This type of ficus is familiar to many connoisseurs of this fairly common indoor plant. In the house, it can be a small evergreen tree, and in spacious office premises it can grow up to two meters in height and look like a shrub with a beautiful dense crown. The plant is Ficus Benjamin. Many varieties of this species have their own special requirements for maintenance and cultivation. Among them there are both unpretentious and capricious varieties. Almost all of them have a period when, for no particular reason, the plant begins to shed its foliage, which is very worrying for flower lovers.
Why does Benjamin's ficus shed its leaves? What is happening to him? This article will provide information about the cause of this problem. Practice shows that leaf fall occurs both for natural reasons and in connection with violations of the rules of care.
General information
Why does Benjamin's ficus shed its leaves? Before we answer this important question, let's briefly summarize what it is and what features it has.
Ficus Benjamin is an ornamental evergreen plant that grows wild in the subtropical and tropical rainforests of Asia, at the foot of the mountains. In the wild, ficus can grow up to 25 meters in height.
Its gray trunk has brown patches. The leaves of the most famous varieties are painted in a variety of shades: green, with white and yellow specks. Cultivated ficus can decorate any interior. A variety of shapes can be formed from it: it can be thin and tall, lush and small. As a rule, it grows upwards, but to prevent such growth, there are some ways to keep its beautiful decorative shape.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to control the indoor climate necessary for this plant and take proper care of it. It often happens that Benjamin's ficus sheds leaves. Unfortunately, leaf fall is the result of many causes.
It should be noted that each ficus leaf can live no more than three years. Then there is a natural process of falling leaves, and this is quite normal. But in case of simultaneous loss of a large number of leaves, you need to figure out the reasons and take the necessary measures to save the plant.
The following are the most common causes of Ficus Benjamin dropping leaves.
Lack of light
Throughout the year, the ficus should receive good diffused lighting up to about 10-12 hours daily. Otherwise, the leaves of the plant begin to turn pale, which eventually fall off.
Sufficient lighting is especially important in autumn and winter. To do this, you can use fluorescent lamps, while they should be placed on both sides of the ficus at a distance of about 50 cm. Such artificial lighting may well make up for the lack of lighting. However, it is important to remember that foliage can be shed both with an excess of lighting and with sunburn. It is important to protect the plant from both bright sunlight and overheating.
Drafts
And in the presence of drafts sheds the leaves of Benjamin's ficus. What to do in such cases? It should also be noted that not only cold air flows from open windows are detrimental, but also too warm air flows from heating systems. Ventilation of the room is necessary, but with great care.
Sudden temperature changes and drafts are one of the most common factors affecting leaf fall.
Relocation
A very sensitive ficus reacts to any of its movements, not only over long distances (for example, from a store to a house), but also to a simple rearrangement within a room. This is one of the main reasons for dropping leaves. At the same time, Ficus Benjamin is experiencing real stress. Soit is desirable for him to immediately choose the most comfortable permanent place with conditions closest to his native, natural ones.
When preparing a place with the necessary conditions of detention, you can use fitolamps to create a sufficient level of illumination, a pallet with moistened expanded clay. It is advisable to cover the plant well with wet moss to maintain high humidity.
Wrong watering
Ficus Benjamin sheds its leaves in winter due to excessive watering, and in summer due to insufficient watering. Cold and hard water is also bad for the plant.
For each plant, the volume of water is individual. It depends on the size of the container and the age of the plant. It should only be remembered that the next watering must be carried out after complete drying of the upper part of the soil (up to 2-3 cm in depth). Tap water should be used only after it has settled and warmed up to room temperature. The best option is purified and filtered water.
The plant also responds positively to periodic spraying of its leaves, and in the summer, once a week, you can also carry out such a procedure with water as a shower.
Influence of pests and diseases
Why does Benjamin's ficus shed its leaves? What to do if the cause of this was diseases and pests? Shchitovka, spider mites and mealybugs are enemies that contribute to strong leaf fall. In this case, at the very initial stage, it is possible to treat the plant with water (temperature 45 degrees). However, with moreoverdue this will not be enough. Effective is the treatment with special insecticidal preparations ("Aktellik" or "Fitoverm"). It is important to remember at the same time that the solution should not be on the surface of the soil (cover with plastic wrap on top).
Pest damage is available to any naked eye: the trunk and leaves acquire an unusual shade, they are deformed, covered with pigmentation, etc.
Failure to comply with the temperature regime
Most often, as noted above, Benjamin's ficus sheds its leaves in winter. What to do in such cases? This is due to the heating of the premises in the autumn-winter period with central heating batteries and other heating devices. It is difficult to regulate the temperature regime in such conditions.
Ficus needs moderate-warm climatic conditions. In summer, the temperature in the room should be no more than 18-23 degrees Celsius, and in the cold months - no lower than 16 degrees. If this mode is not observed, the leaves of Benjamin's ficus will drop.
Lack of top dressing
If, after the old leaves fall off, the young ones grow very small, then there is not enough nutrition for the plant. This is observed when the soil is depleted, which no longer gives the plant a sufficient amount of important substances. It is necessary to apply complex dressings recommended for all varieties of ficuses.
Fertilizers should be applied once every 14 days during the active vegetation of the bush. Also, once a year, young plants needtransplanted into a new soil containing nutrient mixtures. Older specimens of the plant, especially large varieties, should not be transplanted. You can simply update the top of the soil.
It is important to know that the soil for this plant must contain turf, leaf, greenhouse and sand mixtures. There is another important point in caring for him. Ficus can burn the root system, which is also often the cause of leaf fall. It should be remembered that the fertilization process should always be carried out after pre-wetting the soil with water.
In conclusion
All flower growers need to pay attention to the fact that when dropping ficus leaves from the bottom of the trunk in the autumn-winter months, there is no reason to worry, because the loss of 10-20% of the leaves for him is the norm. New leaves will appear in the spring. It is alarming when leaf fall occurs in the spring and summer, during the most active growth of the plant. The problem is more than 20% of the leaves fall off regardless of the season.
I would also like to note that Benjamin's ficus has a lot of wonderful properties. It cleans the air well and is widely used in traditional medicine.
