Hey! Thanks for the info! You're right...Don't Mist! It only increases humidity for a couple seconds, really.... and, as you note, increases the chances of fungus/pests/unsightly leaves. Also, I'm glad that the plants have plenty of light. That's good to hear, as it allows us to eliminate one more variable. How long does it take for the potting soil to dry out (deep in the container)? I assume that the problem lies with the potting soil, which sounds water retentive. If the primary ingredient is peat moss, it's almost assuredly staying too moist. As you know, this can interfere with nutrient delivery and uptake. This is why I hesitate to recommend fertilization...it could be that there are nutrients in the soil, but nutrients that are simply unavailable to the plant. I will tell you that I fertilize my plant with Foliage Pro 9-3-6, which has higher Nitrogen in relation to the other major nutrients. It also includes all the minor nutrients. When I fertilize, I also add white vinegar (a capful) to the watering solution - but I can only recommend this for the potting mix that I'm using. I don't know how it will affect a soil with different drainage characteristics. My sister grew a couple Avocados in peat-based soils and the plants declined eventually. I actually decided to grow an Avocado to see if I could find a way to keep these plants happy both indoor and out, so that my sister would be able to grow them successfully, too. I've found that the potting mix makes all the difference - if light and fertilizer are equal. The taller the plant grows, the more likely it is to discard its lower leaves.... and that's why I prune the main stem and pluck any unsightly leaves. A bare Avocado stem will resprout leaves as long as the roots are healthy. Josh

Hello!! I am having the same issue with my Ficus Bonsai. Just 3 weeks ago, I moved from my home into my dorm, and I brought my bonsai with me. Since then, he's been losing leaves, and its been getting worse!! (Theres leaves with dark spots, and leaves with dimples) At first, I assumed it was travel shock, but would travel shock last for 3 weeks? I have been watering when the any of the top inch of the soil gets dry, should I water more? Less? The pot has drainage holes at the bottom, but its sitting in a white pot so water might not be able to escape as easily. There's space on the sides- should I poke holes in the sides? And finally, my last note, is that I noticed some white substances it gathering at where the roots meets the ground, should I be concerned?

I'm late to this but I thought I'd add some advice. I have a small grove of about 24 trees (Hass, Fuerte and Zutano) in Southern California. Leaf tips turning brown is usually a sign of water problems. When the soil dries out, it leaches salt from the ground (which is bad) and causes the tip burn. If you have spots on the leaves, that's usually a pest like a persea mite. My trees are in Sandy Loam soil. You can tell if they need water by clumping the soil in your hand. If it drips water when you squeeze it, it's too wet. Soil that is too wet will lead to root rot. If it doesn't hold a shape from your fingers when you squeeze it, it's too dry and they'll leach salts from the ground. It should hold the shape from your fingers. They like a lot of water but they don't like sitting in water. It has to drain away. That's why most avocado groves are on hillsides. If you don't have hilly land, build a mound and plant the tree in the middle of it so the water can drain off. They like full sun but they have to be protected from sunburn when they're young if it gets really hot where you are. If the trunk or branches are turning black, they may be getting sunburned. To protect it, mix 1/2 white indoor latex paint and 1/2 water (whitewash) and paint the trunk and any exposed branches with it. Once you get a nice canopy, you can stop painting the trunk. Usually once per year is all that is necessary. Don't let the canopy touch the ground. Keep the canopy trimmed about 2 feet off the ground. My trees usually get two waterings per week in the summer when it's hot and sunny, one short and one long. If I get rain of 1/2" or more, I don't water for about a week. In the winter, when it rains here, I may not need to water at all. They usually don't like pots either. Their roots are shallow and spread out to the canopy of the tree. They can tolerate cold down to about 27F. If you get frost or snow, it will kill the tree. They also like a soil ph of 6 to 6.5. It's normal for leaves to fall in the winter. Leave them around the tree and don't let grass or weeds near them. Resist the temptation to clean up the leaves. They help protect the roots and help keep the soil from drying out too quickly. The licorice smell from a torn leaf is usually the sign of a tree that won't grow avocados. It should have a fresh green smell. Growing from a pit will usually not produce avocados and if it does, it's going to take about 10 to 15 years to produce, and even then, they may not produce good tasting fruit. Most growers buy grafted trees or graft themselves from a verified tree that produces good fruit.

It does sound like the plant is reacting to too much moisture in the soil. It also sounds like some of the roots have rotted, which makes me wonder if the roots would fit into a smaller pot because the plant might be overpotted at this point. If it was my plant this is what I would do: 1. Take both plants out of the pot and shake the potting soil off the roots so you can determine the actual size of the live root systems of each plant. 2. Rinse the roots and remove all the rotted root material. 3. Since the plant on the right seems to be struggling more than the plant on the left I would pot them up separately into the smallest pots that will fit the root ball of each plant. I don't know what potting medium you use, but to increase the drainage you need to add a generous amount of extra perlite to the potting soil before you pot them up. If you don't have any perlite on hand, Lowe's and Home Depot both carry small bags of perlite. I think Walmart does too but I can't remember for sure. 4. Don't fertilize either plant because they're stressed right now. If there's a little bit of fertilizer in the potting soil don't worry about it because fertilizers in potting soil are very low dosage. 5. To determine when the plants need water, instead of sticking your finger in the soil, lift the plant to see how heavy it is. When the plant feels pretty lightweight you know the soil is dry, so water until liquid comes out of the bottom of the pot. Don't automatically water both of them at the same time unless they both feel lightweight. 6. Don't be surprised if you lose a few more leaves after you do this. A plant will only keep as much foliage as its root system can support and if there is more foliage than the roots can support then it will shed the foliage. That doesn't mean that the plant isn't getting better. It just means it needs to grow more roots before it can grow more foliage. Right now you need to focus on getting the root systems strong and healthy. 7. Place both plants in an area where they'll receive plenty of light. Scheffleras like lots of light. Deanna