Help! Will My Baby Die?

[Peter.Constantine325]

I have a grow tent with a fan pointed at the canopy of my new tree. It oscillates, so it’s getting air every few seconds. This is all good since it will help with mold and the like. But it dries the soil out faster I think? I just checked the soil now with a toothpick, and it was very dry. I watered it, and the water didn’t soak in right away. Did I just kill my tree? I know that when they finally go completely without water, they die no matter what, right? It was a whole day maybe since the last watering? Maybe more? It wouldn’t go bone dry in that amount of time, would it? I’m going to be much more careful from now on, but is it pointless watering it now?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Gosh this thread sounds like an AI bot!

Where are you located? Please enter this data and your USDA Plant Hardiness zone “under” your icon.

Also please post an image of your set up, the tree, including one of the media in the pot and hoe old the tree is and where it was sourced.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Gabler]

I have a grow tent with a fan pointed at the canopy of my new tree. It oscillates, so it’s getting air every few seconds. This is all good since it will help with mold and the like. But it dries the soil out faster I think? I just checked the soil now with a toothpick, and it was very dry. I watered it, and the water didn’t soak in right away. Did I just kill my tree? I know that when they finally go completely without water, they die no matter what, right? It was a whole day maybe since the last watering? Maybe more? It wouldn’t go bone dry in that amount of time, would it? I’m going to be much more careful from now on, but is it pointless watering it now?

I assume you're talking about the willow leaf ficus? It may yet recover. They're pretty tough. Soak the whole pot underwater until the root ball is saturated, and keep a close eye on the soil for the next few days to ensure you're watering as soon as it starts to dry out at the surface.

 

[Peter.Constantine325]

Gosh this thread sounds like an AI bot!

Where are you located? Please enter this data and your USDA Plant Hardiness zone “under” your icon.

Also please post an image of your set up, the tree, including one of the media in the pot and who old the tree is and where it was sourced.

Cheers
DSD sends

How does it sound like an AI bot? And I edited my profile information. I don’t know how old the tree is, but it’s from Wigert’s.

 

[Peter.Constantine325]

I assume you're talking about the willow leaf ficus? It may yet recover. They're pretty tough. Soak the whole pot underwater until the root ball is saturated, and keep a close eye on the soil for the next few days to ensure you're watering as soon as it starts to dry out at the surface.

Yes. And I soaked it real good by watering it pretty thoroughly. I don’t really have a way of soaking it underwater though. I just moved into my apartment and I don’t have much.

 

[kodiac]

Relax ....ficus are extremely tolerant of abuse it will be fine. Fine besides the fact that it lives in solitary confinement...JK

 

[LuZiKui]

To soak the root ball you could just fill up your sink and dip the pot into it.

Ficus are pretty tough trees. You can chop off all of the roots and branches and they'll usually grow back no problem.

I wouldn't be concerned about a tree getting dry for a day. Worst case scenario you'll lose some leaves but it should rebound fine. I'm sure you have plans already but I'd look to get it repotted in the near future. Looks like it's been in that pot for a while so it would be good to take a look at the roots and start sorting those out.

 

[Peter.Constantine325]

To soak the root ball you could just fill up your sink and dip the pot into it.

Ficus are pretty tough trees. You can chop off all of the roots and branches and they'll usually grow back no problem.

I wouldn't be concerned about a tree getting dry for a day. Worst case scenario you'll lose some leaves but it should rebound fine. I'm sure you have plans already but I'd look to get it repotted in the near future. Looks like it's been in that pot for a while so it would be good to take a look at the roots and start sorting those out.

I wasn’t thinking about potting until next year. So I should reconsider doing it much sooner then?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

How does it sound like an AI bot? And I edited my profile information. I don’t know how old the tree is, but it’s from Wigert’s.

Sorry about that. It was the lack of context and the way the sentences were put together. (Long time teacher view)

Anyways, it looks like you are fixed for information.

Good Luck with your Ficus

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[LuZiKui]

I wasn’t thinking about potting until next year. So I should reconsider doing it much sooner then?

