Hi RMBS friends!
I am a new member and beginner at bonsai (posting through my family account.) I was watching the Feb 5 RMBS meeting posted on YouTube, all about grow lights which I found fascinsting, when I literally had to laugh out loud and rewind! Paul assured us beginners not to worry if ficus lose their leaves when put in a new humidity/light environment. Not sure if this is the right place to do it, but I knew I had to share what had happened to one of Larry's Tiger Bark cuttings from the 2023 Holiday party auction. See photos. 👌
~Natalie
(P.S. buds and new growth appear to be progressing!)
Natalie,
If it is just shedding leaves then they will repush. One way to tell is if there is green at the end of a branch. A new leaf forming. If so the branch is still alive. In your last picture from Feb it looks like there are green tips. If the branch starts to look like it is shriveling in diameter then it is dead. You can confirm that by scraping a bit of bark off. If you see green the branch is still alive. If not it is dead.
If this were mine I would cut off all the branch tips (1/4 quarter inch or just behind the green). If left on those will grow strongest and just elongate the branch. If taken off that will encourage the plant to push new leaves/branches on the branch instead of the tip.
David