Why do young ficus leaves fall off? What to do if ficus benjamina leaves turn yellow and fall off
Ficus benjamina is one of the most common indoor plants. It owes its popularity to the decorative beauty of its leaves and ease of care. With proper maintenance, ficus can delight with its beauty all year round and become a real decoration of any interior.
Unfortunately, like all indoor plants, ficus benjamina can suffer from poor care and failure by the florist to comply with the basic rules of plant maintenance. The most painful issue for all ficus owners is problem of yellowing and falling leaves. Why does this happen, why do ficus benjamina leaves turn yellow and fall off? In fact, there can be many reasons and with a timely response this problem can be solved, but it is always worth remembering the main rule of the gardener - it is easier to prevent than to correct.
The first signs of poor leaf condition
Often even experienced flower growers they do not attach due importance to the first symptoms of an unhealthy state of leaves, but these are important signals preceding mass yellowing and falling of the foliage.
The main symptoms of developing leaf disease include the following:
It is worth noting that ficus leaves fall, like most plants, sometimes natural reasons. For example, as a result of transition to another biological cycle. Most often, the leaves turn yellow and fall off at the beginning of autumn; if, with the advent of cold weather, Benjamin's ficus has shed about ten percent of its leaf cover, then there is no need to worry too much, since this is a natural behavior at this time of year.
Why do ficus leaves fall off?
Cold air
Ficus Benjamin negatively perceives as sudden changes room temperature and too cool air. Most preferred temperature range is 18-22C, more low temperature may cause leaf fall. If an air conditioner is installed in the room, be sure to check the path of cool air distribution. In hot weather, the flow of cold air from the air conditioner is especially dangerous; if the ficus is in the path of the flow of cold air, then it must be moved to another place. If the leaves continue to turn yellow, it is necessary to move the plant to another room.
Dry climate
Insufficient indoor humidity is one of the most common causes of yellowing and falling leaves of ficus. To maintain the required humidity, the ficus is regularly sprayed; you can wipe the leaves with a damp sponge or cloth. In the cold season, heat from heating systems poses a great danger; if it is not possible to move the ficus from the radiator, then it is worth considering the option of covering the radiators with a damp towel or sheet. A good option maintaining high humidity There will be a humidifier.
Improper watering
It is important to learn how to determine the degree of drying of the soil in a pot. Insufficient watering ficus leaves may begin to curl and fall off, and if there is excessive moisture, there is a danger of rotting of the root system. In the warm season, watering should be plentiful, but the soil should have time to dry out by about one third of its thickness. In the cold season, you need to water less often, waiting until the soil in the pot is almost completely dry. The cooler the room, the less often you water. Water for irrigation must first be settled, and its temperature should be a couple of degrees higher than the temperature in the room.
Soil depletion
Over time, the soil in the pot becomes depleted and the plant begins to lack micronutrients. The leaves will certainly begin to turn yellow and fall off. Repot your ficus regularly As a rule, this is done annually, but adult ficus trees can be replanted every few years. If the plant has developed well and become large, then produce partial replacement soil to a fresher one, without transplanting the plant into a new container. To provide required quantity useful microelements, especially during the period of active growth, ficus must be fed regularly complex fertilizers for decorative deciduous plants.
Incorrect plant replanting
Too frequent or incorrect replanting of ficus can also cause leaf fall. If you just purchased a ficus and brought it into the house, you should not immediately start replanting, wait until the plant adapts and gets used to the new conditions; moving is stressful for any plant. When replanting, carefully remove the earthen lump from the old pot, shake it slightly and knock off the old soil. Pay special attention to the root system, try not to damage small roots. If you can’t knock down the old earthen lump, try soaking it in a light warm water, then try to carefully pick up the old soil, again trying not to damage the roots.
Diseases and pests
So, summarizing all of the above, we can highlight several rules to prevent ficus leaves from falling:
Ficus is a very undemanding indoor flower; it’s not for nothing that our grandmothers loved it. Now he is again at the peak of popularity among flower growers. It is very decorative and, with proper care, becomes the main decoration of the home. But it happens that due to improper maintenance, a plant loses its decorative effect. Why ficus leaves turn yellow and what to do if the flower begins to fade, it is advisable to find out as early as possible in order to take timely measures.
Natural Causes of Yellowing
Even with proper care, the ficus turns yellow and drops its leaves. Cause of yellowing lower leaves is natural aging. The leaf blade lives for about three years, then ages and dies. If during the autumn-winter period the ficus has dropped several lower leaves, then there is no need to worry.
