Hello! It is normal for the older leaves on Pachira to yellow, brown, and fall off. If the *tips* of the leaves are browning, this usually indicates over-watering. The type of soil you used will determine if the issue is over-watering. What type of soil, and how large of a container? Josh

Thanks everyone for the replies! A good thing--the caudex feels normal, not soft. I unpotted the plant and the roots are rotten. :( Even though the surface was a bit dry, the rest of the soil underneath was sopping wet. Recently it's been very humid where I live, and yes, I checked the cachepot and there's a puddle of water in the saucer. Because of the shape of the cachepot, the water's not directly touching the plastic pot, but still. So today I removed much of the soil and dead roots, and it has some good roots left (I guess they're good roots). I planted it in soil mixed with a lot of sand and grit, in a clay pot with no cachepot this time. I hope I didn't stress the plant too badly by repotting? I seriously should've done more research and taken better care of my plant. I will also flush it occasionally.

Hi Rose, its quite possible too much water. Here near chicago its been warm and i notice lowest leaves are similar as your description. In my case its the water coming out of watering can and or hose hitting the lowest leaves each day sometimes resting on top of soil thats doing it for me. Martin Chicago Ebay ID - Dieseler6z92 Member- Garden Web, Figs4Fun, Friends of The Fig Society

I had precisely the same situation: a store-bought plant that was doing great for a while under fluorescent light (a CFL in a gooseneck lamp), then the lower leaves started yellowing, showing spots, etc. I took a really close look under a low-power microscope, and found out I had mites. These little suckers are nearly transparent, unlike the black ones that are relatively easy to spot. I believe that the plant cuts off nutrients to the infested leaves as a defense mechanism, since the mites can't suck the juices from a dry leaf. Use a miticide if you're OK with chemical treatments; Bayer's 3-in-1 has a particularly effective agent in it. If not, or if your state hasn't approved the stuff for sale (you cannot buy it in NY), you can try my approach: fill a bucket with soapy water (dish detergent, ca. 1/2 tsp per gallon), and shove the entire plant, upside-down, into the water. Slosh it around, and up-and-down, for about a minute. This removes the bugs, drowns the ones who won't let go, and I think it might even damage the eggs (tiny white specks on the bottom of the leaves.) Repeat once a week for at least 3 weeks (the mites have a 10-day life cycle), and maybe once a month after that to keep 'em down. The mites prefer a dry environment, so this treatment, along with misting, will prevent them from doing noticeable damage. I think the real problem with keeping these plants indoors is that the mites are not exposed to their natural predators, so their population can explode very quickly. They are incredibly persistent, and they will keep coming back time and time again if you don't manage to kill off every last one of them (and every last egg as well!) Unless you like having ladybugs crawling around the house, you're stuck with regular washing, or chemical treatments, to keep them under control. Here is a link that might be useful: Article on Spider Mites