Thanks a lot ctnchpr, I'm glad to know I'm not doing too bad :) What you recommend about misting doesn't sound different from the sprinkling I said in my first post I do everyday, am I missing something? Ok, I'll let the leaf rest in peace... Some say to cut them when they are wilting for the others to have more energy, this one looks wilting but doesn't look dead yet to me... So I guess I should wait for it to be "dead"? I'll replace the upper soil layer as you indicate. I presume there's no need to wait for spring or any time to do this. One doubt though is that I read mixing soils could do more harm than benefit... Does this apply to "feeder roots top" soil? And if yes Is there anything one can do so that it doesn't become problematic?

It was way too early to bring out a tropical - this was my first thought. You need to see consistent warm temperatures not just during the day but also over night. I live in Ontario and I know it's too cold to keep plants out overnight which is what you've done. Dark green leaves are indicative of exposure to very cold weather I do think your plant has suffered in 2 ways. The cold temperatures and also transplant shock. So it's not one thing but both. So I make sure they are well watered before they go through stress. We have had weather extremes. Just last week we had flurries in my area. Also as a matter of practise, I normally water plants a day before uprooting or transplanting. When the plant is uprooted, the roots get into that transplant shock state and is unable to absorb water. It is also worth knowing that tropicals tend to go through a form of hibernation during winter and may look poorly indoors but come spring, they seem to spring back. So they start having new leaves, etc. during spring and the plant does not go through root development. I do hope you didn't do any root pruning at this time. So what to do now. I hate to say it but take out that plant and put it in a pot and set it the garage. DO NOT do any fertilizing. Watch for die backs. Branches and leaves will start to show these first. What you hope for is that the base trunk/trunks remain alive. All you could do for now is a wait and see. Water only sparingly as needed. Watch for growth. If in doubt, scratch the bottom trunk to see if you can see greenery. But do be careful as oleanders are toxic and their sap can irritate your skin. If you also wish to check to see if their 'arteries' are functional, cut a tip off one branch and see how quickly sap will show. If it doesn't the branch is probably dead. If you cannot do a transplant now, then do your best to protect your plant by insulating it well. Good luck.

Applying salt (NaCl) is perfect! ....... as an example of a decidedly bad idea. Sodium (Na) is an essential element for normal growth, but it becomes toxic very quickly when it exceeds appropriate (extremely low) levels. Salt also raises the level of dissolved solids in the soil solution, which makes it more difficult for the plant to take up water and the nutrients dissolved in water. There might be a handful of terrestrial plants that grow near bodies of saltwater or in saline soils, but they are few and the proclivity would be well-known if it was a landscape plant used as commonly as hibiscus. No plant expert would suggest applying table salt to landscape plants. Check carefully for mites. They usually affect older and lower leaves first. Are you fertilizing? Any idea what your soil has/lacks in the way of nutrients? Hibiscus stands out as something of an exception insofar as its nutritional wants are concerned. It likes more K than N and only VERY small amounts of P. the RATIO of a fertilizer for hibiscus in containers would be somewhere very close to 6:1:10. Since how your soil tests out impacts how you fertilize, We have no idea what's appropriate for trees in the ground, If your soil leans toward sand/sandy loam, it's likely the ratio above would be close. Do you understand the difference between a fertilizer's RATIO and it's NPK %s? An example will probable explain, in case you don't know. 20-20-20 and 5-5-5 are both 1:1:1 ratio fertilizers. 9-3-6 is a 3:1:2 ratio, and 12-2-20 would be a 6:1:10 ratio. Nutritional deficiencies of the mobile nutrients (N,P,K,Cl,Z,Mo) show up in older leaves and leaves closest to the trunk. When you planted out, did you bare root the plant (best to do)? Or, did you simply separate the plant from the pot and drop it in a planting hole? Do you have a nematode problem where you live? Bayer 3-in-1 for Insect Disease and Mite Control is a better choice of product and should be used according to package instructions, not halved. To me, it looks like over or under-watering (symptoms the same) or nutritional, possibly insects (mites). If you're watering while you can easily detect moisture in soil surrounding roots, it raises the probability of over-watering, so cut back. If every time you check the soil is bone dry, things would point toward under-watering. I'm in MI, so can't be of much help in the watering dept. BTW - does your home have a water softener? If yes, is it an ionic exchange system (requires salt), and has water at the hose bib been routed around the softener (if you have one)? Al

Thanks so much for the replies. I had replied yesterday in detail, but I guess I closed the browser while it was still in preview mode as the post is not here today. The pot is 7.5 gallons, but you can't see that from the angle of the photo. The plant is a Homestead that is 16 inches tall. Days are high 70's to mid 80's with nights in the high 60's. The plant has no business being stressed under the current conditions. July is hell here. April is nice. The watering has been fine. Not too soggy, but not too dry. I can't see how environmental stress will only affect half of the plant. Notice in the pictures that on one side of the branch the leaves hold their shape when lifted by the stick, but the leaves on the opposite side fold over limply. My first year gardening turned to disaster due to nasties in ground. I had six awesome plants growing over six feet tall and one by one they dropped. Healthy one day then two days later limp from top to bottom. I'll find out if this is it as this plant won't make it if it is the same thing. I don't want to keep it around if this is the case, but I want to at least let it stay around to verify that it is indeed a terminal problem. 2003... About two weeks later.... *sigh* mule That cut stem victim is doing great as of right now. It is well behind its brothers and sisters, but it looks healthy as can be. I can't believe it! its_kristy That is the best candidate yet. I have a hard time finding pictues of it in its early stages, so I'm not sure. Thanks again.