Hallo there.
I am wondering wheter someone is able to help me. I received a Ficus Ginseng Bonsai plant and will really like to take good care of it since it is close to my heart.
I received it in a good condition, but I could see that it got a little shock or was handling its shipping badly or something, since it started to shed some of its top leaves(probably exposed to direct sunlight). The leaves turned darker in colour and then fell of. My first guess is that this is due to it being exposed to direct sunlight for quite a while before reaching me. Is this problematic or will it sort himself out again?
Here is some general information surrounding the where abouts of the plant. I am situated in South Africa, so we are used to warm weather and sunlight most of the time. The plant is indoors but I try to put it outside for a while when I get back from work, for this period of time it is exposed to direct sunlight. Indoors it is not exposed to direct sunlight but the sun does shine vigorously on my curtains giving the apartment a warm and well lit surrounding(from say about 2o'clock in the afternoon)... Now I have read a bit and everywhere it says that it likes frequent watering and to keep the soil moist. I would like to know what is meant with frequent watering? Is it once a day or once a week and so on and what amount of water is usually given?
Some tips will be appreciated as well.
Thank you very much
Many Ficus species will drop a large number of leaves when moved from one environment to another, so there's really nothing uncommon or necessarily panic-causing in what you're describing. IME, most Ficus do not, however, like to be exposed to direct sunlight. Placing it outside in appropriate temperatures is fine, but I do believe, especially if it's an "indoor" tree, that it should receive at least partial shade. As far as watering goes, well, there are no hard and fast rules. Much depends on local temperature, humidity, and light availability. When it's warmer and the tree is growing at a more rapid rate, it will likely be taking up much more water than in semi-dormant periods. As well, in dry seasons or when kept indoors, localized humidity levels may facilitate quicker evaporation. So, you can't really say, "this species needs x milliliters of water per gram per x days". As with all bonsais, you have to monitor the soil (this is where the conventional recommendation to remove any and all "ammendments" to the soil, especially for beginners, comes in). For most Ficus, you'll want to water again as the surface becomes dry. Watering should be thorough, ensuring complete saturation of the (hopefully) well draining soil mix. Be careful not to let the soil dry out too much or it will start pulling away from the edges of the pot and become less capable of absorbing water/moisture. If this does happen, a 15-30 minute soak in water that just covers the pot rim should solve that problem.
