Marianne's Response
Fertilizing ficus trees
My ficus trees and bushes are losing a lot of leaves, and the tips of a lot of them are getting burned. I live in Palm Springs, California. I fertilize them every two months with a 16/16/16. I water them in the morning at 5 a.m. for 12 minutes with drip system and at night at 9 p.m. for 8 minutes. Is there anything I can do differently? Or what do I need to change?
Posted by Kenneth Barnhart on July 12, 2014
Marianne's Response
My first guess is that you may be feeding your ficus trees too much. Fertilizer burn often shows up as damage to the tips of the leaves. Fertilizers mixed with water get to the roots very quickly and this can be a bit much, especially in warm weather. How much water a plant needs depends on many things so the best way to water is to feel the soil by poking a finger down and water when the top inch is dry. Ficus trees will drop foliage anytime they are unhappy, so too much water, too little water, a change in location or too much plant food are all reasons that could make this plant drop leaves. I think the ficus earned the nickname \"weeping fig\" because it is always weeping leaves. I suggest you stop fertilizing, feel the soil to evaluate your watering schedule, and see it new growth appears in autumn, once the weather cools down. Next spring, use a slow release plant food like Osmocote that will not burn the leaves. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti