Fungus on Ficus?

Thanks everyone!

Sakaki- Nope, no chemicals at all. I never watered the foliage when watering the tree either, as I read that can cause issues.

Billy- Thanks, I've been growing in these boxes for a few years now and haven't had any problems. As to the aerial roots, they were on the tree before I got them, and given their locations, I don't see them causing any problems.

Yvonne- I am more than happy with the size of the trunk on this one, well over 7 inches, so getting aerial roots now is fine (even though I haven't gotten any or tried to)

The purpose of this box isn't to hold humidity or heat, but just to reflect light. The sides are all mylar, so I'm not trying to keep humidity up.

Hi Ryan

7 inches is nice ...please keep us updated when you know what is/was wrong with the tree.

I have my box for the trees in the window,to keep up the humidity...humidity will give arealroots you want.

Kind regards Yvonne

Yvonne Graubaek wrote:Hi Ryan

7 inches is nice ...please keep us updated when you know what is/was wrong with the tree.

I have my box for the trees in the window,to keep up the humidity...humidity will give arealroots you want.

Kind regards Yvonne

Thanks Yvonne! Yes, the trunk is pretty nice!

This is the tree from this thread:
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t10452-my-biggest-ficus

The problem on your tree is caused by trying to grow it indoors all year round. Do you live in an apartment without a balcony? If not, stop fighting Mother Nature and put your trees outside for the summer.
Too late this year. Grow your Ficus with better air circulation and a very coarse, low-organic soil. Do not water until the soil is almost bone dry.
Use a systemic insecticide to get rid of scale. Do it before frost because most systemics need to be sprayed outdoors.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:The problem on your tree is caused by trying to grow it indoors all year round. Do you live in an apartment without a balcony? If not, stop fighting Mother Nature and put your trees outside for the summer.
Too late this year. Grow your Ficus with better air circulation and a very coarse, low-organic soil. Do not water until the soil is almost bone dry.
Use a systemic insecticide to get rid of scale. Do it before frost because most systemics need to be sprayed outdoors.
Iris

Thanks Iris, but I am not trying to grow all of my trees indoors all year round. I do take most outdoors and those that do stay indoors have no issues at all, so saying this is due to the tree being grown indoors year round I'd say is a little much. People always tell me to get the trees outdoors, but if they're growing fine, why bother? Jerry Meislik also grows this way, where a majority of his trees stay indoors year round. I grow Ficus my way.

Let's not start trying to convince me otherwise and just keep to the topic on hand.

Ryan wrote:Jerry Meislik also grows this way, where a majority of his trees stay indoors year round.

Jerry Meislik grows under HID lamps, an entirely different environment. Have you seen a picture of his growing area?
You asked for advice on your problem. I gave it to you, based on my growing plants under fluorescent lights & outdoors for over 50 years, tropical bonsai for over 20.
There is a Jewish law that you must not tell someone something you know he won't listen to, so I will never mention the subject to you again.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:

Ryan wrote:Jerry Meislik also grows this way, where a majority of his trees stay indoors year round.

Jerry Meislik grows under HID lamps, an entirely different environment. Have you seen a picture of his growing area?
You asked for advice on your problem. I gave it to you, based on my growing plants under fluorescent lights & outdoors for over 50 years, tropical bonsai for over 20.
There is a Jewish law that you must not tell someone something you know he won't listen to, so I will never mention the subject to you again.
Iris

Fair enough, nice law

I picked off another yellowing leaf and gave it a good look-over. It appears as if it's got some sort of wax (and yes it feels waxy and is not webbing) coating on it. I've never noticed this on any of my other trees leaves. Any thoughts?

"I think," this is a natural covering of the leaf that is breaking down, rather than something attacking the leaf. If this is a naturally old leaf that is dying the coating would break down naturally.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:"I think," this is a natural covering of the leaf that is breaking down, rather than something attacking the leaf. If this is a naturally old leaf that is dying the coating would break down naturally.

Oh interesting Billy, thanks. I've never seen anything like it. I guess the tree is just shedding older leaves...

The tree seems to have stopped dropping leaves, and I plan on getting a Metal Halide light to go over top of it and another big tree, so hopefully growth improves.

Looks good to me, except for the long internodes that come from growing indoors, I think you can prune some of this back.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:Looks good to me, except for the long internodes that come from growing indoors, I think you can prune some of this back.

Thanks Billy. It hasn't really put out much growth, which is why I want to switch over to Metal Halides. Once I see some active growth then I'll feel safe about cutting it back.

