The day my ficus dropped every leaf at the plant swap

I brought my prized ficus lyrata to the community plant swap last Saturday. Had it for 2 years, perfect dark green leaves. Set it on the table next to a guy with a humidifier going full blast. Within 20 minutes my tree started dropping leaves like crazy. I stood there watching green leaves fall off one by one. Nobody warned me about the draft from that humidifier. My neighbor said it was probably the sudden change in moisture. Now I only move my plants during calm weather and I check the humidity in the room first. Has anyone else had a plant freak out at an event like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_murray21d ago

Blame the humidifier? Come on, that ficus was probably already stressed from the move and the crowd. You think a little extra moisture is what did it? I've seen plants drop leaves just from being rotated an inch to the left. It's like they know you're showing them off and decide to throw a tantrum. Your neighbor's theory is just an excuse for the real issue - that tree was probably on its way out anyway. I had a rubber plant do the same thing at a swap last year, turned out it was rootbound from the start.

johnfoster21d ago

Lisa, you said the ficus was "probably already stressed from the move and the crowd" and I gotta ask - how long did you let it adjust before the swap? Because I've seen people bring a plant straight from their car to the table and expect it to act normal. That's just asking for trouble. I had a friend who left a monstera in her trunk for two hours during a swap and it took a month to recover. You're right that the humidifier is just a scapegoat, but I think the real culprit is that nobody ever gives plants a chance to settle in after being jostled around.