young ficus mottled leaves

[morrie]

IMG_9375.JPG

hi all
Any ideas what this could be?

port jackson i assume
grown from seed about 2 years old
reported late summer
i have quite a few seedlings but this is the only one showing this colouration
no bugs that i can see
currently on deck out of the wet winter weather, i was getting some with root rot -this one is a little on the dry side at the moment but the skewer test seems to indicate there is still moisture there
morning sun and a bit of afternoon only
can't remember if this one missed out on a feed when i last did them autumn-ish?

[Kevin]

Hello Morrie,

My guess is Nitrogen deficiency and /or soil Ph?
But more favouring the Nitrogen deficiency as it is only showing on older foliage and there is minimal new growth especially for Brisbane (warmer weather).
I reckon a fertilise ASAP with a good dose of water too. You said wet weather but soil surface is dry?
Autumn WAS a long time ago, for potted plants i recommend a bit more frequently, exactly? Depends on your potting mix.

See what others on the Forum think too.

Good Luck,
Kevin

[bodhidharma]

If it is unseasonably cold they will do this also. has it been below 5c in Brissy.

[morrie]

thanks for the replies
we have just had a run of unseasonally cold and wet (for Brisbane) i checked BOM and we did get down below 5 on some nights- its been quite warm this week (25 today)
my mulberries are all very confused...
come to think of it some of our citrus get a bit pale and sickly looking during winter...
before i posted i did a search for discolouration patterns for deficiencies and couldn't find a match -it doesn't look like any deficiency ... but it could be just early stages hey?

i'll give it a feed and water and see what happens... does it need a quick dose up -like a liquid feed or will osmocote be better during winter?

[Kevin]

thanks for the replies
we have just had a run of unseasonally cold and wet (for Brisbane) i checked BOM and we did get down below 5 on some nights- its been quite warm this week (25 today)
my mulberries are all very confused...
come to think of it some of our citrus get a bit pale and sickly looking during winter...
before i posted i did a search for discolouration patterns for deficiencies and couldn't find a match -it doesn't look like any deficiency ... but it could be just early stages hey?

i'll give it a feed and water and see what happens... does it need a quick dose up -like a liquid feed or will osmocote be better during winter?

Hello Morrie,

Personally, especially when unhealthy, i always use Liquid Fertilisers. But always good to do both as well. Just don't overdo.
Liquid will normally be an instant hit of nutrients for the plant.
I have never been reluctant to fertilise over winter although, rather than weekly (liquid), over winter every 1 - 3 weeks depending on the species and what i want it to do and i always water first, saturating the pot or normally for ground dwellers.
Recently, i have noted several other members recommend a feed now too.

One other issue may cause similar discolouration of the leaves are Mites. Tiny little critters which reside and feed underneath the leafs surface. Wouldn't hurt to check for them, generally reddish in colour and tiny.

Good luck,
Kevin