Looks to me like the landscaper didn't do anything to improve the soil before covering it with the cloth and mulch - and so made a hardpack clay condition even worse. That water cannot escape because of the mulch cover and cloth cover. Solution - I agree with ixnod's suggestion on soil improvement. I've broken up clay matter by adding loads of composted material and also used builder's sand (fine sand will turn the clay into cement). I also did the job myself one hole at a time. Clay soil finally improved. With organic matter in place, the earthworms will also help in improving the soil. So in my opinion, remove the fabric, get going with the soil improvement. Of course move yoru plants temporarily for the winter (which means pot them up and imbed them in the ground, and mulch for witner protection) Once soil improvement is done, try to see why a landscape fabric was placed in the first place. For purely decorative reason? Or to help what is normally a dry spot or weedy spot?

Trying to compare growth patterns between different varieties usually leads you down a wrong road and making decisions we later regret. Their genetics, what triggers their behavior, are often very different. In this case a cherry type vs. a grafted paste vs. a hybrid semi-determinate beefsteak all with differing DTM. So it could easily take one of those longer than the others to recover from either the weather exposure or from the over-watering (which was likely the real problem). Plus "seeing growth" is also very subjective. That we don't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening. :) It may be in the roots, it may be in nothing more than an increased size of some of the leaves rather than height. Bottom line, since the plant appears healthy the lack of growth you can see really means little. Be patient and you may discover that it will soon kick into high speed and leave the others in its dust. :) Dave

Yes, it can easily be fixed. You need to replace the rubber washers inside. I suspect you will probably have to replace the "O" rings also. Turn the water supply to the spigot off. There should be a valve inside the house, near the spigot to turn it off. Don't turn the main house power supply off because if something goes wrong during the repair, you're now stuck with having to fix it instead of taking your time. Then, open the valve about half way and undo the cap and remove the knob. Then remove the fitting just below the knob and pull the stem out. At the end of the stem is a screw holding the rubbber washer on. You'll also see the "O" rings on the stem. Here's where it gets trickey....from what I see so far, you'll have a heck of a time getting the cap off without chewing up the screw. If you get it to loosen, your next challenge will be loosening the nut fitting. Then move down to the nut holding the stem in. Once inside, you may find the screw holding the washer in may get chewed up as you attempt to remove it. Most washer kits (can purchase anywhere, even WalMart) have replacement screws in them. Put the same size washer in the seat and the "O" rings on and start reassembly. You may find the seat is also chewed up or at least chipped. This negative stuff mentioned isn't to intimidate you, just let you know what you may expeience. It's an easy job and if you have the tools, you can do it. Once you've done one, you'll see how easy it is. Doing it for the first time may seem cumbersome. Normally, it's a 5 minute job if there are no extenuating circumstances. You can also just replace the whole spigot. Unthread it from the pipe using a pipe wrench and the right sized wrench for the spigot, put some teflon tape or pipe dope on the threads and put the new one on. They don't cost that much, around 10 bucks.

So I assume you continued on to just fill in the new soil mix around the roots. Did you tamp the pot against whatever surface you were working on to settle the soil around the roots so as to avoid air pockets? If you're an experienced planter this probably goes without mentioning it. I've found that dieffenbachia is one of those pretty tough and forgiving plants. I've often rooted cuttings (even large ones) in a jar of water and once there are roots (they develop really big roots in water after a few weeks) I've planted them with no problems. Hopefully it's just transplant shock. If things don't work out, just cut if off somewhere on the stem and root it in water. Either way, you shouldn't wind up completely losing the plant. I seem to recall having your exact same experience at times with repotting some of these - as well as other plants.