Ficus leaves turning yellow

xmacro

I have a ficu nerifolia that sits indoors; the soil is 50/50 lava rock and pine bark, I water every 2 to 4 days depending on how much the sun has dried the soil; the top half of the soil dries out and the bottom is still moist; recently, my leaf tips have been turning yellow with a few turning all the way yellow. I just repotted this; trimmed only the tips of the feeder roots and snipped off the very ends of the tap roots and gave it some pre-diluted fertilizer around the roots. the pot I use is shallow, maybe an inch or so deep. What's wrong with my little ficus? it gets afternoon sun, maybe 4-6 hrs a day direct if there aren't any clouds, but its been pretty cloudy over the past 2 or 3 weeks, so it really hasn't been getting alot of direct sun, only what comes through the clouds. I can't take this outside since I live in an apartment and its getting colder here; the usual temp in the apartment is around 70 and the ficus isn't where the heater air can blow on it, though an open window can give it a breeze, the windows are only open when its pleasant out. Please help, this hasn't happened before, even some newly produced leaves are turning yellow

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Repotter

You are watering too often for the amount of light the tree is getting. Use a raw piece of wood such as a wooden chopstick to test for wetness in the soil before you water.
You should never fertilize too soon after cutting roots, it will "burn" the ends.
Wait a month before fertilizing after any root cutting.
The tree can wait a month without any ill effects. Ficus want to be warm and they like humidity.
Good luck,........Hector

xmacro

thank you from one scared bonsai grower -_-

malik

Ficus are very picky plants, but don't worry, they can take a lickin and keep on tickin.(don't actually lick trees).

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lance111

Yea, they can be a bit on the fussie side if moved or what ever, but they are pretty tuff...

Make sure you give them plenty of light and nice stable heat, mist once in the morning and night and keep the soil just moist (not wet) and you'll be fine...take care, Lance.

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edgey

If its starting to get cold outside, you've repotted the tree out of season. Figs are a tropical species of tree and should only be repotted in the warmer months. Try to give the tree the warmest spot in your house with the most amount of light possible. Watering any tree inside is always tricky, the chopstick method already mentioned works well. Overwatering after repotting promotes rot. Did you cut back the tree when repotted? Figs are extremely hardy though and any leaves which die off will more than likely be replaced. Don't fertilise untill new growth has started. Good luck