Ficus ginseng is a small tree, ideal for budding gardeners who want to get started with bonsai cultivation. Originally from India and China, its cultivation is quite simple and it is now found in many French garden centers.
The miniature tree is characterized by its branching, imposing and aerial roots. Same if it is easy to maintain, it can still be the victim of certain pests or climatic hazards. If your Ficus ginseng is dying, you need to know how to deal with it. How to save a Ficus ginseng? We advise you to read our article to know everything on the subject!
Why does my Ficus ginseng need to be saved?
If you have just purchased a Ficus ginseng, it is highly possible that it is not at its best. If you bought your plant from a florist, you should know that ficus trees are stacked in carts, loaded into trucks before they get to a wholesaler where they are often piled up. Even if they are generally very well cared for in the shop, they do not have enough light all the time and they can therefore suffer from an unsuitable location.
If you bought your Ficus ginseng in a garden center, it experienced transport, as before, which caused it harm. Very often, before reaching your store, the Ficus ginseng will be stored in a warehouse where it will not be able to benefit from any source of light. In a garden center, the Ficus ginseng will not always be very well cared for and it will often lack brightness. The least healthy Ficus ginseng are the ones you will buy in supermarkets. This time around, the Ficus ginseng will be treated like any other item delivered to the supermarket and if it makes a good impression on the purchase, it will lose its leaves very quickly once it arrives at your doorstep.
No matter where you purchased your Ficus ginseng, it will always have undergone a great deal of stress before it arrives in your living room. As for the human being, the stress is not optimal for a good health of the Ficus ginseng and it can then lose its leaves.
Save a Ficus ginseng that has been under severe stress
When your Ficus ginseng arrives at home, take a good look at the condition of the soil. If it is wet, you should not water it. Wait until it is completely dry to avoid drowning the roots of the plant. Often, commercial pots or planters are not drilled. They are indeed not adapted to the growth of Ficus ginseng and they only have a decorative function. It will then be necessary to quickly drill holes in the pot or repot the Ficus ginseng. If the pot has holes, then you should not repot the plant or provide it with fertilizer. It is important to let the plant recover from the trip before starting to apply any treatments.
An important element to save your Ficus ginseng: its location. It is essential to install the plant in front of a source of light. When it arrives at your home, the Ficus ginseng will need a lot of light. You can thus place it just in front of a window for example.
Save a Ficus ginseng from parasites and pests
Ficus ginseng can be the victim of a formidable enemy: the cochineal. These little insects are cousins of aphids. They attack the Ficus ginseng and you can notice their presence by the arrival of small white masses that look like cotton. Very often, their presence can be revealed by the honeydew that will settle on the leaves. In large infections, honeydew can be colonized by a fungus called sooty mold.
In the event of a weak infestation, you will be able to use a natural method to fight against mealybugs. You must then clean the leaves of the Ficus ginseng with a cotton ball soaked in soapy water or alcohol. You can also add a little vegetable oil to the soapy water. This will coat the eggs and larvae and thus cause them to suffocate. You can also spray the leaves with this mixture, taking care to insist on the underside of the leaves.
If your Ficus ginseng is invaded by mealybugs, it is essential to always take a good look at the lower branches and all the sides of the stems. Several times a week, you will have to carefully observe the plant in order to eliminate the mealybugs as they appear. If the infestation is very important and the attack begins to impact the plant too strongly, do not hesitate to remove the branches that are too infested.
Ficus ginseng is therefore an indoor plant that will often have suffered when it arrives at your home. However, do not panic: Ficus ginseng can easily be saved thanks to an adapted treatment and a lot of attention.
