Please help - Weeping Fig dropping leaves

[Shannon]

Hi there,

I've been searching old posts, and this seems to be a common problem, but I've yet to read an answer that corresponds exactly to my situation.

I purchased a weeping fig about 3 weeks ago. Plant itself is approx. 2 feet high, and is composed of 4 stems (?) braided together with the leaves bunched on top. The garden center warned me at the time that the plant would drop a lot of leaves when I *first* brought it home. They said I should water the plant every two days, but that it requires *lots* of misting. At the time of purchase, it was in a 6" diameter plastic pot. They said I did not have to re-pot it.

Two weeks ago, I did re-pot the plant into a ceramic, 8" diameter planter. It sits in a bright area of the house, but not in direct sunlight, in a warm room. I have watered the plant faithfully every second day, and I mist it all the time (5-6 times a day). But it is still dropping leaves - approximately 10 per day. The leaves are dried up and shriveled when they fall - I don't think there is a problem with pests. Is this normal? Is it just the time of year? Or am I giving it too much water/misting? How much water should I give it every second day and how much misting. Should I fertilize the plant...if so, with what? I truly love this fig, and I want to keep it healthy for a long time. I can't tell if new leaves are growing in replacement of the dropping ones...the plant looks as beautiful to me as the day I brought it home, but I just wanted some other opinions.

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice? I am a complete neophyte when it comes to gardening or caring for plants, so any and all information would certainly be appreciated.

Thanks so much,

Shannon

[Charles]

I don't think there is a normal for those plants, they seem to have very individual traits. some I had I could do anything to them, they thrived. Others, turning them 90 degrees brought on a total leaf drop.

don't let the soil get too wet, barely moist is fine until the plant starts growing. I wouldn't fertilize it, the plant can't use any fertilizer until it enters a growth phase. then fertilize lightly, half strength or so until you get full growth.

I never misted mine, it would have done better if I had, but I didn't do it.

As long as you don't rot out the roots with too much water the plant should be fine, it's a characteristic of these.

[Cereus-validus]

The solution is to take it back to where you got it and ask for a refund or a replacement of something else.

[Tom Randy]

"Shannon" wrote in news:ZCwbc.9055$ [e-mail]:

First off you shouldn't have repotted it. Secondly, these like their soil to dry out between waterings. DON'T water every 2 days, let the soil dry out THEN give it a GOOD watering. Climate changes effect these, even a SLIGHT light change or temperature change freaks them out and causes them to drop leaves. Put it somewhere and LEAVE IT THERE. Look for tiny new leaves to be forming shortly.

[Beecrofter]

Take and cut an inch or so off all of the branch tips and when it leafs out again it will be a bit more bushy as you will wake up buds below the cut. Bacc off on the watering , it's not a swamp plant.