"Do you still believe the amount of the topsoil is causing water retention?" I really do, yes. Topsoil/garden soil quickly compact and hold water so tightly in containers that it will not drain. You could easily have a perched water table of 4-6" depth at the container bottom. For perched water, water movement in containers, and container soils in general, follow the embedded link. This saturated layer of soil at the container's bottom will be completely anaerobic & will promote many species of rot bacteria. Since there are no roots in this soil, it is virtually guaranteed that water will not drain until the water slowly diffuses & is used by the plant or eventually evaporates (some through the walls of terra cotta containers. I think what I just related also explains your question about over-potting, but if you're still unclear on that issue, you can ask here or on the thread linked to. "... when You say "remove as much soil," do you mean any sort of soil attached to the roots when the tree is taken out?" Yes - remove enough soil to allow you to see that the roots are firm and white/tan. All rotten parts of the roots should be removed. If none are rotten (I'm pretty sure this is your problem, though) disregard what I said & return the plant to the pot. "Another issue would probably be the removal of the tree from the pot as this is not a small tree and the root was a foot+ long (deep) when I planted it in to this container so I am not sure how this would play out." First, determine that root rot is the issue. Granted, now is not the ideal time to repot a ficus (btw - you should include your USDA zone and state in your user info - it's very helpful to those offering advice) ;o) but you should look at repotting as a necessary emergent remedy to rotted roots - if no root rot, it's a non-issue. Ficus are very genetically vigorous, and the plant will tolerate a lot of abuse. I grow at least a dozen species as bonsai and the root work I do would be considered extremely radical by some, yet they quickly recover, hardly missing a beat. "When you say "plant to the smaller pot and flush the remaining soil," do you mean to basically wash the root+soil?" Yes "If so, that would be an insurmountable task given I live in an apartment (bathtub is my only choice)." So do it in the tub then. ;o) The root mass will be as small as or smaller than it was before you potted up - so probably not as unmanageable as you think. The purpose of flushing the soil (flush 4-6 times after you saturate it with a volume of water approximately equal to the volume of water the container is in. The purpose of this exercise is to flush out soluble salts from fertilizer and tap water that have accumulated in the soil. These salts, when their levels get too high, prevent the plant from taking up water and the nutrients dissolved in it. This inability to absorb water can cause the plant to die of thirst in a sea of plenty. It actually causes a drought response - yellow, falling leaves. "What kind of fertilizer I must use for this type of tree and time of the year?"Easy to find, are Miracle-Gro 24-8-16 granular all-purpose fertilizer, or Miracle-Gro 12-4-8 liquid. Both are 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers and a very good choice for trees in containers. "I don't have smaller container and frankly the original one was way too small to handle tree of this size." Your tree - your call(s). I guess you're going to have to decide if you trust my judgment or not - and how far you're willing to go to nurse the tree back to good vitality again. I have several dozen perfectly healthy Ficus & lecture to bonsai and other garden-related clubs regularly about their care, if that makes any difference. "What is a "fast soil?" One that drains quickly, is durable/structurally stable, and is well aerated (see the link above). "I've noticed more and more of the leaves are starting to displaying withered (brownish) trait at their "tips" -- not all but enough to grab your attention. Does that signify anything?" If the leaves were falling as a result of a light issue, they would prolly lighten in color & fall when they are evenly green or yellowish green. Marginal (leaf edge) and tip necrosis generally signifies a drought response caused by one or more of: a high level of salts in the soil, under-watering, or over-watering. It could also indicate a nutritional deficiency or toxicity, but it's far less likely than a drought response. Al

David, unfortunately my recent checks about a month ago weren't helpful in identifying this fungal pathogen, so it continues to devastate trees and shrubs. Not just blue spruce trees are affected, but so are maple trees and oaks, and people around here are having many of them cut down. Just last month my two neighbors had 5 of these large trees cut down. Mountain ash trees are dying too. And I'd say that 50% of the white pines in this area (southern New Hampshire) are either dead or in decline from this disease. I don't spray mine since I consider them somewhat of a weed, and mine are slowly and continuously losing needles. I expect them to die within a few years. The good news is that this year I've kept up spraying with Mancozeb every two weeks since May 1st. Every tree and shrub I've sprayed (where my spray can reach the foliage) is very healthy. I'm now also working on my grown son's 4 dying spruce trees to see if I can restart growth on the now bare trunk and on other branches. But don't try a "ground drench" with Propiconazole - I tried that last year and it killed off beneficial ground bacteria, harming the trees & shrubs. Fortunately, they're recovering this year with fertilizer and spraying. Norway spruce and linden trees seem to resist this disease best.

I sympathize. I am reading a book, The Cook and the Gardener and I noticed while the Cook seldom has failures in the kitchen the Gardener is always grousing about something going wrong in the garden.... We have the weather, bacteria, viruses, insects, rodents & birds, mineral & pH imbalances, droughts, etc. to contend with. Select resistant varieties, do succession planting, companion planting and ask for mercy from your deity of choice. I planted 7 heirloom tomatoes in soil that hadn't had anything grown in it for the last 13 years at least. Two plants died within weeks of transplanting out, another two have followed, plus two others are in the process (rolled leaves, yellowing leaves from the base up) the eggplants all got spider mites. However, I got a very good yield of fantastic flavored tomatoes (yellow) from Lenny & Gracie's Kentucky plus an abundance of squash from Trombetta d'Albenga. Melons, Bush Sugar Baby and Minnesota Midget look OK and have melons coming along. Kwintus beans are still producing but Rattlesnake crapped out awhile ago. When I researched minerals and adding greensand, etc. a landscape architect confirmed that So Cal has plenty of minerals but they can be locked up by the alkalinity of our soil and water - so use humic acid. Don't give up, rip it out, re-amend and replant for fall.

Its like a double edged sword....since Lucille will be getting these heavily sweat infused the problem is removing the sweat and body oils. Not gonna happen using cold water even warm will struggle. It will come down to fading vs oils building up in the fibers. This is something we all have dealt with at some point with our clothing. Lucille well understands this which is probably why she posted the question. If it was me I'd use nicely warm water to remove the funk. These problems are because of manufactures cheapening out our textiles. Than they slap a washing instruction tag on everything including 100% cotton sheets to wash in cold water...this is to protect the manufacturers since cotton can well handle hot water unless quality is is very poor. Our mothers/grandmothers would have been shocked at a wash in cold water bed sheet as they well know even the best detergent can't remove oils without heat.