simgust
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Oslo, Norway

Wrinkly/curling and few leaves on ficus microcarpa ginseng

Hi everyone, a total beginner here, so bear with me if I sound like an amateur (I am).

I purchased a ficus microcarpa ginseng from IKEA a few months back. Since then the tree has lost quite a few leaves, and doesn't look to be in good health. Around two weeks ago I repotted the tree since I feared, after reading a bit on forums, that some rot or fungus or something could've infested the tree because of potential overwatering or not enough drainage. I've also started spraying some water on it everyday, as recommended by the booklet that came with it.

The health since then has not declined, but its fate looks kind of grim. All of the leaves are darker than when I got it, and many leaves are curled and sort of wrinkled. There have also been a few dead branches. Today I pruned it, in hope of that somehow being beneficial.

What can I do to improve the health of this tree? Can it be saved? What have I done wrong with its care?
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Demosouthpaw
Cool Member
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:57 am
Location: Central Florida

simgust wrote:Hi everyone, a total beginner here, so bear with me if I sound like an amateur (I am).

I purchased a ficus microcarpa ginseng from IKEA a few months back. Since then the tree has lost quite a few leaves, and doesn't look to be in good health. Around two weeks ago I repotted the tree since I feared, after reading a bit on forums, that some rot or fungus or something could've infested the tree because of potential overwatering or not enough drainage. I've also started spraying some water on it everyday, as recommended by the booklet that came with it.

The health since then has not declined, but its fate looks kind of grim. All of the leaves are darker than when I got it, and many leaves are curled and sort of wrinkled. There have also been a few dead branches. Today I pruned it, in hope of that somehow being beneficial.

What can I do to improve the health of this tree? Can it be saved? What have I done wrong with its care?
Hello OP,

First off congratz on your new little tree. Second, Ficus are trees that seem to be very shade tolerant. Because of this you will notice slight differences in colorization in leaf colors when placed indoor vs outdoor. Plants that have evolved to tolerate higher shade, have thinner leaves and tend to be more green this is indicative of higher chlorophyll content. The wrinkling of the leaves can be caused by a couple of things. Thrips a small insect that feeds on emerging buds is known to cause damage to leaves. Because emerging buds do not part-take in cell division, any damage to the bud at the small tender sate will be more pronounced as the leaf begins to emerge and the cells of the leaf expand. The wrinkling can also be attributed to lack of water, or too much fertilizer. I recommend moving the tree outside for a bit and observing it carefully, hold back on anymore pruning or root work to the plant as this will vastly take away from energy stores. Keep me posted and feel free to PM with any questions.




-Jonathan



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