Consequences of improper care
The main reasons for loss of attractiveness are:
- Stress and transplantation.
- Improper watering and cold.
- Soil depletion, diseases and pests.
Having purchased a flower, you must immediately decide on permanent place for him. The place for the plant should be bright, warm, without drafts. Keep away from direct sunlight, as it may cause burns.
If you move a flower from place to place, it will turn yellow and shed its leaves. Even the pot with the plant does not need to be rotated around its axis. If the flower grows and develops well, leave it alone.
Application in autumn copper sulfate in gardening
Ficuses really don't like to be disturbed.. During the transplant he experiences extreme stress. The plant should be replanted as needed, when the roots no longer fit in the pot and are visible on the surface of the soil. In the pot bigger size the flower is handled with a clod of earth so as not to disturb the roots.
When replanting, use fresh, moist soil. You can’t water your ficus right away! The first watering is carried out no earlier than a week later.
Removed from adult plants upper layer soil and add fresh soil.
Violation of containment conditions
Very often, yellowing of leaves occurs due to you just flooded the flower. He doesn't like frequent and abundant watering. Water it when the soil is completely dry.
If you notice that a lot of ficus leaves have turned yellow, stop watering the flower for two weeks. Observe the plant - if the process continues, it means the roots have rotted and the flower needs to be transplanted into a new substrate.
Rinse the roots with water and inspect carefully. Rotten roots need to be cut off; they are dark, slippery, unpleasant smell. Sprinkle the slices with crushed activated carbon or cinnamon and dry a little. Then plant in fresh soil.
Overdrying the earthen clod can also cause yellowing of the leaves..
Ficus is a tropical plant. In winter, the room temperature should not be lower than 18 degrees. There should be no sudden changes in temperature, so protect the flower from cold and drafts. In winter, move it away from the glass. Place polystyrene foam, a cork stand or a simple board under the pot to protect the roots from hypothermia.
Instructions for use of the fungicide Previkur Energy
Dry hot air from radiators or heaters is also detrimental to the plant. Spray it with warm water, place the pot on a tray with pebbles, or purchase a humidifier.
Do not water the ficus cold water from the tap. There must be water room temperature, standing for at least a day.
Soil depletion, diseases and pests
Ficus can turn yellow and drop leaves from a lack of microelements:
- nitrogen - stimulates the appearance of green leaves;
- magnesium - prevents early aging and yellowing of leaves;
- iron - deficiency causes chlorosis (yellowing) of leaves.
Use fertilizers for decorative deciduous crops or special fertilizers for ficus plants. To avoid burning the roots, first moisten the soil with settled water and then water it with microelements. The plant is fed from March to October.
Ficus benjamina has settled in our homes for so long that it is often considered an unpretentious plant to care for. In fact, this is only an appearance. Ficus is one of the “conservative” plants and, if it is already accustomed to the owner and the conditions provided to him, he 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 change.
Leaf falling is a symptom of both diseases and care errors, so it is sometimes difficult to determine what to do when Benjamin's ficus sheds its leaves. It is quite difficult to make an accurate diagnosis from a distance, but perhaps this article will help you correct mistakes and save your life indoor flower.
Cases when leaves turn yellow for natural reasons
Immediately after purchase
Ficus does not tolerate sudden changes in growing conditions and reacts to any stress factors by defoliation, that is, “drops ballast” in the form of leaves. In nature this makes sense, but at home it looks depressing. To help the plant adapt faster, replant it in store-bought ficus soil. Be sure to add to the bottom good layer drainage made of expanded clay, check that the holes for water drainage are quite large (at least 1 cm in diameter).
Ficuses love well-drained soil, which allows air to pass through, sufficiently retains moisture, but at the same time dries out, so take care of drainage in advance. It is better to place the pot in a place away from drafts and direct sunlight, but so that there is sufficient lighting. For example, southwest, southeast windows.
This is especially important for variegated forms, which lose color without light and fade in bright light.
Attention! If the tree was purchased in cold, stormy weather and spent some time in the cold, the recovery period may be longer. When the green pet acclimatizes, the crown will begin to grow again.
Be sure to read the rest of the points so you know what to do when your ficus benjamina leaves turn yellow and fall off, and how to avoid it. The comments described below apply to those specimens that have been living in the house for a long time and suddenly began to lose their leaf cover.
Natural leaf fall
Ficus tends to lose leaves when not only the environment changes, 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 ten leaves per week, but it is clear 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, close heating pipes damp cloth. Accustom to new conditions gradually.
