There are a lot of mixed signals in your post. That's not to say that your post isn't easy to understand, just that the symptoms indicate there are probably more than one thing going on. That the growth was stalled in Aug, when the plant should be growing most robustly, is troubling and probably indicates a chronic issue. When you repotted, did you do anything to facilitate the new roots colonization of the new soil? Root-bound plants usually display a lack of branch extension & loss of leaves on the lower part and interior of the plant, so tufts of leaves at the ends of branches are common. A build-up of soluble salts may have been the problem or contributing to the problem, so hopefully you've flushed thoroughly and repeatedly. I should ask if you had been fertilizing the plant regularly, and with what? what dose? how often? The pinkness usually indicates a build-up of a red/purple pigment (anthocyanin), which can be caused by a number of issues. This may not interest you, but it may give you helpful hints if you want to keep searching. One of the most common cause of purple leaves is a deficiency of phosphorus (p)(which is why I asked about your fertilizing program) because P is required to make ATP and ATP is needed to turn sugars to starch and to load sugar into the phloem for transport. So - no P - no ATP - no move sugars/starches - anthocyanin (purple pigment) builds up - plant parts turn pink/red/purple. A P deficiency is not the only suspect cause of purple leaves. Nearly any environmental condition that puts the brakes on growth and the accompanying use of sugars, but does not limit sugar production (photosynthesis) can cause anthocyanin buildup and purple leaves. Stalled growth due to tight roots is a suspect because it inhibits growth while photosynthesis (sugar making) continues. If only the outer edges of the leaves show purple/pink ....., it may be a K or Mg deficiency. If the center of the leaves also show purple, it could be too much Ca in the soil or the result of too much water in the soil blocking uptake of P and Mg. The spots sound like still another issue. Can you describe them? Are there rings or halos around the spots? Do the spots stop at leaf veins or cross them? There is no need to mist this plant. It's leaves have layers of cells rich in cuticular wax to help conserve moisture during dry periods, though it would be happiest at RH levels higher than 40%. You can read the link I'm going to leave you with below. Maybe with some more information and dialog, we can figure something out. Al Here is a link that might be useful: More about Ficus in containers

Old topic but wanted to share my input. I'm growing hydroponic tomatoes (various strains) at university in a lab setting (indoors under HID lights) and outdoors in a greenhouse. In one of my greenhouse NFT systems, i recently had a similar problem on 1 tomato plant (total 9 plants that share the same res and tubes). But im gonna try to diagnose your issue by mentioning what others missed out on. 1 major cause of leaf curl is compaction of root system (i.e. roots are compressed or dont have enough space to expand). This risk is exacerbated in hydroponic systems that use tubes. This was the problem i had and had to replace tubes with square tubings that have a liftable top. Once you have access to roots, you must seperate them strand by strand (i.e. so they arent sticking together). In your setup, this risk will further be exacerbated because you filled the entire pvc tube with hydroton (right?). Remove hydroton from tube and place the plant in a net cup with hydroton. Nitrogen burns usually cause browning/yellowing of leaves (similar to sun/heat burn) and not purpling. Test your solution for each chemical if possible, or use a commonly employed aggregated measuring device that shows total concentration in ppm (dont let it exceed 2500). In my system, only one plant was affected. Coincidentally, it was the largest of all plants with the most root mass. I let another normal one grow to its size to see whether it would undergo the same problem, and it did. Viral and bacterial infections that cause leaf roll usually cause it to roll up. Same with the physiological roll. If your leafs roll down AND if your stems bend, this is caused by a diminishing turgor pressure (read: not enough water reaching afflicted area). Mist several times when lights are off (no photosysnthesis) and observe increasing turgor pressure (unbending). Or, untangle roots and remove hydroton from from pipes. I tested various growing methods including fully and partially submerged roots. They all work but a submerged root cannot intake oxygen; it has to borrow oxygen from another part of the plant (i.e. a root part that isnt submerged or above ground stem). This requires energy for transportion and isnt the most efficient (optimal) way for growth and cellular processes. Lastly, an airstone in the reservoir is useless unless the reservoir is completely airtight all the way up to the plant holes. Better to keep small airstones in the pipes right under the plant roots. Those that say aerating the res prevents bacterial development.. is false. If you dont have air in res, you will get anaerobic bacteria (they grow/accumulate slowly but acidify the solution); if you have air in res, you get aerobic bacteria (not acidifying but grow extremely fast). Most bacteria prefer aerobic environments for optimum growth.

No digital camera...so no pics...Yes, I do get overprotective with my tomato plants, even calling them mine has that sound! However, last season was the first time I had this type of problem. It started then, when I first planted them out, and by the end of the season there were very few plants with a leaf. (I had taken them off as they became infected).. This year all has been started a fresh...clean soilless mix, washed and disenfected pots and trays all seeds saved using the fermentation method as Carolyn suggests. I did use some seeds from a previous year as last years crop was not abundant. This does not look normal to me, but perhaps I am being too much of a mother hen...;-) martha/zucchini

there is a very active fruit forum .. you might get other ideas there .. frankly as a bramble ... those Rs look pretty nice ... and as good as i have ever had in summer over the last 35 years ... i would not suggest you do anything.. but stop worrying ... its a bramble ... are they flowering.. and setting fruit??? .. if so ... ignore them ... if i am not mistaken.. they have a glaucous coating .. which is the was that makes most blue plants blue .. it should just rub off ... its irrelevant .. or i should say.. normal ... short of a plague of JBeetles totally deleafing them ... a little leaf damage is within normal bounds ... introduce yourself to you county Ag agent .. as well as extension office ... i am sure.. you have local experts.. who can help you with local conditions .. they can also get you a professional soil test ... that would be where you start when planting 100 foot beds of plants ... ken