I noticed small webs on the leaves today, so I'm thinking another problem it may have is spider mites. Joy

Ryan wrote:I noticed small webs on the leaves today, so I'm thinking another problem it may have is spider mites. Joy

Test for spider mite, place white sheet of paper under branch, tap or shake branch, if black dots drop onto paper and start moving you have spider mites, other wise you just have opportunistic spiders hiding in your tree, a good thing.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:

Ryan wrote:I noticed small webs on the leaves today, so I'm thinking another problem it may have is spider mites. Joy

Test for spider mite, place white sheet of paper under branch, tap or shake branch, if black dots drop onto paper and start moving you have spider mites, other wise you just have opportunistic spiders hiding in your tree, a good thing.

Just did this, yep, I've got spider mites. I've given the tree a spray down with Carl Rosners Soap Solution in hopes to kill off some of the critters.

I've also (just for fun) considered trying out some predatory mites, as I've had trouble covering large trees completely in sprays:

http://www.buglogical.com/spider-mite-predator/spider-mite-control-californicus/

Actually, Ladybugs are cheaper and also eat spider mites, so I'll just stick with them.

I pulled off quite a few yellowing leaves today. I need to get these bugs under control some how, maybe I'll increase how often I spray the tree with the soapy solution.

What if, instead, I closed up the chamber for a day or two, then stuck a humidifier in it and got it really humid? Spider mites hate humidity, so could that help?

Dear Ryan,
How to explain? You are trying to grow your Ficus in an unhealthful environment, which is why it has all these fungus & insect-mite problems. Fig trees are not terrarium plants. Think about the farmers who grow livestock in cramped artificial conditions and feed them antibiotics & hormones to keep them from getting sick.
Yes, your prize Ficus has an admirable trunk, but it will never be a bonsai without leaf reduction & short internodes, which is not likely to happen under your present conditions.
Repeated spraying with soap solutions damages the natural coating of the leaves, leaving them susceptible to more problems.
My last comment on this thread.
Iris

You could try a systemic as a last resort. I try to avoid in general, but having the issue this early in the cold season is a bad sign. I imported some spider mites when my mother sent me a nice gift of some form of four-leaf clover one year, and the systemic was a quick solution.

I used a bayer rose and garden product, but double check any possible ficus sensitivities before you use it.

bonsaisr wrote:Dear Ryan,
How to explain? You are trying to grow your Ficus in an unhealthful environment, which is why it has all these fungus & insect-mite problems. Fig trees are not terrarium plants. Think about the farmers who grow livestock in cramped artificial conditions and feed them antibiotics & hormones to keep them from getting sick.
Yes, your prize Ficus has an admirable trunk, but it will never be a bonsai without leaf reduction & short internodes, which is not likely to happen under your present conditions.
Repeated spraying with soap solutions damages the natural coating of the leaves, leaving them susceptible to more problems.
My last comment on this thread.
Iris

I disagree Iris. The tree isn't in a fully enclosed box. The whole front side of it is open and air is easily exchanged. I know it needs leaf reduction and shorter internodes, but until it gets healthy again I'm not going to work on that.

MrFancyPlants wrote:You could try a systemic as a last resort. I try to avoid in general, but having the issue this early in the cold season is a bad sign. I imported some spider mites when my mother sent me a nice gift of some form of four-leaf clover one year, and the systemic was a quick solution.

I used a bayer rose and garden product, but double check any possible ficus sensitivities before you use it.

Thanks! I've used that Bayer rose and garden product before as well, and I believe it caused my Ficus to drop leaves. I've heard of people having good results with Neem oil however, so I may give that a try.

Everything seemed fine with this one, but I pulled off another odd multi-colored leaf today



Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Back to square one. That is just about always a sign of soggy roots. You need a more well-drained soil, and it must dry out severely between waterings. Jose Luis from Puerto Rico recommends growing in pure gravel. That is a bit extreme, but here in the East we need to approach that. Remember our Ficus are semi-xerophytes. Those fat storage roots are not for looks. They tell us to grow Ficus almost like a cactus.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:Back to square one. That is just about always a sign of soggy roots. You need a more well-drained soil, and it must dry out severely between waterings. Jose Luis from Puerto Rico recommends growing in pure gravel. That is a bit extreme, but here in the East we need to approach that. Remember our Ficus are semi-xerophytes. Those fat storage roots are not for looks. They tell us to grow Ficus almost like a cactus.
Iris

Ah very interesting Iris, thank you. I had no idea that the soil was still retaining water. The mix I use is very free draining and this seems to be the only tree that is having problems with it. I never water when the soil is still wet in appearance, but I guess it's still holding water way down at the bottom of the pot. Hm.