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Joined: 11/9/2007
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hi there, i've had this fig tree for 2 months now. leaves are constantly falling off of it. i took a closer look at the soil and noticed "centipeed" looking bugs crawling around. i've been watering it and waiting for them to come to the top of the soil. then i scoop them out. i've been doing this for a week now. theres just so many of them and i wonder if its too late. should i try to repot? will they come back if i do? i love my tree and would hate to have it die on me. please help...
thank you, christina
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Rank: Guest
Joined: 11/9/2007
Posts: -195
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The 'centipede-like' creatures are millipedes, and are probably not hurting your plant at all. It is a good idea to take them outside, though, as they do alarm people in the house. Ficus are notorious for dropping leaves, but once it stabilises to your light and temperature conditions it will be fine, as long as you are watering correctly. It is a major change for the plant to go from greenhouse conditions to a house, and there is always leaf loss because the light levels will be much lower where you have it. Derek
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Rank: Guest
Joined: 11/9/2007
Posts: -195
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One of my ficus trees years ago was over-run with hundreds of them millipedes. I managed to get rid of them over a period of about 4 to 6 weeks since not all came to the surface. Finally I got them all, or so I thought! About two weeks later or so, the adults were gone but there they were, hundreds of babies! It was awful! I managed to finally get every last one of them without changing the soil or using chemicals.
If your not squeamish, just pick them out and put them in a cup or can and throw them outside, the best time to get most of them is at night. At night, a lot of them will come to the surface. I'd shine a flashlight on them and grab them, sometimes 10 at a time if your, ah, lucky...
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