Hey folks, i have been growing this ficus cuttings since spring and everything was fine until 3 days ago. I was doing a regular watering and found them like this. At first i thought they are wilted because the lack of water in their media (also impossible cause i've been treating them same since spring) however after giving some water they are still acting weird. I check pests and other stuff but everything seems ok. I thought about the weather conditions as well but the minimum we got here is like 16C / 61F and that was only 2 days. I really couldn't figure out what is the problem. I took them inside thinking they may be cold but right now its 22C/72F. However terracota feels cold in my hands. I would highly appreciate if you figure this out. (And no i haven't been fertilizing them at least for a month)
Ficus cuttings wilted out of nowhere
- Thread starter bbelbuken
- Start date
BonScience
Sapling
My understanding is that wilting is usually a watering (or the plant's ability to get water, i.e. roots) issue.
Make sure to let the soil dry out a bit before watering since it's getting colder and not evaporating or being used by the plant as quickly. use a toothpick (or bamboo skewer or whatever) and push it into the soil and let it sit for a bit and if the stick is dry about an inch or two deep then it's good to water. If the soil is verifiably dry enough before you water than it might be a good idea to check the roots aren't rotting (which happens if the soil around it stays soggy too often).
Low 60's might be too cold for ficus that are trying to root, but i'm not 100% sure on that. Hope they recover!
Make sure to let the soil dry out a bit before watering since it's getting colder and not evaporating or being used by the plant as quickly. use a toothpick (or bamboo skewer or whatever) and push it into the soil and let it sit for a bit and if the stick is dry about an inch or two deep then it's good to water. If the soil is verifiably dry enough before you water than it might be a good idea to check the roots aren't rotting (which happens if the soil around it stays soggy too often).
Low 60's might be too cold for ficus that are trying to root, but i'm not 100% sure on that. Hope they recover!
Thanks for the reply, they actually rooted very well earlier this summer and that's why I left them outside without a doubt. However, as you mentioned probably the media wasn't dry enough since it got colder, and I treated them the way used to do, so they got wilted unfortunately. Hope they make it too..
Ply
Mame
Hard to say what's wrong for sure. But two things that stand out to me.
1. Those are pretty big containers for cuttings that size. If your container size is too large the soil will stay wet for far too long and the roots won't be able to develop properly.
2. The size of the plants right now. If you've had these since spring that means they've had 6 ish months to grow. They should be so much bigger by now, many times their current size. Healthy ficus are such vigorous grower, and the main reason why they are such a fun species to work with.
Given their limited growth since spring I think these ficus haven't been very happy for quite a while now. The soil might stay too wet because you water too frequently, but the soil might also just stay wet for too long because the container is simply too big for the plant.
Like suggested above: check your watering. But for your next cuttings I would also suggest using smaller pots.
1. Those are pretty big containers for cuttings that size. If your container size is too large the soil will stay wet for far too long and the roots won't be able to develop properly.
2. The size of the plants right now. If you've had these since spring that means they've had 6 ish months to grow. They should be so much bigger by now, many times their current size. Healthy ficus are such vigorous grower, and the main reason why they are such a fun species to work with.
Given their limited growth since spring I think these ficus haven't been very happy for quite a while now. The soil might stay too wet because you water too frequently, but the soil might also just stay wet for too long because the container is simply too big for the plant.
Like suggested above: check your watering. But for your next cuttings I would also suggest using smaller pots.
I don't know why but even though I used rooting hormone they rooted really slow like it took them at least 2 months. To be honest, I expected them to shoot new growth sooner, but I really don't know what I did wrong. We had great conditions this year like we had over 50% humidity inside the house with lots of bright indirect light till the beginning of the spring.
Do you really think the container size is too large? I actually asked about this on reddit a year ago and people said it's okay. I really didn't have the time that era to go out and buy small containers...
Paradox
Imperial Masterpiece
@bbelbuken
How often do you water them?
Looks like the soil mix has potting soil.
Might be staying too wet?
How often do you water them?
Looks like the soil mix has potting soil.
Might be staying too wet?
My watering schedule is once in 3-4 days since spring. The media is organic, but it has a good drainage. In fact, it is really loose like it shouldn't hold water more than 3 days.
Firstflush
Chumono
Also, feel the weight of the container when first watered. They should be significantly lighter when you water next.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
I would also check for woodlouse / woodlice because they've been general asshats to me when it comes to cuttings: they chew away the callus and every new root that forms.
Maiden69
Masterpiece
Not on a ficus...
You need to water more than that.
I'm in an 8b zone, pretty hot in the summer. My ficus cuttings are in 1/2" of water all the time inside a pot slightly smaller than yours with akadama, pumice, kiryu. Sorry for the blurry pics, I am at work and don't have all my pics here. They love water, especially during the summer. During the winter I remove the water saucer, move them in my garage under grow lights and I still have to water them at least every other day.
See the terracotta pot in the lower right corner and the ficus leaves top right.
Blurry pic of the pot above.
well, they look gorgeous I wonder how old they are. What do you think my problem is? I didn't have any issues during summer. My watering schedule was always the same. We've been at 60F at nights and probably media wasn't dried enough till the next watering ?
Ply
Mame
I really disagree with this advice.
