Frost-bitten ficus

[curly_kate]

Hi all,
I forgot about my ficus, and it got zapped by frost the other night. I've brought it inside, but I'm wondering what to do with all the dead stuff on it. The dead leaves have been falling off, but I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and prune back the branches, or just take off the dead leaves. Any suggestions?

 

[patandchickens]

I wouldn't prune any wood until you know what parts are alive and what aren't. Wait til it starts putting out new leaves and then you'll have a good idea (if a branch doesn't leaf out, or if -- by then -- it is dead and brittle instead of supple and still green under the bark). It *may* be perfectly fine, just have to wait and see.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

How cold did it get? My guess is also that it is going to be ok and you will just have to wait and see what grows back.

 

[curly_kate]

It was probably about 29-30 degrees. Originally, I thought that it was just part of the leaves (it was tipped over when I brought it back inside), but it looks like the majority of the leaves are dead. Guess I just need to shake them all off. *sigh*