Another case when defoliation is natural is when the lower branches and middle tier of an already mature plant are exposed. In nature, ficus, just like domestic apple and pear trees, tends to grow upward. As a result, the tree steadily grows a 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 don't want to grow an untidy tree with an ugly crown, try to help the plant.
Perform light pruning annually as needed. in early spring: remove branches that spoil the shape of the crown, cut every third branch at the top 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 pruned, the lower branches will again receive enough nutrition.
Soil and watering
Improper watering and alkalization of the soil is the third reason for leaf loss. Moreover, the symptoms are the same both with overwatering and with underwatering: the leaves turn yellow, fall off, the branches gradually become bare, the tree feels as if it is drying up, although the soil is constantly moist.
Insufficient watering
Use a wooden stick to pierce the soil layer as deeply as possible and determine how wet it is (should it become dirty). Overdried soil is dusty, does not absorb moisture well, and breaks up into small fractions that do not absorb water. To help the tree, you first need 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 pot and filled with fresh soil.
To restore the normal moisture level of the substrate, take a deep container, place the flowerpot inside and pour in 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 it drain excess moisture. If you are worried that the roots may rot, take a paper towel, roll it up and place it deeper in the soil, with the edge of the towel hanging out of the pot. As a result, unnecessary moisture will drip into the pan.
Another method is suitable for those plants that have already entwined a ball of earth with roots. Simply remove the ficus along with the soil (if it cannot be removed, press on the walls of the pot, as if to “remember” it), then place 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 “bath procedure” will help restore the structure of the earth and saturate it with moisture.
Excessive watering: the tree is “flooded.”
We are accustomed to thinking that if the leaves begin to turn yellow, it means that the plant does not have enough water, and we diligently pour it. Of course, ficus loves water, but cannot stand stagnation. As a result, with improper watering, the roots begin to rot and die, and since water is absorbed mainly through root system, the crown begins to lack moisture. We see yellowing, are upset that the branches are “drying,” we water even more, and in the end, the tree dies. To help your pet, the substrate needs to be dried in one of the following ways:
- remove the plant from the pot along with the lump of earth, inspect the roots, carefully cut out the brown, soft-looking, unhealthy roots, sprinkle the sections with crushed activated carbon. Place the tree on a layer of newspaper, wrap it in paper that absorbs moisture well and change it when it gets wet. Then carefully place it in a pot, add fresh soil;
- just don't water;
- use a paper towel.
Soil alkalization
Improper watering leads to another problem, which is not as obvious as the first two, but the result is the same - the leaves fall off for no apparent reason. When a tree is watered in the usual way, moistening only the top layer of soil, but not to such an extent that water appears from the drainage holes, all the salts that were dissolved in the water settle in 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 “fertilizer burn” and that is why it is recommended to soak the soil before adding fertilizers.
In order to avoid alkalization and wash away excess salts, you need to water in two steps. The first time you water as usual, just to wet the ground, after half an hour you add so much water that it begins 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 dryness of the top layer of soil and drainage holes. Never water a flower “on a schedule”; try to do it only “on demand” when the tree needs it. If you take such watering as a rule, the question of why the leaves of the Benjamin ficus are falling so much will cease to worry you for many years to come.
Pests
Benjamin loves it very much high humidity, spraying, when the pot is placed on a tray with small pebbles containing water. If the air becomes too dry, the tree sheds its leaves and pests appear on it.
Scale insects, spider mites and other small creatures suck the juices from the leaves. The leaf blades become marbled, with spots of yellow and white, which gradually grow and the leaves die off. Determining the presence of pests is quite simple. Mites leave behind a thin web, scale insects look like white “scales” stuck to the leaves, leaving behind a sticky coating.
Ficus benjamina and ficus rubber are two varieties of the same plant that are most often found in our houses and apartments. Not surprising, because ficuses are beautiful and unpretentious. Growing them brings many pleasant moments to lovers of indoor plants, but these magnificent, robust plants can get sick from time to time. Most often, plant owners are concerned with the question: why do ficus leaves fall off?
There are many reasons why ficus leaves turn yellow and fall off.
Ficus Benjamin can lose its green cover for various reasons:
- natural aging;
- infectious infection by pests and diseases;
- sudden change in temperature in the room;
- too frequent or, conversely, infrequent watering;
- excessive use of fertilizers;
- lack of lighting.
The flower also reacts negatively to transplantation into another soil by shedding part of its foliage.
The problems of ficus rubber are similar to those that are identified when growing ficus benjamina: watering errors, various diseases, frequent changes in light and temperature regime indoors can cause leaves to fall. But it also has its own characteristics.