I water my ficus daily in summer as well, but, similar to yours, they are in fully inorganic soil. This makes a huge difference. I have ficus both indoors and outdoors, and with either fully inorganic or organic soil. In inorganic soil even those indoors have to be watered daily in summer. Those indoors with organic soil, however, stay wet up to almost a week. This is even with smaller pots than OP uses.
Ficus hate having their feet wet constantly, their roots are very susceptible to root rot.
Not only does inorganic soil dry much quicker on its own, ficus grow much much more vigorously in inorganic soil, meaning they'll use way more water to fuel all that new growth.
Paradox
Imperial Masterpiece
I agree with @Ply. My experience with ficus matches his.
I took willow leaf ficus cuttings this summer and put them in inorganic mix and got 10 out of 12 to survive. I need to repot them already in fact.
I also grow my ficus in pumice and lava and have had them start looking bad and lose leaves if they stayed too wet when the soil started to get clogged up and needed a repot.
I took willow leaf ficus cuttings this summer and put them in inorganic mix and got 10 out of 12 to survive. I need to repot them already in fact.
I also grow my ficus in pumice and lava and have had them start looking bad and lose leaves if they stayed too wet when the soil started to get clogged up and needed a repot.
That seems like a really long time for a ficus to root and they are pretty small if you started them this spring. Not much help to you, I've never had a cutting react like that.
ShadyStump
Imperial Masterpiece
I'm with @Maiden69 in this situation. I think they want more water. Ficus don't like to sit in water for long periods, but in my limited experience they like moist soil for growing roots. I've stuck relatively large cuttings straight from the tree into pure peat and they took just fine. Lost a few leaves, then sprung back is the worst luck I've had. Took one too early once, before the sap was even moving in spring, and it lost all its leaves, but a couple months later started growing new ones.
Keeping the humidity up does help allot though. You might put a dome over them.
Keeping the humidity up does help allot though. You might put a dome over them.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
I'm with @Wires_Guy_wires , see if there are bugs up the drain hole. Something like that IS the cause.
I'm also on team water more, mine never see dry, except the one that would, and it would take well over 3 days to wilt, but never did. Doubt they would.
That pot, in enough light and water, should be green like the one I got from @VAFisher . Green with algae.
Sorce
I'm also on team water more, mine never see dry, except the one that would, and it would take well over 3 days to wilt, but never did. Doubt they would.
That pot, in enough light and water, should be green like the one I got from @VAFisher . Green with algae.
Sorce
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Check for scale too, in the petiole ridge.
Close ups!
Sorce
Close ups!
Sorce
Maiden69
Masterpiece
Willow leaf ficus are finicky about everything to say the least. Tiger bark, microcarpa, and the elusive retusa are far stronger than willow leaf.
All my ficus are tiger bark, cuttings from my first tree. IDK, maybe there are some dead roots there, but the foliage or the tree show no signs of root rot. Will see once I repot, getting late in the season, but since I will be moving them indoors and continue pushing them they should be ok.
Remember that they are not planted deep in their pots, except for the cuttings, so the soil stays wet/damp by the capillary action of the soil. I need to add some H2O2 to the cuttings, they algae is getting thick.
I have to go tell my ficus that... The ones in the terracotta pot were cuttings taken during winter, I just grabbed some old bonsai soil, place the pot in the saucer water it, then poke holes with a chopstick and pushed the cuttings in. Have been in the same pot ever since. I think its time to move the one in the middle out, starting to flare, so I'm going to move it into a tile.
Thick cuttings... about ready for shohin pots, I may venture into a mame if I can reduce the smaller one enough to fit in. Internodes are a little long on this, as they sit between the BCs and the fence, but once I cut back hard they will go into full sun. The terracotta in the back have some older cuttings, you can see the thick trunk in the middle. The two in the front started to push aerial roots as soon as I installed the spitters instead of the drip system.
Ply
Mame
I agree with you on that. In fact I've found ficus to root far easier in generic potting soil than in inorganic soil.
My point to OP was regarding his relatively large pots. Inorganic soil works great for striking roots. But a large pot with inorganic soil means the soil will stay wet for a long time. OP's ficus will have likely rooted by now, and like you mention as well, once they have rooted they don't like staying wet too long as they are susceptible to root rot.
And just to be clear, once they've rooted sufficiently they're better off being repotted into inorganic soil.
All my ficus are tiger bark as well.
Interesting setup and results. Your ficus look healthy and vigorous, no denying that. I wouldn't have expected that with this setup tbh, but evidently they're growing just fine. You're keeping them in that much water at all times?
An explanation might be that only the part of the container above the waterline actually contains roots. Roots that grow down into the water will just rot away or they might not grow into the water in the first place. As long as there's sufficient space for roots above the soil line the trees would be just fine, but you will effectively have a smaller container.
Either way, I'm still standing by the 'ficus roots do not like being wet for long periods' premise. Everything I've seen and heard from others, as well as what I've seen myself indicates that. Definitely post some pictures of what you find down there when you repot, I'm interested in seeing what goes on down there
.
Paradox
Imperial Masterpiece
This hasn't been my experience. I got 10 out of 12 cuttings to root and growing well.
I have one I got as a pencil thick trunk that is now 2+ inches across the base.
I've had more trouble with my 2 tiger barks than my 12 willow leafs.
Go figure
