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Hello! I bought an Audrey Ficus tree a few months ago for my office.… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

Aluxembourg

Hello! I bought an Audrey Ficus tree a few months ago for my office. I put into my plant app - Planta, for a watering routine. It quickly started dying and lots of leaves were falling off. I spoke to someone who had this space before us and had the same plant in the same spot and theirs was thriving. She said it’s likely overwatered and to let it dry out and then just water it with a pint glass of water once a week. I’ve been doing that and it’s been a bit better but it’s still loosing a few leaves on a weekly basis. I’ve included a photo of its most recently dropped leaf and where it is sitting (in a southwest facing window in nyc). How often and how much water should it be getting? I last watered it with a pint of water on Thursday. Soil already feels dry. Getting mixed responses on this. Any advice appreciated! Thank you!

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3 comments

  1. Bay Area Plant Mom

    and how often is it telling you to water? also how often are you picking up the plant? are you familiar with how if feels when it’s just been watered vs getting drier vs needs water? if not, how do you check and know it’s ready?

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    • Aluxembourg

      I really don’t know, which is why I’m asking. This app was telling me to water it once a week but I think I used too much water and that’s when it started dying. I let it dry out for a few weeks and it seemed better and now I’m giving it a pint of water every Thursday. Now leaves are falling again. Soil feels dry. Not sure how else to tell other than it’s dry when I stick my finger in.

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  2. Riley

    This is a common misconception among inexperienced plant parents. Unless the pot doesn’t have drainage, overwatering is never the amount of water, it’s how often the plant is being watered. I’ve heard that ficuses need to be at least halfway dry before watering. I usually check with a wooden skewer. I leave it in the soil for a minute, and if it comes out clean and dry, I water. And when I water, I water until I see big streams of water coming from all the drainage holes.

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