If you wonder, ‘my ficus tree is dying, what do I do’ or ‘if the ficus tree dies, what to do,’ then you are in the right article. Here, we will discuss why ficus trees die & how to save a dying ficus tree.
Since ficus trees are one of the most common sites in many landscapes and gardens, they are also prone to becoming victims of diseases and pets, just like any other specimen.
If a ficus tree is dying or you are wondering, ‘why is my ficus tree dying,’ it’s essential to take action quickly to determine the cause and take appropriate steps to save it. Therefore, here we will explain the most common causes of ficus tree death and the following steps you can take to revise your dying tree.
Whether you are a homeowner, gardener, or landscaper, this information will help you a lot in the long term and give you confidence that you can save your dying ficus. Let’s first understand ‘why is my ficus tree dying.
Why Is My Ficus Tree Dying? (Here are 7 Possible Reasons)
If your ficus tree is dying, many factors can be at play. Here is what you need to know about the common causes, signs, and treatment options available for each.
Underwatering
If your ficus tree leaves turn yellow or drop off continuously, you should pay more attention to watering the plant. Firstly, I recommend you check the soil moisture and water it if required. It would help if you increased the water frequency slowly to prevent root rot.
Overwatering
You must reduce the water frequency if you notice root rot, soggy soil, or yellow leaves. The ground may need to be well drained to provide optimal conditions for ficus tree growth. It is essential to take action immediately. First, check the soil moisture and only water if it seems dry.
Pest Infestation
Sometimes pests in a ficus tree cause yellow or brown leaves with sticky residue. It is essential to use appropriate pesticides and insecticides regularly. If you notice pest infestation in ficus trees, I recommend contacting a pest control professional. Inspect your trip periodically for signs of pest infestation to take action as soon as possible.
Disease
Another reason for your ficus tree dying could be an underlying disease. It is essential to not only water ficus but also provide optimum temperature conditions & soil drainage to make it thrive.
If you notice distorted leaves or discolored leaves with spots & cranks on the bark, you will need to contact an arborist. It is essential to treat it with an appropriate fungi site and inspect for signs of diseases to take action immediately and save it. If your ficus tree is already dying, no one could be better than an arborist to help you keep it.
Lack Of Sunlight
If your tree is located at a site that receives only a few hours of daylight, you need to move it. It is essential to ensure that the ficus tree gets enough light for photosynthesis throughout the day. If they don’t get enough lighting, you will notice trees die or lack growth and brown or yellow leaves.
Fertiliser Burn
It is essential only to use fertilizer in the amount your ficus tree needs. To determine how much fertilizer you need to distribute over its soil, check its pH level and nutrient content. If you notice leaves curling with brown or yellow tips, flush the dirt with water to remove excess fertilizer.
Poor Soil
Add fertilizer and organic matter to Ficus trees’ soil to adjust its pH level. Other than this, ensure ficus trees get well-draining ground with appropriate sunlight to thrive. If you notice stunted growth and lack of soil fertility with yellowing leaves, improve the soil quality by adding fertilizers, organic matter, and even kitchen residues if feasible.
How To Save A Dying Ficus Tree?
- Firstly, you should identify the root cause of its decline. To take appropriate action, it is essential to look for signs of diseases, pests, underwatering, lack of sunlight, or overwatering.
- After that, consider improving the soil qualities. Since poor soil can significantly contribute to a ficus tree’s death, keeping it draining and amended with organic matter is essential.
- Paying attention to underwatering and overwatering a ficus tree is also essential. Make sure to check the moisture regularly and adjust the watering habits accordingly. Only water if the soil is dry or the leaves look dull.
- Now, you must ensure that the ficus tree is placed in a well-bright indirect light. If not, move it to a location with more daylight.
- Since ficus trees require regular fertilization, over-fertilizing can cause a burn. It is recommended to follow the guidelines recommended by a specialist or arborist for fertilizing your ficus tree and avoid doing it too frequently.
- It would help if you also consider reshaping the ficus tree and pruning it. Sometimes dying branches that need to be pruned are all you need to solve the issue. You must use proper techniques to avoid damaging the ficus tree using the best pruning shears possible.
- You should regularly check for signs of pests, disease, and other issues to take action immediately as soon as possible. It is important to follow recommended guidelines or contact a professional who can help you understand what you might be doing wrong.
