# Creeping fig turning yellow, any idea why?



## hanzo (Aug 2, 2017)

The last few weeks my only creeping fig has started turning it's leaf yellow. Started slowly at the tip, and now several leaves have turned completely yellow.

It's pretty new to the terrarium, basicly a cutting I got a hold of. I have been wathering it pretty well as the other cuttings I had all shriveled up on me.

I know yellowing of leaves is normally a sign of deficiency of some sort. Any idea what I can do to brighten this poor thing up again?


----------



## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Could you post a pic of the plant and the enclosure? Creeping fig is a tough plant to kill, but it can be difficult to establish in a vivarium if it has already been "hard grown" outdoors in sun, as it has a mature form that can be difficult to re-acclimate to soft conditions.


----------



## hanzo (Aug 2, 2017)

Dane said:


> Could you post a pic of the plant and the enclosure? Creeping fig is a tough plant to kill, but it can be difficult to establish in a vivarium if it has already been "hard grown" outdoors in sun, as it has a mature form that can be difficult to re-acclimate to soft conditions.


Attached picture of the plant. I have it placed pretty much right under a 13w jungle dawn. Could it be getting to much light?









Sent from my SGP712 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Is it rooted in substrate, or do you just have it wired to that vine?


----------



## hanzo (Aug 2, 2017)

It's planted in the soil, but it's pretty fresh setup with minimal nutrition in it. I have not dared to fertilize it, and springtail have not been introduced yet. So leaves gives little to no nutrition at this point 

Sent from my SGP712 using Tapatalk


----------



## Hercrabit (Oct 6, 2016)

Is it a fully rooted cutting? If not, it may lose a few leaves as it puts more effort in growing roots and adapting to the planting site.


----------



## hanzo (Aug 2, 2017)

It's a new cutting, with poor roots. It's the only one that actually made it past a few days, so that could very well be the cause. I will contine to care for it as it then, and hope it makes a good recovery.


----------



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

For next time, try putting your fresh cutting in a deli cup like we culture flies in. Put a handful of moist sphagnum moss on the bottom of the cup. Put the lid on and put 2 pinholes in the lid. The cutting should just be dropped onto the sphagnum moss. Ideally, it should not touch the sides of the deli cup. Leaves can rot where it's constantly against the wet plastic. Put it where it gets moderate to lower light levels. Some plants can root nicely for you within a couple of weeks. Some are slower.

The low light levels allow the plant to put it's energy into rooting, and put active growth aside while it does so. I see very little yellowing during this process. I think the plant basically "shuts down" active growth, in order to root. As it's not trying to grow, it doesn't cannibalize itself, and does not pull nutes from old leaves, turning them yellow.

Ideally what you are doing, is creating a humidity chamber. The plant is able to absorb moisture from the air around it. Now you made sure your sphag was moist, not saturated. If it's saturated, the plant can "be lazy", absorbing it's required moisture from the wet sphag. If it's moist, your plant starts trying to get roots down into that sphag, as soon as possible.


----------



## hanzo (Aug 2, 2017)

Thanks for the advice! I have several cuttings in a small plastic greenhouse thing, with some pulmice? and soil. The look to be doing well but will need some more time before they are ready to be moved to my terrarium. I will try this method next time I propagate cuttings  

Sent from my SGP712 using Tapatalk


----------