Are you keeping it in the tent forever or will that just be it's home for the winter? Some others in cold climates might have better feedback, but if you plan to put it outside in the summers then you might want to wait until summer to repot it. The advice for most tropicals is to repot when it's warm outside. It'll be fine for the time being in its current pot.

I'm trying to think who has a ficus that lives in the cold... @Carol 83 do you have a ficus that you store inside during the winter? Any feedback on when this should be repotted?

 

[Peter.Constantine325]

Are you keeping it in the tent forever or will that just be it's home for the winter? Some others in cold climates might have better feedback, but if you plan to put it outside in the summers then you might want to wait until summer to repot it. The advice for most tropicals is to repot when it's warm outside. It'll be fine for the time being in its current pot.

I'm trying to think who has a ficus that lives in the cold... @Carol 83 do you have a ficus that you store inside during the winter? Any feedback on when this should be repotted?

I don’t have any yard or good windows. So it’s going to be in the grow tent year round. It’s the only way I can practice the art of bonsai. My only other option would be waiting possibly years until I got a place with a decent yard or windows.

 

[Scrogdor]

I don’t have any yard or good windows. So it’s going to be in the grow tent year round. It’s the only way I can practice the art of bonsai. My only other option would be waiting possibly years until I got a place with a decent yard or windows.

That's devotion.

 

[LuZiKui]

I don’t have any yard or good windows. So it’s going to be in the grow tent year round. It’s the only way I can practice the art of bonsai. My only other option would be waiting possibly years until I got a place with a decent yard or windows.

I feel you on that, I've got a very small yard where I'm at and have to move plants around to find the sunlight in the winter. We're all a bit crazy here!

In that case, I think I might let it acclimate for a couple months so you can get used to watering and you can get comfortable with how it grows. Then I'd probably repot.

Also, It'll give you more time to get some more trees to make that tent worth your while

 

[Scrogdor]

I feel you on that, I've got a very small yard where I'm at and have to move plants around to find the sunlight in the winter. We're all a bit crazy here!

In that case, I think I might let it acclimate for a couple months so you can get used to watering and you can get comfortable with how it grows. Then I'd probably repot.

Also, It'll give you more time to get some more trees to make that tent worth your while

I have a balcony that loses sun for about 3 months completely. Usually coincides with winter though so it works out okay.

 

[Peter.Constantine325]

That's devotion.

Well it’s honestly the only thing I’m interested in that doesn’t piss people off or make me delusional.

 

[Peter.Constantine325]

I feel you on that, I've got a very small yard where I'm at and have to move plants around to find the sunlight in the winter. We're all a bit crazy here!

In that case, I think I might let it acclimate for a couple months so you can get used to watering and you can get comfortable with how it grows. Then I'd probably repot.

Also, It'll give you more time to get some more trees to make that tent worth your while

Okay. That’s what I’ll do then. And I’m getting five more ficus trees next month. I’m really impatiently excited.

 

[JackHammer]

Okay. That’s what I’ll do then. And I’m getting five more ficus trees next month. I’m really impatiently excited.

If you cut them in half, you could have 10. ...just sayin.

 

[Carol 83]

Are you keeping it in the tent forever or will that just be it's home for the winter? Some others in cold climates might have better feedback, but if you plan to put it outside in the summers then you might want to wait until summer to repot it. The advice for most tropicals is to repot when it's warm outside. It'll be fine for the time being in its current pot.

I'm trying to think who has a ficus that lives in the cold... @Carol 83 do you have a ficus that you store inside during the winter? Any feedback on when this should be repotted?

Yes, I have quite a few that I overwinter inside for the winter. I repot in the summer when they are growing vigorously outside.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

It should be fine.
Watering ficus inside is much different than watering out doors. It takes much longer than a day for them to dry out.
With a fan on them- not sure how long that one takes.
Look up the chopstick method.
You can tell if the soil is dry on the bottom by poking a chopstick in the soil and checking it for dampness.

 

[bonsaichile]

whatbis the point of having a tree if you keep it inside that hideous contraption?