Indoor Ficus Tree Dying
As I told you earlier, it may die if your indoor tree is not getting enough daylight. To thrive, it is essential to keep the indoor ficus tree in a bright indirect light.
If you notice any signs of pale or yellow leaves with a lack of growth accompanied, move the ficus tree to a location that receives more sunlight. Another significant cause of the death of indoor ficus trees could be improper water or soil drainage.
If you notice any signs of yellow soil and ficus tree root rot, adjust the water frequency and improve soil drainage. Even though the ficus tree is indoors, they are at the same degree of susceptibility to pests and diseases, just like any other outdoor plant.
Therefore, contact pest control if you notice any sticky residue sitting on the leaves with discoloration. These are the most common p causes of indoor ficus tree time.
Outdoor Ficus Tree Dying
All the causes and information I mentioned above should be considered if your outdoor ficus trees are dying. Another thing that you should look for is root damage. I also learned that ficus tree leaves tend to be wilted or black due to being damaged by ficus freezing temperature.
Since ficus trees are not cold-hardy species, keeping them in a warmer location or providing protection during cold weather is better. In addition, I recommend you avoid watering the ficus tree since its soil must already be moist. Just make sure it is well drained.
Ficus Tree Branches Dying: 5 Causes
If ficus tree branches are dying, there might be the best feed, like spider mites or scale insects, which feed on its components. Using the appropriate type of insecticide or pesticides to control pest infestation is essential.
Besides this, branches also start to die due to improper pruning. Ensure you use the correct pruning technique with the proper pruning shear to prevent damaging the units. Lastly, diseases like aphids or root rot are likely to spread to the components, causing them to die.
If this is the case, you need to contact an arborist who can help you diagnose the issue and advise on appropriate fungicide/treatment. If the ficus tree is already dead, don’t feel sad because there are a few methods you can try and follow to revive it again.
How To Revive A Dying Ficus Tree?
- Firstly, I recommend you remove all the time branches by pruning them using the best pruning shear in the proper technique to avoid damage.
- After that, check the soil quality and its pH level. Make sure it is well-draining soil with a bit of moisture. It would help if you also considered adding some organic matter to improve its quality.
- If you had fertilized the soil previously, you must flush it to remove excess fertilizers.
- Avoid watering the plant if the soil is moist already. After adding organic matter, you should move the plant to a location with an appropriate amount of indirect sunlight.
- Monitor and regularly check for signs of improvement. If you notice pest disease or any other issue, contact an arborist for better assistance. It’s better to wait for a few days and check if there is any improvement in a ficus tree.
Even though it can be expensive to contact an expert, it’s worth the cost if an arborist revives your dying ficus when all other options are exhausted. Ensure you properly clean a dying ficus tree’s branches, leaves, and roots.
Pruning will help you a lot in saving the ficus tree because the tree will focus on new growth rather than trying to improve the dying branches. Pruning will help you identify and remove dead or dying branches. There is how to prune a dying ficus correctly.
How To Prune A Dying Ficus Tree?
- Firstly, check for branches that look wilted or discolored. Also, make sure to mark those that look diseased too.
- Now, you need to use a sharp pruning shear to cut back dying or dead branches that you kept earlier.
- Leave a few inches of healthy wood above the cut to promote new growth.
- Remove and dispose of pruned materials to prevent the spreading of any diseases.
- Finally, treat the soil to improve its quality and keep an eye to ensure the ficus tree stays the same daily.
How To Save A Dying Ficus Bonsai Ficus Tree?
You should also follow the same guidelines I have mentioned to save a dying ficus tree for the bonsai specimen. Firstly, identify the root cause and adjust watering habits, soil fertility, and overall structure.
Also, it would help if you moved the ficus tree to provide proper lighting and improve its soil quality by amending it with organic matter. Make sure to also shape the tree by pruning it using shear in the correct technique.
Conclusion
There can be many factors in play if your ficus tree is dying. I will try my best to give you all the reasons why the ficus tree is dying. It is essential to know that all ficus trees are different, and the best course of treatment will depend upon the specific ficus tree and its growing condition.
Do consult or contact an arborist if you need help with how to save your ficus tree. I tried my best to give you all the information you need on why my ficus trees are dying and how to keep a dying ficus tree.
Suppose you have any other query or concern regarding the question: ‘how to revive a time ficus tree,’ never mind dropping a comment below. Do check our other helpful guide on arboriculture. See you in the next post. Till then, take care and goodbye.