This type of ficus has smaller leaves and a different growth pattern, so the death of old foliage is not as noticeable. Small leaves lose moisture faster in the dry air of a room with central heating.
In addition to the falling of leaves, both types of ficus can also encounter other troubles: spots appear on the surface of the leaves, and they wilt. It happens that leaves, at normal growth rates, become smaller.
The cause of yellowing leaves on ficus may be watering errors.
As you can see, the range of problems and their manifestations is very wide. Let's take a closer look at them and help your pet recover.
Leaf falling due to natural causes
The ficus sheds old foliage, starting from the bottom of the trunk, and at the same time new green leaves appear on it. This is not a disease, but a normal process of development of the plant organism. In winter and autumn, ficus loses more leaves than in summer and spring.
If your ficus looks healthy and fresh, let it grow undisturbed. You should not change the mode of watering, lighting, fertilizing, or move the plant from place to place. This representative of the mulberry family reacts poorly to any changes.
Care errors
Plant owners often neglect simple rules leaving, making the same mistakes.
When purchasing a ficus, inspect it carefully. If the leaves are limp, pale or have spots on them, ask for another specimen.
Pests and infections
Proper care does not always guarantee ficus healthy life. In both species house ficus There is natural enemies and insidious diseases. You need to know them.
Timely treatment with improvised means, such as tobacco solution, soap solution, weak manganese solution, helps well in treatment. However, if there is no effect, use special means for pest control. Their choice is quite wide, and any seller flower shop will tell you how to use such a “weapon.”
Scale insects are one of the most common pests that attack ficus plants.
Let's talk about the most common plant ailments and how to help it.
Diseased ficus leaf
- Poisonous emissions from pests- insects bring with them another misfortune for the plant - the appearance of sooty fungus and powdery mildew. They differ only in color - sooty fungus is dark gray, often black, while powdery mildew is white. Regular thorough treatment with soapy water can help the ficus.
- Stains various shapes and colors from yellow to dark brown, reminiscent of cankers, indicate a disease of the ficus with a type of leaf fungus. Get rid of such leaves, otherwise the disease will spread to the entire plant. In this case, the available treatments that we talked about earlier are not suitable. Only treatment with special preparations will save the plant.
If, despite all efforts, the ficus continues to hurt, remove it. After purchasing, be sure to keep the “newbie” in quarantine, in separate room a few days and watch him. Many ficus diseases easily affect other plants. Save yourself future problems.
Ficus plants are luxurious house plants. Proper care, maintenance and treatment, if necessary, is all that is required for your pet to delight you with thick green foliage for many years.
You can find out why ficus benjamina sheds its leaves by watching the video clip.
Leaf falling is a common problem faced by ficus owners. Before treating a plant, you need to understand possible reasons this phenomenon.
When growing ficus, you need to become familiar with the needs of the plant. Optimal temperature indoors is determined depending on the type. Usually it should be within +18...+20°C, however, there are varieties for which +10°C is optimal. Comfortable humidity air - 50–70%.
Lighting should be bright and diffused. The ficus tree does not like either direct light or darkness, but is shade-tolerant. Moderate watering is preferable; both the soil should not dry out or be excessively waterlogged. Young specimens are transplanted once a year. Plants older than 4 years are replanted less frequently - once every 2–3 years.
Also, we must not forget about fertilizers. The exact frequency of fertilizing depends on the variety, but most often it is necessary to fertilize in the spring-summer period every 1–1.5 weeks with preparations for ornamental foliage plants, for example, with “Rainbow” or “Ideal” products.
Why ficus leaves fall: reasons and what to do
Ficus sheds its leaves for two reasons. This can be either a natural process or a consequence of improper plant maintenance. That is why, before deciding how to save a ficus, you need to determine the exact cause of its condition.
Did you know? The largest ficus banyan tree grows in India. Its age is more than 200 years, the diameter of the main trunk is 12 m. The crown of this tree has grown to 12,000 m² and is supported by side and aerial roots, grown to the size of individual trunks.
Natural process
The normal life rhythm of a ficus includes the stage of shedding its leaves. This is a natural process that occurs in autumn or early winter. Thanks to the loss of leaves, the plant successfully enters a dormant state. 
In the future, the leaf plates must grow again. Most often, the ficus first loses the lower parts of the crown. At first they acquire a yellowish color, then they begin to dry out and fall off.
Improper care
Very often, the reason for the loss of foliage by a ficus is the wrong approach to its maintenance. Microclimate disturbances, improper watering and replanting negatively affect the condition of the plant, which is why the leaves begin to fall.
