Yellow leaves on Benjamini are a common phenomenon that causes headaches for hobby gardeners. Neglects in care are usually responsible for the fact that a birch fig gets yellow leaves. You can read about the two most common causes with tips on the correct course of action here.
What are the causes of yellow leaves on Ficus Benjamini?
Yellow leaves on Ficus Benjamini can be caused by waterlogging or hard irrigation water. Waterlogging requires a new pot and improved drainage, while hard irrigation water should be replaced with rainwater or decalcified tap water.
Waterlogging causes yellow leaves - this is how you act correctly
If your birch fig has yellow leaves, the plant has received an excess of water. This is what you need to do now:
- Unpot the Benjamini and completely remove the wet substrate
- Clean the bucket thoroughly
- Spread pottery shards or expanded clay over the water drain in the bottom of the pot as drainage
- Pot the birch fig again in a mix of fresh pot plant soil and lava granules
If the root ball is in front of you without any substrate, you will discover softened, rotten roots. Cut out these root strands with sharp, clean scissors. In this exceptional case, please do not water. Only after the Ficus benjamina has regenerated for a week does the water supply resume at a reduced level.
Hard watering causes the leaves to yellow
Do the green leaf veins appear clearly within the yellow leaves? Then you are dealing with leaf chlorosis. In order for your birch fig to thrive, it needs a slightly acidic substrate. If your Benjamini is watered with hard tap water, the lime content in the soil will accumulate and the leaves will turn yellow. If you water with rainwater or decalcified tap water from now on, the damage will gradually correct itself.
Tip
Your Benjamini would be happy to spend the summer on the balcony. If the exotic green plant in this location comes under the blazing midday sun, yellow leaves are inevitable. At the first sign of sunburn, please move the birch fig to a partially shaded place or provide shade during midday.
