D - is the tree now largely defoliated, other than the newly emerged small branching shown above - can we get a look at the rest of the canopy? Where do you live? I'm looking for some reference to a large city near you or something that will indicate what your weather patterns are likely to be for the next 2 months. You're probably going to have to unpot and inspect the roots. I can say that if the tree is already largely defoliated, I'd strongly encourage you to get after the roots and reset the clock back to the point where your tree again has at least the opportunity to grow at near it's genetic potential. If you leave the plant/roots to their own devices, you actually ensure a slow and steady decline. It's important to realize that the growth and vitality of plants are negatively affected by root congestion at about the point where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact. Once the planting has reached that stage, potting up has less and less rejuvenating effect on the plant. Here is a copy/paste job that uses a sliding scale to illustrate the difference between what happens to trees/plants left to their own devices (no root work - only potting-up) vs trees where root maintenance is a regular part of the maintenance program. You can read the full thread here, but here is the part I referred to: In plants that are potted-up, rootage becomes entangled. As root diameters increase, portions of roots constrict flow of water and nutrients through other roots, much the same as in the case of girdling or encircling roots on trees grown in-ground. The ratio of fine, feeder roots to more lignified and perennial roots becomes skewed to favor the larger, (practically speaking) useless roots. Initial symptoms of poor root conditions are progressive diminishing of branch extension and reduced vitality. As rootage becomes continually compressed and restricted, branch extension stops and individual branches might die as water/nutrient translocation is further compromised. Foliage quality may not (important to understand) indicate the tree is struggling until the condition is severe, but if you observe your trees carefully, you will find them increasingly unable to cope with stressful conditions - too much/little water, heat, sun, etc. Trees that are operating under conditions of stress that has progressed to strain, will usually be diagnosed in the end as suffering from attack by insects or other bio-agents while the underlying cause goes unnoticed. I want to mention that I draw distinct delineation between simply potting up and repotting. Potting up temporarily offers room for fine rootage to grow and do the necessary work of water/nutrient uptake, but these new roots soon lignify, while rootage in the old root mass continues to grow and become increasingly restrictive. The larger and larger containers required for potting-up & the difficulty in handling them also makes us increasingly reluctant to undertake even potting-up, let alone undertake the task of repotting/root-pruning which grows increasingly difficult with each up-potting. So we are clear on terminology, potting up simply involves moving the plant with its root mass and soil intact, or nearly so, to a larger container and filling in around the root/soil mass with additional soil. Repotting, on the other hand, includes the removal of all or part of the soil and the pruning of roots, with an eye to removing the largest roots, as well as those that would be considered defective. Examples are roots that are dead, those growing back toward the center of the root mass, encircling, girdling or j-hooked roots, and otherwise damaged roots. I often explain the effects of repotting vs potting up like this: Let's rate growth/vitality potential on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best. We're going to say that trees in containers can only achieve a growth/vitality rating of 9, due to the somewhat limiting effects of container culture. Lets also imagine that for every year a tree goes w/o repotting or potting up, its measure of growth/vitality slips by 1 number, That is to say you pot a tree and the first year it grows at a level of 9, the next year, an 8, the next year a 7. Lets also imagine we're going to go 3 years between repotting or potting up. Here's what happens to the tree you repot/root prune: year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 repot year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 repot year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 You can see that a full repotting and root pruning returns the plant to its full potential within the limits of other cultural influences for as long as you care to repot/root prune. Looking now at how woody plants respond to only potting up: year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 pot up year 1: 8 year 2: 7 year 3: 6 pot up year 1: 7 year 2: 6 year 3: 5 pot up year 1: 6 year 2: 5 year 3: 4 pot up year 1: 5 year 2: 4 year 3: 3 pot up year 1: 4 year 2: 3 year 3: 2 pot up year 1: 3 year 2: 2 year 3: 1 This is a fairly accurate illustration of the influence tight roots have on a woody plant's growth/vitality. You might think of it for a moment in the context of the longevity of bonsai trees vs the life expectancy of most trees grown as houseplants, the difference between 4 years and 400 years, lying primarily in how the roots are treated. There is also a thread on this forum that addresses the care and cultural preferences of Ficus trees in containers that you may or may not have seen. I hope you find it helpful and that you reply with additional questions or concerns in addition to the info I inquired about. Thank you for the kind words, Karen. Al

There are inherent limitations in a soil that takes 2 weeks to dry down to the point the grower feels it's safe to water again. We have to allow too, that since you haven't been monitoring moisture levels, the plant might be capable of going much longer between waterings, which would tend to increase the level of limitations associated with too much water in the soil. Given the size of the plant and the size of the container, the only way that can occur is by virtue of the fact the soil holds a lot of excess water. The soils I use require watering every 1-4 days, depending on the pot size and weather or indoor conditions. Keep in mind that most of my plantings are bonsai, so the ratio of plant mass to soil volume is very different than growing in a container as large as yours. I do have many dozens of plants growing on for bonsai in containers the size of the one you pictured and much larger, however. I think plantings that actually DO require watering every 2-3 days probably represent the best opportunity for plants to realize as much of their genetic potential as possible, but you'll need to decide weather or not you're willing to work toward getting to that point and subsequently making the effort it takes to water that frequently. Since we might never know what caused the leaf drop, it's probably best to confront the issue on several cultural fronts. My plan for the plant in the short term would be to take steps to significantly reduce the volume of excess water your planting can hold. That can be done in a variety/combination of ways. I'd see what I could do about getting it more light and maintaining a constant temp of about 70* or warmer. I'd flush the soil at regular intervals and fertilize regularly. Unless there are other potential limiting factors we don't know about, these suggestions should allow your plant to recover. Because the above doesn't go into a lot of detail doesn't mean I can't. If you're up for making the effort, you'll get all the help you need, a good part of it in the form of homework I'll link you to. After you read it, ask about anything it leaves you wondering about. Al

A systematic insecticide works well for scale. It comes in a granular form. So many tablespoons amount to use goes by pot diameter, your pot looks to be 10 or 12 inches in diameter. Work granules into top inch or two of soil and water. Plant draws up insecticide, bug sucks on plant and dies. I would clean off as many as possible too. Added, it also lasts for a while, I'm thinking a month, maybe more. Any pets keep them away, it is a poison. It's slow acting but works well. One of many brands: https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/bonide-8-oz-systemic-houseplant-insect-control-granules/0000000236642 Also, it's hard to tell when those darn things are dead. So keep cleaning them off. Then you shouldn't see new ones. You may want to give it a good shower a few times. Those bugs produce alot of sticky residue.

Unless something really bad happened during the repot - like the roots dried out badly, I expect the plant to make a quick recovery, I have a F diversifolia I moved directly into full sun a couple of weeks ago. All it's leaves are going yellow and falling off. I'm not concerned a bit about it. Unless there's something seriously wrong with your medium or how you're watering, your tree should be fine. I'm not saying that to make you feel good - I'm saying that because that's what usually happens more than 9 of 10 times. Also, my diversifolia puts out figs non stop. If yours has figs, remove them. They are a strong energy sink and the tree will expend too much energy on maturing the fruit as opposed to growing new roots. Al