Help! My ficus lyrata bambino is broken :(

[NRivet]

Hi all,

First-time ficus owner here. I bought this baby during winter a few months ago. Everything seemed to be going well until I took it in to get repotted after its roots were starting to show. I was told by the shop owner that the soil was too wet. The shop owner also checked for root rot – there was none. I eased up on the watering and invested in a moisture meter to make sure I wouldn’t overwater it again.

Fast forward a few weeks (spring) and some new leaves started to appear. I also noticed a thick, white root sprouting from the bottom of the pot. The new leaves, however, are covered in small red/brown dots which, after some research, I recognised as a case of edema due to the overwatering. Knowing this, I eased up on the watering even more, but now the leaves have stopped growing! Some are still no bigger than my thumb. The thick, white root at the bottom of the pot has also shrivelled up to a tenth of its original size and turned brown.

I don’t know if I’ve somehow stunted the plant’s growth, but it’s been a couple of weeks now and there hasn’t been any progress. I don’t want to keep watering it because, according to my moisture meter, the soil is still moist (especially towards the bottom of the pot), but if I don’t water it, will it stop growing completely? Are there going to be gaps in the plant where the leaves have stopped growing too (see picture)?

What’s the best way to approach this situation?

 

[Silentrunning]

First and foremost, does the pot have adequate drainage? I have several different Ficus plants and keep them on the dry side. The pots all have large drainage holes. When I water I completely saturate the soil and then let it drain thoroughly. I don’t water again until the soil is almost completely dry. Your plant is stressed so don’t do any work on it right now. Just let the soil dry out first. Your plant will live and with proper care and pruning could be fantastic.