Joe Carriere of JoeBonsai.com writes about a Ficus microcarpa 'Ginseng' that he shipped to Asia. Apparently it wound up somewhere other than with its intended recipient. Four months later the box was returned to Joe unopened and in its original packing. On quick inspection Joe determined that the tree had lost all its leaves and its branches. Despite that fact he continued to water it and with a little tender loving care the Ficus sprouted again and will become a bonsai in the not so distant future.

The moral of the story is that many Ficus have quite an ability to tolerate dehydration. They will recover without much problem if the dryness is short-lived. With more severe dryness they will lose leaves. With more prolonged dryness branches will be lost. Do not discard a dried out Ficus for a month or two - at least - as they can resprout. In general, more Ficus are lost to coninual overwatering and not to a brief period of dryness

Ficus microcarpa 'Ginseng' alive and respouting after spending four months in a box!

Photo by Joe Carriere