Ficus in bad shape

[Jon S]

I bought a small ficus benjamin (sp?) for my baby chameleon enclosure from lllreptile. After about a week of shipping, it arrived today and looks awful! TONS of leaves fell/were falling off as I opened the box and it looks all droopy and bent up. It doesn't look like it'll fill the cage in its current condition. I won't be getting the baby (well he'll be 4 months or so), so I have a little bit of time.

Is there anything I can do to nurse it back to peek health before the new guy arrives?

So far I misted all of the leaves and put him in what little sun was left (friggin fedex didn't drop it off until 6:30pm). Now its just in my room by a window.

 

[Malicious]

Thats to bad Jon, I have had very good luck with plants from LLL.

Where are you located?

Post a picture of the tree if you can.

They will heal over time, and when I got mine they were in need of major pruning. I didn't mind that part since I got to shape the tree as needed.

-Jay

 

[panthercrazy]

Ficus will drop leaves when their condition changes and start growing new ones. Give it a good watering, don't have excess water in the pot though. Don't allow it to get bone dry between waterings either. Avoid moving from outside to inside, etc as it will continue to attempt to adapt to the environment you place it in.

I've had some that I take out of cages that have been beaten up (leaves half eaten, bending of or broken smaller branches, etc), after a few weeks it comes back nicely.

 

[warpdrive]

I just got 4 ficus from LLL...

all arived in great shape, unlike my first one.
I couldn't get it back to health no matter what I did.

I'll bet it was the temps at one of the holding stations. if too low, it could kill it.

I would call them up and see if they can work something out with you.
maybe you'll have better luck like me on the next try.

Harry

 

[blackbetty]

Mine dropped when I replanted it. Mines a topiary so it looks ridiculous. But they are coming back. I just put in full sun and water gently from the top, over the leaves, instead of straight into the soil. A friend told me to do this and it works. Not sure why.. I also repotted it in organic soil (worm compost is what I use). THe thing with it being in cham setups is I dont think it gets nearly enough sun unless its in front of a window and thats not always best scenario for the cham. Maybe try a plant light? They sell those at walmart. you can either get the clip on for like $15 or the kind that mounts for 10.

 

[Jon S]

Thanks everybody.. I went out for a meeting at 8 and when I got home later tonight it seems as though it is a bit more sturdy. The branches don't really seem as pliable, so maybe it was just being in a paper bag inside a paper box for a week that messed it up. I still have a good couple of weeks before the cham is ready to be shipped to me, so I have some time. I don't have a camera right now or I would take some pictures. Is it normal for the branches to kind of droop a bit or do they naturally stick straight up? They certainly compacted it for shipping so maybe the branches just need some time, water, and light to get back to proper health.

I'm in northeastern Pennsylvania, at the foot of the Pocono Mountains.

 

[warpdrive]

Jon S,

it's suposed to look like that.
it's called a weeping fig for a reason.

you can spread out the sticks/branches like an umbrella and take up 25%-50% of your cage that way.
you'll loose a little bit of leaves, but that's normal too.

Harry

 

[ocular_factitus]

I bought a small ficus benjamin (sp?) for my baby chameleon enclosure from lllreptile. After about a week of shipping, it arrived today and looks awful! TONS of leaves fell/were falling off as I opened the box and it looks all droopy and bent up. It doesn't look like it'll fill the cage in its current condition. I won't be getting the baby (well he'll be 4 months or so), so I have a little bit of time.

Is there anything I can do to nurse it back to peek health before the new guy arrives?

So far I misted all of the leaves and put him in what little sun was left (friggin fedex didn't drop it off until 6:30pm). Now its just in my room by a window.

Oh wow, that's terrible, i actually got a S. Arboricola at half price @ Lowes because it had other plants with it in the same pot, and those were decaying. Lowes and Home Depot carry Hibiscus' But i always have faith in plants, my mother-in-law bought some Bonnie plants tomatoes, and left them in the garage till there were dead down to the stalk. I rehabilitated them, and I'm proud to say their now flowering. Talk to the ficus, it works! I would re-pot it once you get it, in a dark room, or wait for night, use miracle grow potting soil, unless anyone has any objections. Have hope!