@JMJ 4Life Really sorry to learn about your tree. I assume some part of the root mass is fused, so the soil/root mass remains intact like so: If the answer is yes, unpot the plant and set the root/soil mass on a stack of newspapers, rags, old towels, dry sponges - something that will PULL excess water from the soil. Allow it to rest on the wicking material for an hour or two before returning it to the pot it fits. Use a wooden "tell" to "tell" you when it's time to water, because with no water loss from foliage, the plant will require very little water. Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips in order to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions - which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma and creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell' (more reliable than a 'moisture meter'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) works better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half or in several pieces, depending on how deep your pots are. Sharpen both ends of each tell in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell's tip comes out nearly dry. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Al

OMG - having just noticed this condition, I.e. observation, while cleaning and trimming my 12’ ficus, that was also dropping leaves, I have to say, 1) I’m glad I didn’t try to do anything about it, other than knocking off the waxy globs, before I consulted the “internet” meaning, you guys ... 2) my husband and I are laughing our heads off reading this thread - hysterical debate - thanks for the laugh ... 3) sorry Ficus, no way you’ll be pollinating anything anytime soon! ... on a more instructive note, I’ll just say that my ficus has always been very hardy and not very fussy. However, I had moved it to a less sunny spot to accommodate our Christmas Tree. It didn’t seem to care for that location, so it had started dropping some leaves, causing me to search for extraneous clues, and finding the white globs ... I am happy yo report it is now back in its original sunny spot, has been trimmed and had leaves spritzed and cleaned. I’m sure will be a happy camper once again, very soon! Fondest regards to everyone and their ficus trees!

Dale, I looked at my ficus growing outdoors. Both in the ground and in pots. None are making new leaves. I will include pics and apologize for not posting sooner. The holidays are very busy. My guess, and it is truly a guess, is that these trees stop growth with the shorter days. They only variable would be light. All my trees, both in the ground and in pots are healthy but not producing any growth. I'm guessing they rest during this period. I see leaf buds but they have not developed yet. Maybe cut back on the light to prevent new growth. The growing conditions might not be ideal for a Spring flush. That seems to be the only difference from trees growing outdoors and inside. These grow all over Florida and the weather has been extremely warm for this time of year. Yet there is no new growth. The only difference is shorter days.This pic shows the mature leaves. You can see leaf buds on the tips. They have been this way for over a month despite record-breaking warmth (80's).This gives you an idea of the size of the ficus growing in the ground. AnotherNo new leaves but very healthy. This one has been in a pot for about 5 years. It started out as a bonsai but I potted it up to let it get bigger. It grows in full, Florida sun,No new leaves. Maybe you could figure out the reason for the leaf loss. I'm guessing it has to do with the light levels. Possibly let the tree rest until Feb/March. Hope this is helpful, Jane

Found two more of these bugs. They only hangout on the underside of the leaves. Sorry the pic was the best I could get.