That could be drought stress or fertilizer burn. skuiiy: We bought the plant with the shown plastic pot and kept it in there since it seemed to be doing well & producing flowers and fruit. A plant from the nursery producing fruit is often doing so because it's stressed. When tomatoes are stressed, they fruit because the plant rushes to reproduce before it dies. So assuming it's happy because it's fruiting could be incorrect. Even if the pot is OK now, it won't be much longer unless that plant is a dwarf or small determinate. skuiiy: -Gave it liquid fertilizer. -Added about a spoonful of epsom salt to the soil/mulch mix it's in and mixed it in a bit. Epsom salt is really only necessary if the plant has a magnesium deficiency. If not, it could cause problems. Also, it's possible you've given the plant too much fertilizer, which can manifest as leaf burn skuiiy: now I'm watering(about 2 cups of tap water, instead of just 1)every other day starting today to see how that goes. First: Pot it in a much larger container. Gently knock off as much of the current potting mix as possible so that almost all of the mix is fresh, as this will help correct the problem if nitrogen burn is the problem. Use a normal, fluffy, well-draining potting mix, not a mix advertised as moisture-retaining, and not anything labeled as "garden soil". Mix water into the mix well before putting it in the pot, as peat-based mixes can initially repel water if they're dry. Second: Don't measure your water or water on a set schedule. To determine when to water, stick your finger down into the mix a couple inches. If it's dry, water and water very deeply, until the water is running freely out of the bottom of the pot. If it's still wet a couple inches down under the surface, hold off. In your climate, when it gets hot, don't be surprised if you have to water daily. As for fertilizer, you can give the plant a dose according to instructions once a week or every two weeks (depends on how frequently you have to water), or you can water at very dilute strength with every watering (dilute more the more frequently you have to water).

Use distilled water ......... or water from a R/O water filtration system (what I use), or rain water, snow melt, or air conditioner/ dehumidifier condensate, all of which are deionized (no solutes harmful to plants) or very close to that state. N/a - leaves appearing at close to the rate they are being shed, or more leaves being shed than are appearing is an unsustainable condition. Expression of the pigment anthocyanin, which produces the maroon coloration of leaf margins, is usually most conspicuous in the very early and early developmental stage of the leaf; however, light levels are an overarching influence at all times. Brighter light will increase the contrast of the leaves' variegative coloration. Not to chide you, but to others, it's important to understand that because a plant tolerates something isn't necessarily an indication its provisional influence is advantageous to the plant. That a schefflera temporarily tolerates temperatures in the low thirties, or ponytail palms tolerate extended periods of drought and/or low fertility isn't reason enough to adopt those parameters as part of the plant's care regimen. The closer cultural conditions are to the limits the plant is genetically programmed to tolerate, the greater the stress the plant must tolerate to maintain viability. Stress quickly turns to strain, which is an unsustainable condition, unsustainable because under conditions of strain, the plant is using more energy than it's producing. In order to cope with severe stress and strain, plants have the ability to reduce the mass living mass the roots need to sustain, and the mechanism by which mass is diminished is my shedding parts to create a balance between the the plant's top volume and the size/efficiency of its root mass. Good point about the tea leaves. I did know coffee and tea grounds are not good for plants until all harmful chemicals have been leached during the composting process (whether in a compost pile or in the pot), but I wasn't aware of their high fluoride content. I did read that in humans the anti-oxidants act as a counter-measure to the potentiality of oxidative stress in humans. I have no idea if that carries over to plants, but I suspect not - just a guess. Something I wrote about the impact of coffee/tea or used grounds in container plantings: Coffee/Tea Grounds Forum discussions frequently center on the question of adding dilute coffee/tea or grounds to plants as a 'tonic', but Arabica (coffee) and Camellia (tea) are known for their toxic alkaloid (caffeine) content and their allelopathic affect on plants as well as autotoxic (poison to their own seedlings) effects on future generations. Caffeine interferes with root development by impairing protein metabolism. This affects activity of an important bio-compound (PPO) and lignification (the process of becoming woody), crucial steps for root formation. We also know that the tannins in both coffee and tea are known allelopaths (growth inhibitors). There are ongoing experiments to develop herbicides using extracts from both coffee and tea that cause me to want to say they might serve better as a nonselective herbicide than as a tonic. I would not use either (stale coffee or tea) by applying directly to my plants - especially containerized plants; nor would I add tea bags/coffee grounds to my container soils. Al

The leaf drop is most likely Winter Leaf Drop (WLD) due to cold roots and leaves getting a lot of light. See: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=13332.0 Also, in addition to WLD, your soil looks to be too water retentive which means you may have root rot due to wet soil. Moisture meters are not very accurate. You are better off relying on your fingers. Dig about two inches into the soil and feel if it is moist. Or, stick a skewer to the bottom of the pot an pull it out. If you see soil particles sticking to it that means the soil is moist and the plant does not need watering. If you do have root rot, you should repot into 5:1:1 or gritty mix. Here is the recipe of the 5:1:1: 5 parts pine bark mulch (remove ½” pieces through 1/2 inch screen) (Some people use Repti Bark instead of mulch. They do not screen it.) Try to soak the bark overnight. · 1 part sphagnum peat · 1 part perlite (coarse, if you can get it) · 1 Tb garden lime /gal 5-1-1 mix (measure the 5-1-1 mix) · Osmocote plus (follow manufacturer’s instructions). This is optional. · Moisten well and wait at 2 days before using, if possible. If it is salt, fill the pot with water and let drain. Repeat three times.

To me it looks like it got wet enough to damage some roots. Dry leaves due to lack of water go tan and crispy for me, turning black after this, is not what I have seen in my experience If the plant is growing new growth the roots have overcome and you will be fine. Trim off the unsightly tips and good luck.