Freeze Kill? Ficus Nitida

[Brandon]

I am in Gilbert Arizona( metro phoenix). Last week we experienced sub freezing ( 22-24 degrees)temperatures for several nights. Anything potted was brought in the house.

4 Giant Hibiscus and 3 monster Bougainvilleas and a very large Castor bean "tree" wilted( foliage appears "burned") and have started to drop all there leaves. Not a big deal , I think the bougainvilleas will come back as they are so hard to kill : /

BUT my concern is a 15+ foot Ficus Nitida with a trunk diameter of 10+ inches... The leaves turned purple, and then in the last day or so, they have started to drop in profusion. My neighbor has three like this doing the same thing.

I am wondering if this tree has been killed. Will my homeowners insurance cover it if it has? I have seen trees half this size at local nurseries for $3000.00.

Will it come back? ( will this be a good time to prune it?

Thanks Brandon

[Pam - gardengal]

They prefer temps to remain above 40F but they can tolerate light freezes. Leaf drop is very common at this point.and is to be expected. I'd wait until all danger of cold temperatures have passed to assess how much damage was done and do remedial pruning at that time. How long it tolerated these conditions will have a bearing on how well it comes back.

You need to read your policy well, but I doubt you can claim this on your homeowners insurance. Most policies will not cover landscaping damaged due to "acts of God". If that were the case, more northern homeowners would have HUGE claims for all the plants that are unable to make it through their often brutal winters. The good news is, ficus grow fast if you have to replace it.

pam - gardengal

[Brandon]

Thanks, I had hoped this may be the case really, I don't want to replace it, is a beautiful tree. This may actually be a good thing if it will come back, because now I can prune it with the advantage of having a better view of the branch structure. This will allow me to shape the tree better. One other question, is there anything that will prevent a ficus from fruiting? Those annoying little berries it produces create quite a mess.

Thanks Brandon

[MLEBLANCA]

.....................

I agree with Pam. Don't add injury to insult. Leave it alone until you begin to see any new growth buds. (if any). If any top parts are obviously dead, ie mushy/black, you could remove those.

Emilie

[V_coerulea]

For the messy berries, deal with it. That's what a ficus does best. That's its whole reason for being. Like those that grow crab apples, maples, oaks, even pines, there's the mess to deal with. It's minot compared to the benefits they provide. Gary