In the earlier time, the fig trees were mostly confined to the Mediterranean areas. Still, nowadays, you will be able to spot a beautiful fig tree in almost any place around the world with mild winters and warm temperatures.
Their sweet fruit makes them even more desirable. However, there comes the point in the life of the fig tree when you will be left wondering – why is my fig tree leaves turning yellow?
While these trees are easy to maintain, do not get attacked by pests often, and survive better than some other plants but still may end up with yellow leaves. The yellow leaves on the fig tree usually depict stress of some kind, and there could be several reasons. Keep reading to find out the answer to your question – why is my fig tree leaves turning yellow?
Why Is My Fig Tree Leaves Turning Yellow?
The fig tree comes from the Moraceae or Mulberry family – It blooms with delicious fruits full of calcium, potassium, and other amazing nutrients. The fig tree fruit resembles a peach in its shape. Besides the Mediterranean regions, the tree also features abundantly in many parts of Asia. A healthy fig tree would grow to 20-30 feet and bloom two times a year.
There could be several reasons for the fig tree losing color in the leaves, such as lack of water, depletion of nutrients, issues with temperature or sunlight, and more. There is a stress factor triggering the yellowing of fig tree leaves. Let’s find out all the reasons to answer your question – why is my fig tree leaves turning yellow?
Inadequate Water
It is easy to go wrong with the amount of water as underwatering or overwatering can occur for many reasons, including the type of soil, the tree’s age, weather, and more. Fig trees are native to the Mediterranean weather.
Their roots have adapted to grow near the soil’s surface and absorb water quickly. Keeping that in mind, water the fig tree at least once a week via a garden hose. Put your fig trees in a location where they can get ample rainwater when that does happen.
If the watering issue is not taken care of immediately, your fig tree will start turning yellow and die off. To check if the tree needs more water, dip your finger in the soil for 2-4 inches. If the top few inches are dry, it is a sign that the fig tree needs more water. You can also use a moisture meter to check the water level.
To retain more water and absorb it well, you can add mulch to the soil. It will help the soil keep more water on the surface. Also, ensure that your soil is porous and drains excess water easily.
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Nutrient Deficiency in the Soil
There are several important nutrients that a plant needs to survive and grow. The main ones include potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. While potassium helps the tree grow faster, nitrogen is necessary for several purposes.
It aids in the production of chlorophyll which gives leaves their green color. Nitrogen is also required for cell division and growth in plants. Without nitrogen, the fig plant may not grow, produce fruit, or have healthy green leaves.
A nitrogen deficiency in plants is easy to spot because you will notice the discoloration of plants very soon. If your fig tree leaves turn yellow, nitrogen deficiency could be the issue. You can remove this nitrogen deficiency by adding the right fertilizer with nitrogen as its main content.
Pest Infestation
Pest attacks are not common on healthy plants, but fig trees can attract many insects due to the tree’s fruit and sweet sap. Scale, mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids are more likely to invade your tree and cause leaf discoloration.
Mealybugs can be identified by looking for white, fluffy substances on the leaves, stems, or other plant parts. For aphids, check the underside of the leaves to make sure the insect attack hasn’t already started without you noticing.
In other cases, you may see dark, crawling pests on the plants, or the stem may have become swollen. These are signs of a pest attack too. Pests and insects can cause the leaves of your fig tree to turn yellow instantly.
Go for an insecticidal soap or a chemical insecticide to deal with it. You can also treat the plant with neem oil. If the infestation is in its starting stages, spray the tree with a fast stream of water to wash off the insects.
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Transplantation
When replanted to a new pot or place, your fig tree leaves can also show signs of stress through discoloration. This is because these plants thrive in warm temperatures and need stable conditions. Repotting can change the soil pH, temperature, humidity, and more conditions which can cause stress for the tree.
This is especially true for fig trees planted in colder regions where transplantation can significantly shock the roots as the external temperature is colder than the warm soil. So, they may end up turning their leaves yellow. If you have recently changed the location of your fig-trees, the transplantation shock could be causing the yellow leaves and the falling foliage.
To solve this, you don’t need to do anything as the plants relocated to a new place take time to adjust to the new environment. They will lose some foliage in this process, but everything will be back to normal once they adjust. You can also prevent this by following the proper method and meeting the requirements for relocating a plant.
Conclusion
I hope this answers your question of “why is my fig tree leaves turning yellow,” and you can get ahead to solving it. While the sight of yellowing leaves on a tree you have grown with so much love can be worrisome, remember that this issue only indicates a stress factor for the tree and can be easily solved by changing a few things.
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