what is your personal goal .. immediate satisfaction.. or patience ... and your answer lies within ... if budget is irrelevant .. then fill it in ASAP ... why wait i dont see air flow as an issue.. since you want them to fill in completely anyway ... bottom line.. you are overthinking it... just tell us what you want.. right now .. dont think about it .... come on.. we are waiting.... ken

You should check out the thread "Can someone please help about vines" (I think that's it). We are talking about Lady Banks roses as a good privacy hedge. That's what I planted to cover an ugly chain link fence alone the alley behind our house. It has filled in exceptionally in just two years. Low litter, needs little water once established and is evergreen. On the other two sides of the yard we planted Yellow Oleander (Lucky Nut, Thevetia), it's a cousin of the true oleander. It's a much prettier bush than traditional oleander: deep green, very shiny leaves. Very pretty when a breeze ripples through. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of them the first winter (2006) due to the freeze mentioned above. Some have come back strong, we completely lost 3 and the rest are just not performing that well. Wish we had planted all Lady Banks. BTW, we have 450' of ugly chain link we are trying to cover. That's a lot of holes to dig!

According to Landscape Plants for Dry Climates (written by a faculty member at UA), Ficus Nitida in the ground should be watered every week or two in the hot season and every month or two in the cool but they also point out that many established trees seem to do fine without water - while its not really a low water use plant it certainly is not a water hog. They also recommend them as large container plants. Personally I absolutely love them. I bought one which I have not yet planted cause I don't know where to put it. I might put it in a container - I am concerned about how big it will get in the ground and the roots. I keep changing my mind about where to put it. I also absolutely love Palo Brea which I will put in my yard when I convert it to Xeriscape. I love Ironwood and Jacarandas and Agaves. On the other hand, I'm indifferent to palms and don't care for Chilean Mesquite. There is a Acacia which I can't even be close to when it blooms cause the smell makes me gag. Unfortunately there are tons of them by my work building - guess its not so bad that I'm losing my job :)

"Do you still believe the amount of the topsoil is causing water retention?" I really do, yes. Topsoil/garden soil quickly compact and hold water so tightly in containers that it will not drain. You could easily have a perched water table of 4-6" depth at the container bottom. For perched water, water movement in containers, and container soils in general, follow the embedded link. This saturated layer of soil at the container's bottom will be completely anaerobic & will promote many species of rot bacteria. Since there are no roots in this soil, it is virtually guaranteed that water will not drain until the water slowly diffuses & is used by the plant or eventually evaporates (some through the walls of terra cotta containers. I think what I just related also explains your question about over-potting, but if you're still unclear on that issue, you can ask here or on the thread linked to. "... when You say "remove as much soil," do you mean any sort of soil attached to the roots when the tree is taken out?" Yes - remove enough soil to allow you to see that the roots are firm and white/tan. All rotten parts of the roots should be removed. If none are rotten (I'm pretty sure this is your problem, though) disregard what I said & return the plant to the pot. "Another issue would probably be the removal of the tree from the pot as this is not a small tree and the root was a foot+ long (deep) when I planted it in to this container so I am not sure how this would play out." First, determine that root rot is the issue. Granted, now is not the ideal time to repot a ficus (btw - you should include your USDA zone and state in your user info - it's very helpful to those offering advice) ;o) but you should look at repotting as a necessary emergent remedy to rotted roots - if no root rot, it's a non-issue. Ficus are very genetically vigorous, and the plant will tolerate a lot of abuse. I grow at least a dozen species as bonsai and the root work I do would be considered extremely radical by some, yet they quickly recover, hardly missing a beat. "When you say "plant to the smaller pot and flush the remaining soil," do you mean to basically wash the root+soil?" Yes "If so, that would be an insurmountable task given I live in an apartment (bathtub is my only choice)." So do it in the tub then. ;o) The root mass will be as small as or smaller than it was before you potted up - so probably not as unmanageable as you think. The purpose of flushing the soil (flush 4-6 times after you saturate it with a volume of water approximately equal to the volume of water the container is in. The purpose of this exercise is to flush out soluble salts from fertilizer and tap water that have accumulated in the soil. These salts, when their levels get too high, prevent the plant from taking up water and the nutrients dissolved in it. This inability to absorb water can cause the plant to die of thirst in a sea of plenty. It actually causes a drought response - yellow, falling leaves. "What kind of fertilizer I must use for this type of tree and time of the year?"Easy to find, are Miracle-Gro 24-8-16 granular all-purpose fertilizer, or Miracle-Gro 12-4-8 liquid. Both are 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers and a very good choice for trees in containers. "I don't have smaller container and frankly the original one was way too small to handle tree of this size." Your tree - your call(s). I guess you're going to have to decide if you trust my judgment or not - and how far you're willing to go to nurse the tree back to good vitality again. I have several dozen perfectly healthy Ficus & lecture to bonsai and other garden-related clubs regularly about their care, if that makes any difference. "What is a "fast soil?" One that drains quickly, is durable/structurally stable, and is well aerated (see the link above). "I've noticed more and more of the leaves are starting to displaying withered (brownish) trait at their "tips" -- not all but enough to grab your attention. Does that signify anything?" If the leaves were falling as a result of a light issue, they would prolly lighten in color & fall when they are evenly green or yellowish green. Marginal (leaf edge) and tip necrosis generally signifies a drought response caused by one or more of: a high level of salts in the soil, under-watering, or over-watering. It could also indicate a nutritional deficiency or toxicity, but it's far less likely than a drought response. Al