate room temperature: from 20 to 26 degrees in spring and summer and about 16 degrees in winter.
• Reducing watering to minimum values ​​in winter and almost completely stopping irrigation when the temperature in the room drops to 10 degrees Celsius.
• Choosing a place for growing with sufficient lighting, but no direct sunlight. The optimal location for indoor Ficus Benjamin is on the window sills on the east side of the building.
• Maintain moderate watering that does not cause waterlogging of the soil, and use only well-settled and warm water with minimal chlorine content.
• Regularly refresh the plant foliage using a water sprayer and remove dust from the leaves with a damp sponge.

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• Systematic, careful loosening of the soil before watering so that water does not stagnate and the liquid is distributed as evenly as possible throughout the earthen ball.
• Transplanting young ficus trees into spring period annually. Mature plant needs to hold such an event no more than once every three years.
• Using a high-quality planting soil mixture enriched with all necessary nutrients for growing Ficus Benjamin significantly reduces the need for fertilizing. If it is necessary to improve plant nutrition, special fertilizers should be applied no more than twice a month in the spring-summer period and once a month outside the active growing season.

Ficus benjamina acquires rich green foliage when foliar feeding. In this case, fertilizer is added to the water for spraying the plant. Can be used as special complex formulations for indoor ficus, and universal fertilizers for indoor plants. It is advisable to apply half of the dose indicated on the package, since an excess of fertilizing has no less a negative effect on the plant than a lack of it.

How to care for Ficus Benjamin (video)

Benjamin's indoor ficuses have once again gained popularity among amateur gardeners in our country. Ficuses are natural filters and help purify indoor air from harmful impurities and pollutants. Plants of this type are not only successfully used for home landscaping, but also perfectly complement the interior of public buildings.

If the evergreen ficus benjamina drops its leaves, what should the gardener do? This plant is completely unpretentious and tenacious; it shows signs of illness long before the “catastrophe” - the complete loss of foliage. Read the article on how to properly care for it.

Natural reasons why ficus benjamina sheds leaves

Leaf falling can be caused by natural reasons - leaf aging. One leaf lives for about 3 years, then it falls off and a new one grows in its place. If the plant is healthy, many more new leaves grow than fall.

It’s another matter if the ficus dropped 50 leaves in a day. This should alert you; you need to look for the cause of the plant’s malaise.

Basic mistakes when caring

Common maintenance mistakes that can lead to leaf loss and how to eliminate them:

1. After rearranging the flower in worst conditions, where there is less light, the leaves began to fall. The plant is placed on the brightest window or provided with lighting for it.
2. A draft from an open window or hypothermia on a cold windowsill after evening watering causes the plant to shed its leaves in winter. The minimum temperature at which a ficus can survive is +12 °C; it must be protected from cold air, and it is advisable to water it in the morning so that the root system does not become overcooled.
3. The root rots due to overwatering of the plant, and the leaves immediately begin to fall. To prevent this from happening, in winter you can use watering through a tray 2 times a week. In the morning, pour water into the pan for 40 minutes; if the flower has been “drunk,” add more. For irrigation use clean water at room temperature.

There is a belief that Ficus Benjamin should not be rotated. This is not true; for uniform growth of branches, once every two weeks the flower can and even should be turned 45 or 90 degrees to the light source.

Diseases and pests of Ficus Benjamin

If leaves fall rapidly, you need to carefully examine the ficus to see if there are any pests on it. Perhaps a scale insect has settled on the plant. The leaves will be covered with a sticky coating, begin to turn pale, dry out and crumble. Having noticed insects, they are carefully removed with cotton wool, and the plant is treated with an insecticide.

Very often, beginning gardeners have a question: why do ficus leaves turn yellow and fall off? In this article we will look at the main reasons for this phenomenon. Let's figure out when you can ignore this, and when it is necessary to take measures to save the flower.

Before we talk about why ficus leaves fall, let’s touch on the issue of when this happens as a natural process. Like many other plants, ficus leaves fall off during the winter and autumn months. If your flower sheds its leaves during this period and no more than 10 leaves fall, then there is no reason to worry. In the spring, new fresh leaves will grow in return. And if you observe this process in the summer, then it’s time to sound the alarm.

Most often, ficus trees get sick from improper care. If you notice yellowing on the leaves, it means the room is too hot. Perhaps this happens due to the fact that you constantly move a flower pot from one room to another. Leaves fall due to lack of nutrients. In addition, because of this, the leaves will also begin to shrink.

Have you noticed yellow spots on the ficus? Looks like you're filling it up too much. Due to excess moisture, not only the leaves turn yellow, but the roots can also begin to rot. You can save a flower only if you understand the reason in time and, for example, adjust the watering.

