Dori is right that the roots need attention asap, and now is a really good time to bite the bullet and get after them. I'm not speaking critically, rather from the perspective of someone who has been where you are many hundreds of times and has learned that the primary keys to success for your indoor trees are the condition of the roots, and the choice of soil. Light levels are extremely important as well, but I tend to emphasize the issues you have to get right the first time, not something that is easily changed - like light. Once a plant has become root-bound to the degree that you can lift the root and soil mass from the pot intact, growth and vitality begin to be affected. Usual symptoms are reduced branch extension an d loss of older and interior foliage, until your plant has that 'poodle cut' look, with foliage in tufts of growth at the ends of branches. From my perspective, it makes no sense to allow a tree you wish to keep[ ...... forever, to languish in a state of subdued vitality because of a poor soil or because it's extremely root bound. These trees take to root-work well, so if you're interested in learning how to tend to the roots (set aside several hours for the first time), let me know and I'll walk you through it. I bare root and root-prune all my old Ficus every 2-3 years. I'm of the philosophy that if I keep the tree at maximum vitality and let it grow like mad - I can EASILY keep the size in check by pruning. That the tree is healthy means it will back-bud willingly and grow lots of branches - especially if I pinch regularly (which I can also help you with). All these extra branches provide myriad pruning opportunities which I can take advantage of to keep the tree looking great. Experienced bonsai practitioners are able to keep trees alive and perfectly healthy and compact in very small containers for hundreds of years - the same trees many of us grow as houseplants. The reason these trees thrive while many of (the collective) yours languish is primarily the soils and attention to roots. Finally, some of your leaf loss might be due to the reduction in light intensity, and you're probably also dealing with a very high level of soluble salts in the soil ..... ball's in your court. ;o) Al

Hi Al, Thanks for these suggestions and the useful link. I have not checked for pests before, but I have a book that tells me what to look for! As regards room temp, I'm not really sure... we set the heaters at 20 degrees centigrade for a couple of hours morning and evening and the rest of the time - including overnight - they are at a background temp of 12 degrees centigrade. The plant is not near to the heaters, nor by a window. Having read the link, it seems unlikely that the temperature is to blame for defoliage - as it does not seem a drastic change. You mention poor care of the plant as a possible cause of holes and tears - I don't know how it was treated previously, but it did have a bit of a traumatic journey to our flat - as we had to take it on the London underground! - so I don't know if damage could have ocurred then. The tears look sharp - like cuts, which seems strange. Toni, yes the black patches do partially scrape off with a fingernail - but they are very sticky and it is difficult to remove the substance from leaf this way - any ideas what it could be? Thanks again to you both, Ellie

People are fond of saying that ficus are finicky about changes in their environment, but my experience is that they respond negatively to cultural conditions that are moving more toward the disadvantageous much more than conditions that are improving. According to you, should I drill a hole in the pot to perform your technique to flush the accumulation of salt? It's very difficult to keep a plant happy if there isn't a drain hole in the pot. You can do it if you use R/O or distilled water and are very stingy with the fertilizer, but it's generally a situation that leads to steady decline. I check with the stick, and it came out slightly damp but not brown. Wait until the day it first comes out clean and dry to water. Secondly, I live in Quebec and winter temperatures are often below -15, so heating the room probably affects the humidity of the plant. Heating a given volume of air decreases relative humidity of air surrounding the plant. Is it possible that this is one of the causes of his condition? Yes, a contributing cause. A humidifier could help? Yes Also, how much water should I add to the plant when the soil is dry? I added 750ml but is that enough? Ideally, you would add enough to saturate the soil and have at least 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exiting the soil through the drain. If your soil won't allow you to do this w/o need to worry about prolonged periods of saturation, you'll need to develop a different strategy that involves watering in smaller volumes and flushing the soil at regular intervals - maybe every 4th or 5th time you water. .... should I wait until spring as I read in several places before using fertilizer for my plant? How you should fertilize is so closely linked with how you water that no one can offer meaningful advice w/o knowing something about your watering habits. I fertilize outdoor plants weekly when temps allow. Indoor plants are fertilized every time I water at low concentrations during the winter. If I had to start watering in small sips, I'd be forced to radically change my preferences. IOW - tell me how you're going to water and I'll tell you why it's good to follow plan X for your application. Sorry for tardy reply. Lots going on at work that has been demanding a lot of my spare time. Al

Moisture control is about the worst soil you could use. I'd mix pine bark, perlite and some of the fafard mix. Try to mimic the 5:1:1 if your bark is capible. Where in the world are you located? if you can't do anything, put it back in the pot it was in. Ficus benjamina are very easy to care for. However, a constantly wet soil will likely kill them over time. what are the light conditions? Looks to not be near a window. These want bright, even direct sun coming through a window. You want it right up in front of the glass. Lastly, this is the edible fig section.