Hey everyone ! So I need some help . I got this ficus lyrata bush about 2-3 weeks ago and it was perfectly green when I got it from homedepot . After a week I noticed some leafs turning brown on the edges and a bunch of tiny brown spots starting showing on the leafs . It gets a good amount of sunlight without being directly on it . I watered it maybe 1s a week when I top is dry but I don't think that's working too well . Only the bottoms leaves are turning brown . And one leaf towards the top starting curling . If I'm over watering it should I let the soul completely dry out before watering it again ? Should I remove the leaves on the bottom that are turning brown ? How can I tell if I'm over watering or under watering ?

I am afraid I have to drop out to and won't make it this weekend to the swap. I had potted most of my stuff weeks ago and only had a few last minute things to dig, but there you go. :-( My sister is in the hospital, probably nearing the end of her battle with cancer and one of Chip's cousins recently passed away and they are having the memorial service tomorrow. :-( To top it all off, the new job has kept me out of town for most of this month, so that's why I've been so quiet. I think we may be heading south to Boaz, Alabama, either tomorrow (Friday) night or early, early Saturday. Would it be possible for me to drop these plants off with any of you to take to the swap for us? I'm not sure if anyone had any of my plants in mind, and I hadn't had time to arrange any swapping (boohoo! I need a Mexican Sage), but I'd like these lovely plants to go to a good (read: someone else's home but mine now). Can anyone help? I should be able to label things so at least folks will know what they are. From memory, I have: * 'Coronation Gold' Yarrow * Chinese Foxglove (heh, think several of us got this one at the plant swap; likes to move around, but it sure is pretty...) * Amsonia hubrechti(sp?) Great native plant! * Birdseed Sunflowers * Homestead Purple Verbena * Lamb's Ears * Sundrops (if I get them dug...) * Blue Spruce Sedum * Angelina Sedum (probably will have) * Airplane plant * Walker's Low Catmint (if I get some time to dig it up...) * Ladybells (if anyone wants some; let me know) In addition to a Mexican Bush Sage, I was also looking for white cleome (seeds or plants), white cosmos (seeds or plants), Foxtail Lily or Yellow Perennial Foxglove. Sorry I won't make it. :-( I'm very disappointed to....I could have used a de-stress day... But hopefully this fall will be better. --April

Thanks so much parker25mv! Looks like we're both on the same page. I'm not planning on planting them in the ground, and I agree that they're too dominant in LA right now. When I was trying to find a suitable screen plant I read through all of the ficus discussion on here and decided against them. Then these fell into my lap, which opens up budget for native CA plants elsewhere so I'm trying to make lemonade. I'll leave them in the half-barrels, but I'm also open to any suggestions to make them healthier. Root pruning has been suggested above, which I'm looking into now. Thanks!

It's definitely better to under- than over water because you can always add water but can't take it back out! You may need to water it until water flows through and then wait 30 minutes and do it again to make sure you rewet the whole root ball. Dry spots in soil can be problematic for root health (especially in peat moss or even cocopeat) can lead to "unexplained" root rot. When roots die, they become open wounds which allows pathogens to enter. This is all educational and not pertaining to your plant necessarily. How do you check how often you need to water? Pot weight is a great way once you get the feel for it but if your not sure, you can use a skewer/bamboo chopstick to poke deep into the pot. Pull it out and press your two fingers (index and thumb) around the end of the skewer. Sometimes it will look wet and feel cool but when you then rub your two fingers together, if it's crumbly and dry, it's time to water. If you feel moisture/actual water, wait and check again the next day or two or longer if it's very wet still. I've found the more wet result When it's cold and the plant's can go longer between watering. You can use the skewer method to "learn" the pot weight difference as you won't be able to go based on a schedule alone: too many variables throughout the year. Let us know how it goes. I'm pulling for you and I believe in you!