Overdo it with fertilizer, the foliage will begin to fall off in a chaotic manner. Conversely, a lack of fertilizer causes the leaves to die from the bottom up.

In general, ficuses are capricious plants. Growing them is a painstaking process. Using the example of the rubber ficus, we see that it can shed leaves due to the fact that the pot is too small. The ficus turns yellow and sheds its leaves because it is uncomfortable in close quarters; this flower loves freedom. Rubber plants need sunlight. They will react by yellowing to waterlogged soil.

Rubber ficus may also turn yellow if it is growing in unbalanced soil. As we can see, raising this green pet must be approached responsibly. It's time to find out what to do when a flower sheds its leaves at the wrong time and too much.

What to do and how to prevent falling

So, the natural reason why ficus sheds leaves is seasonal leaf fall. In this case, you just need to continue caring for the plant. If the fall is not seasonal, then it is necessary to immediately look for the cause in order to immediately begin to eliminate it. Let's start with preventive measures that will prevent the flower from drying out and dying:

1. Flowers must have a permanent place of residence: decide right away where the pot will be placed and do not move it if possible.
2. For ficuses, temperature and sufficient humidity are important. Keep track of these indicators, and the leaves will always be green and healthy.
3. The pot must have good drainage. Water moderately.

The question “Why do the leaves turn yellow?” occurs even among those gardeners who carry out all preventive measures in good faith.

If the ficus is still drying out and, perhaps, has even dropped all its leaves, then you need to look deeper - it looks like the root system has rotted. In general, the ficus needs to be constantly monitored. Remove the plant from the pot and inspect the roots. They resemble gray threads, and are also slippery - which means the problem was hidden right here. How to revive and is it even possible to do this? Yes! To do this, you need to do the following: trim off dead roots and dried leaves. Now let's soak root system in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Let the cut dry and plant the plant in dry soil. Water moderately for the first days.

If your ficus leaves dry out, turn yellow, or fall off, you may be replanting the flower too often. Do this no more than once every two years. Only the top layer of soil can be changed more often. Transplantation is a painful process. This is equivalent to an operation. It would not be surprising if, after you completely changed the soil, healthy foliage began to fall off. In addition, prepare a balanced soil mixture, and it is better to do it yourself.

To prevent the ficus from drying out, remove it from direct sunlight, but it should not stand in the shade either. It will do well on a windowsill on the east side. Lack of lighting will lead to the formation of weak shoots and twisted leaves, which the plant will soon shed. This is especially important in winter, when it is natural to lose leaves, and then you can miss the problem.

Don’t despair, even if the entire tree has dried up completely. A tree can almost always be revived. But you shouldn't wait for this. Inspect your flower. The leaves around the edges turn yellow, reduce watering. If the leaves dry out, it means you need to reduce the light. The soil can also dry out - also from too much light or too dry air. This is the answer to the question of why the leaves dry out.

We remember that ficus trees shed their leaves due to a lack of microelements in the soil. Make sure there is enough of everything in the soil. Do not move the flower pot from warm room in the cold. Such a sharp change in temperature also causes healthy leaves to fall off. Keep an eye on the leaves, because healthy ones fall off only due to temperature changes, and in other cases, affected leaves may fly off.

If the ficus begins to actively get rid of foliage, check everything: the crown, stem, soil and roots, if the problem is not detected on the surface.

The flower begins to dry out, which means that critical mistakes were made during cultivation. Dried leaves cannot be helped, so remove them immediately.

Summarize. A ficus that has dropped its leaves is not necessarily sick. If this happens in the right season, it means the plant is losing old leaves so that new ones appear in the spring. If you approach cultivation responsibly, then there should be no problems with ficuses. Yellow spots appeared on the edges of the leaves - problems with watering. The tree dries out - it is necessary to humidify the air or remove it from direct sunlight. A ficus that has dried out can be revived. Get rid of dried roots.

Remember that a tree that stands in the sun will not only dry out, but can also get burned. The crown and stem become rusty in color, which means the plant is infected with a fungal infection. If not treated immediately, it can fly around the entire tree. Leaves that have fallen or dried out must be replaced with new ones soon, the main thing is to cure the ficus. Each type of ficus tree loses its leaves for a variety of reasons, so find out before you do anything. During seasonal fall, do not overdo it with watering, monitor the room temperature.

Now you know why ficus leaves fall off. A tree that sheds its leaves is weak during this period anyway. Take care of him and help him become again beautiful spring. And remember that a healthy ficus tree’s crown does not fall off during the warm season.

Video “Ficus leaves are falling”

From this video you will learn why ficus leaves turn yellow and fall off.