Hello, I'm still a beginner trying to learn about growing trees. I recently bought this ficus. It looks like it was pruned before sale (some leaves were also cut in half or partly and ends of the leaves were turning black) and pruned branches had black tips. I thought that it's just sap that has dried, but all branches affected by this black stuff started dying back hard, tree dropped probably more than half of its leaves and is dropping more on touch, and some of them before dropping are changing colors just like in the first picture. There are also some buds that are turning completely black, but on every other branch they are growing fine.
Tree is potted in akadama that I'm keeping constantly moist just like my other ficuses, and none of them have this issue. Can anyone tell me what are these black spots/tips and what do I do to control this situation before whole tree dies? I've been cutting these black ends off, but maybe I'm just overreacting and it's indeed just a sap and branches dying back is caused by some another issue?
Pics -
Tree is potted in akadama that I'm keeping constantly moist just like my other ficuses, and none of them have this issue. Can anyone tell me what are these black spots/tips and what do I do to control this situation before whole tree dies? I've been cutting these black ends off, but maybe I'm just overreacting and it's indeed just a sap and branches dying back is caused by some another issue?
Pics -