hi, I wanted to ask you kindly, I have a bonsai ficus retusa for almost a year, less than two months it has lost its leaves, remaining without it. Now I don’t know whether to fertilize it again, I’m afraid of not being able to recover it. Please help me what I do

Dear Mercedes,

the ficus, especially the bonsai ones, tend to lose their foliage for various reasons, also simply because they have been subjected to a blow of air or because they are moved from inside the house to the terrace. To understand what the problem is, it would be helpful to know how this ficus is grown, because a plant that is grown in the best possible way usually does not exhibit symptoms similar to leaf shedding. Therefore, to have a healthy and always in shape ficus bonsai, you must place it in an area sheltered from direct sunlight, but with a good brightness; in the house it is good to find a position where it does not suffer temperature changes, and therefore away from drafts of doors and windows. Watering is provided only when the soil is dry, and therefore more often in summer, only sporadically during the autumn and winter months; fertilizations are to be added to the water from March to September, while in the remaining months it would be advisable to avoid fertilizing, as the plant is in dormant seeds, and therefore does not need fertilizer of any kind. The air of the room where we keep the ficus should be quite humid, and not excessively heated, so we often vaporize the foliage or move the plant outdoors as soon as the minimum night temperatures are above 15-18 ° C, since outdoors the air is naturally more humid than in the house. If our house is very hot and dry, sprays on the hair must also be done every single day. We avoid excess watering, and above all water stagnation, which causes rottenness to develop in the soil, which quickly causes the foliage to fall. The ficus bonsai, especially in the first years of life, should be repotted every year, or every other year; the best time is the end of winter or autumn, but if you have not repotted your bonsai for a long time, it is advisable to repot it now, trying not to damage the roots, since the plant should be in full vegetative growth. The total loss of leaves could also be painful to multiple causes that occur simultaneously, or even to the presence of parasites in the ground or on vegetation.