Ficus sun grown leaves moved indoors

Question

My ficus b. has spent all summer outside. I slowly acclimated it to full sun and it didn’t have any issues. It’s doubled in size and has started it second major growth spurt. The whole exterior of the tree is lushly covered with sun grown leaves. These are easy to distinguish, as they are lighter in color, shinier and much thicker heavier leaves. The leaves just behind those had started indoors in the spring and are much thinner, darker green and have more of a dull finish. Then, the interior of the tree once again has the thicker and heavier leaves (obviously started off outside in Florida or in an outdoor shade house at most).

Now for the question, obviously bringing it indoors will lower the level of light (I’ve added 500 watts of 5000k-6500k growing lights to help) and I know it’ll shed some leaves. However, will the sun grown leaves be able to handle the lower light level or will they fall? I was hoping it would only thin out from the interior. But I’ve read some mixed things online. Some say they do well outside and to bring them out every summer. Another said to never bring them out as they will lose indoor grown leaves (mine didn’t) and when you bring them back in, they will lose all of the sun grown leaves. I moved it outside because I wanted it to fill out and get bigger, but I don’t want it to lose every leaf that’s grown in the full sun. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

A Ficus will drop leaves when moved, no matter what.

It is just how the plant reacts. Once it acclimates itself again it will began growing leaves back.