Viewing post #2073059 by plantladylin

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Sep 22, 2019 8:01 AM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
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Your Banana-Leaf Ficus (Ficus maclellandii 'Alii') looks fine to me. It's sometimes common for a plant to suffer a bit of stress after being moved from one location to another and a change in light intensity. Repotting will only cause additional stress; I'd advise giving it time to adjust to it's new surroundings. Ficus benjamina are very temperamental about being moved from one location to another (even by a few feet) and will drop many leaves until acclimating to a new location but I don't think the Ficus 'Alii' is quite as temperamental.

If the drain holes are at the very bottom sides of the pot and are of decent size, that should be sufficient but if they are higher up the sides it may be causing excess water to pool at the bottom of the pot (below the drain holes) and you likely need to adjust watering by allowing more time for the soil to dry. You could add more drainage holes by laying the pot on it's side and drilling a few holes in the very bottom.

The blotchy coating looks like water spotting from lime scale to me, caused by minerals and salts found in hard water. To remove the spots, you can try using a solution of water with a very little bit of vinegar mixed in. Using a soft cloth, gently wipe the leaves with the solution and then rinse with clear water. To prevent future water spotting, distilled water or rain water can be used for watering your plant.

We have one Ficus 'Alii' that was growing in the yard when we purchased our current home almost 5 years ago and another that I was growing as a container plant on my screened porch for a few years. When we moved here, the pot was placed in the corner of the yard beneath an oak tree and and it eventually took root through the drain holes into the ground; I've yet to cut away the plastic pot. Smiling Both of my trees are located in bright, shady areas of the yard.
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~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


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