Violation of containment conditions
The microclimate plays a very important role when growing ficus. Cold and drafts are extremely harmful to the plant. For most species, if the temperature drops below +16°C, the foliage is highly likely to fall.
Important! It is highly advisable to avoid sudden changes in temperature, humidity or light levels. The plant does not like change, including a change of location.
You should also avoid exposure high temperature. Although ficus is classified as a heat-loving species, at temperatures above +30°C the plant withers, the leaf blades change color to yellowish and have difficulty remaining on the stem. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the specific species being grown and the optimal indicators for it.
An important factor is the level of moisture in the air. Leaves often fall off due to excessive dryness. This often happens in the summer, when it is quite hot outside and the air in the room also warms up above normal. 
However, even in winter there is a risk of increased air dryness due to the operation of radiators or heaters. The owner needs to monitor the humidity and, if necessary, adjust its levels using special air humidifiers.
We must not forget about lighting. Species characterized by a variegated pattern on the leaf blades do not tolerate light shading. Varieties with green leaves capable of developing in partial shade.
However, too strong a shadow has a detrimental effect on the condition of any ficus. Due to placement in dark space Symptoms may occur in the form of weakening of the crown, lethargy, withered foliage and, as a result, its falling.
Improper watering
Watering the ficus should be moderate. The soil should not be allowed to dry out too much. A similar situation can happen due to poor or infrequent soil moisture. As a result, the crown dries out, turns yellow and does not stay on the trunk for a long time.
A similar effect occurs if watering, on the contrary, is too abundant. You should not allow water to stagnate in the soil, as the process of root rot begins. It can be identified by its unpleasant putrid odor. If the situation is not corrected in time by adjusting the watering, gradual damage to the trunk begins. The leaves acquire a dark color and fall off the stem.
Incorrect transplant
Since ficus trees do not tolerate any changes well, a reaction in the form of dropping leaves may occur during transplantation. It is for this reason that the plant cannot be replanted often. 
The maximum frequency of changing the pot and soil is 2 times a year. Often flower growers, knowing about possible reaction plants resort to only a superficial change of soil instead of a full transplant.
Pesticides
When dealing with pests, pesticides become the first resort for many home plant owners. Chemical-based substances are also used to prevent the development of various diseases.
The effect of intensive treatment of ficus with such drugs is often negative. Pesticides are dangerous because they create a strong load on the plant, as a result of which the leaves do not stay on the trunk, weaken and fly off.
Important! When treating with pesticides and other drugs, safety rules should be followed. It is advisable to use rubber gloves and eye protection in the form of glasses.
Pests and diseases
A common cause of leaf falling is the development of various diseases. Dangerous for ficus are fungal infections. They appear most often due to excessive moisture in the substrate.
In addition to crown shedding, the fungus causes discoloration and spotting on different parts of the plant. As a therapeutic measure, you need to get rid of the affected areas and treat with a fungicide, for example, the drug "Carbendazim".
No less dangerous are pests, among which you can most often find:
- spider mite;
- scale insect.
Why does ficus shed leaves in winter?
Shedding leaves at the beginning of winter can be caused by various reasons.
The main ones are:
- natural transition to a state of dormancy, provided that the crown has fallen at the beginning of the season;
- reduction daylight hours and poor lighting;
- changes in humidity and temperature due to work heating devices in room.
It is also necessary to remember about other reasons such as diseases, pests or improper care.
How to prevent leaves from falling
To prevent the ficus from shedding its crown, you need to take the following preventive measures:
- maintaining the correct microclimate (temperature, humidity and lighting);
- ensuring a stable location and conditions;
- moderate treatment with chemicals;
- replanting no more than once a year for young (up to 4 years) and once every 2–3 years for older ficuses;
- water the soil in moderation, avoiding waterlogging or drying out of the substrate;
- timely treatment of diseases and pests.
Did you know? Fig tree, from which the fig is harvested, is a type of ficus.
To ficus for a long time made his owners happy, you should not only adhere to the basic rules, but also learn the intricacies of caring for him:
- The ficus tree is quite undemanding. The main thing is to disturb it as little as possible and maintain stable conditions. In summer, however, it can be taken out onto the terrace or balcony.
- If there are problems with lighting, special lamps can be purchased in flower grower stores.
- In addition to the frequency of watering, water characteristics are important for ficus. It must be soft and no colder than room temperature. Also warm water spray the plant when it is extremely dry and wash the leaves to remove dust and dirt.
Crown fall in ficus is a very annoying problem. However, it can be avoided by adhering to the basic rules of plant care and promptly resorting to treatment of diseases and adjusting the approach to cultivation.