This type of ficus is familiar to many connoisseurs of this fairly common plant grown in room conditions. In a house, it can be a small evergreen tree, and in spacious office rooms it can grow up to two meters in height and look like a bush with a beautiful dense crown. This plant is Benjamin's ficus. Many varieties of this species have their own particular 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 drop foliage, which is very worrying for flower lovers.
Why does Benjamin's ficus drop leaves? What is happening to him? This article will provide information on 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 drop leaves? Before answering this important question, we briefly outline information about what it is and what features it has.
Ficus Benjamin is a decorative evergreen plant that grows in the wild in the subtropical and tropical moist rain forests 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 blotches. The leaves of the most famous varieties are painted in a variety of shades: green, with white and yellow dots. Cultivated ficus can decorate any interior. From it you can form a variety of forms: it can be thin and tall, luxuriant and small. As a rule, it grows upwards, but to prevent such growth there are some ways to preserve its beautiful decorative shape.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to control the indoor climate necessary for this plant and to take proper care of it. It often happens that the ficus of Benjamin sheds leaves. Unfortunately, leaf falling is the result of many reasons.
It should be noted that each ficus leaf can live no more than three years. Then the natural process of leaf fall occurs, and this is quite normal. But in the case of the simultaneous loss of a large number of leaves, you need to figure out the reasons and take the necessary measures to save the plant.
Below are the most common causes of leaf shedding by Benjamin's ficus.
Lack of lighting
Throughout the year, ficus should receive good diffused lighting for up to about 10-12 hours daily. Otherwise, the plant begins to fade leaves, which fall over time.
Adequate lighting is especially important in the fall and winter. For this, fluorescent lamps can be used, and they should be placed on both sides of the ficus at a distance of about 50 cm. Such artificial illumination may well make up for the lack of lighting. However, it is important to remember that foliage can be dumped when there is an overabundance of lighting, and when getting sunburn. It is important to protect the plant from bright sunlight and from overheating.
The presence of drafts
And in the presence of drafts, Benjamin's ficus drops its leaves. What to do in such cases? It should be noted that not only cold air currents from open windows are destructive, but also air flows too warm from heating systems. Ventilation is necessary, but with great care.
Sudden changes in temperature and drafts are one of the most common factors affecting leaf fall.
Change of location
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 the room. This is one of the main reasons for dropping leaves. Ficus Benjamin is experiencing real stress. Therefore, it is advisable for him to immediately choose the most comfortable permanent place with conditions that are closest to his native, natural.
When preparing a place with the necessary conditions of detention, you can use phytolamps to create a sufficient level of illumination, a tray with moist expanded clay. It is advisable to cover the plant well with wet moss to maintain high humidity.
Wrong watering
Ficus Benjamina drops leaves in winter due to excessive watering, and in summer due to insufficient watering. Cold and hard water also affects the plant badly.
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 the upper part of the soil has completely dried (up to 2-3 cm in depth). Tap water should only be used after it has sedimented 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.
The influence of pests and diseases
Why does Benjamin's ficus drop leaves? What if the cause of this was disease and pests? Scabies, spider mites and mealybugs are enemies that contribute to the strong falling of leaves. In this case, at the very initial stage, you can treat the plant with water (temperature 45 degrees). However, with more late dates, this will not be enough. It is effective to treat with special insecticidal drugs (Actellik or Fitoverm). It is important to remember that the solution should not be on the surface of the soil (cover with a plastic film on top).
Pest damage is available to any naked eye: the trunk and leaves acquire an unusual hue, they are deformed, covered with pigmentation, etc.
Non-compliance with temperature conditions
Most often, as noted above, Benjamin's ficus drops leaves in the 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 under such conditions.
Ficus needs moderately warm climatic conditions. In summer, the temperature in the room should not be more than 18-23 degrees Celsius, and in the colder months - not lower than 16 degrees. If this mode is not observed, the leaves are dropped by Benjamin's ficus.
Nutritional deficiency
If, after falling off old leaves, young ones grow very small, which means that the plant has insufficient nutrition. 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 top dressing recommended for all varieties of ficus.
Fertilizers should be applied once every 14 days during the active growing season of the bush. Also, once a year, young plants must be transplanted into a new soil containing nutrient mixtures. Older plant instances, especially larger 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 should contain turf, leaf, greenhouse and sand mixtures. There is another important point in caring for him. In the ficus, a burn of the root system can occur, which is also often the cause of leaf fall. It should be remembered that the fertilizer process should always be carried out after preliminary wetting of the soil with water.
Finally
All gardeners need to pay attention to the fact that when dropping ficus leaves from the lower part of the trunk in the autumn-winter months there is no reason for concern, because the loss of 10-20% of the leaves is normal for him. In spring, new leaves will appear. It is alarming when leaf fall occurs in the spring and summer, during the most active growth of the plant. The problem is falling, regardless of the season, more than 20% of the leaves.
I would also like to note that the ficus of Benjamin has a lot of excellent properties. It cleans the air well and is widely used in folk medicine.