Just got my FLF yesterday and last night after examining it I noticed some weird tiny brown dots on the stems and leaf creases. I think they're scales? Can anyone help with the ID? I sprayed it with Bayer Neem Oil, all over the stems, leaves (top and bottom). If it is SCALES, how do I go about getting rid of them? Should I use a wash the entire plant since I need to repot it (what kind of potting soil should I use? Can I use Cactus Soil + Perlite since it should be well drained? Or return the entire plant? Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated. Newbie here lol. Thanks.

North facing Windows usually aren't a good choice for ficus. Direct sun is sunlight that is outdoors. Even sun shining through a window isn't direct, it would be filtered sun. Ficus like as much light as you can give them. I personally grow all of mine outside in direct sun all summer. That said, you can keep it where it is, but it probably won't be getting enough light. a window that recieves full sunlight all day will be your best bet. Ambient outdoor light through a window just isn't much.

What did you use for soil when you repotted, and how much new soil did you add (estimation)? Did you fertilize or dose/spray the plant with anything? How is the plant doing now? Al

You're using the dowel correctly. Water when it first comes out dry. I will begin fertilizing per your recommendations--additional info to ensure I am using a good fertilizing regimen would be helpful. I'm not sure how often I should fertilize, and how that will change when the plants go dormant, and when that may be...I would expect that in October they would be at the end of their growing season, but they have both put out two new leaves in the last few weeks. They won't go completely dormant, but they will become largely quiescent or at rest but growing slowly. How fast they grow depends primarily on light levels, temperatures, and nutrition. If you invest in a container of Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, you won't need anything else. Did you read the link I left above about how to deal with water-retentive soils? My plan would be to flush the soil thoroughly asap, then fertilize with a full recommended solution of the FP 9-3-6. It makes more sense by far to tie your fertilizing frequency to your watering frequency. If you continue to water in sips for the winter, flush the soil every 6th time you water and fertilize right after with a full recommended dose. Using a full dose when the soil is still saturated means there won't be a full strength concentration in the soil solution because of all the water already in the soil. People that simply recite the advice that you shouldn't fertilize in winter usually tell you that the plant doesn't need fertilizer because it's not growing, but nutrients are used by the plant to keep its systems orderly and do more than grow, so your plant needs a full compliment of nutrients in the soil all year long. The plan I just laid out will help you maintain the proper ratio of nutrients at an appropriate concentration and prevent the ratio of nutrients (each to the others) from becoming out of balance, which can very quickly become a serious issue if you're watering in sips. More on flushing the soil if you actually plan on following that advice. You'll also find plenty of good info that will help turn your plant around if you follow the link. Speaking of, the plant that put out the deformed leaf is now producing leaves with holes...at first I feared it was pests, but it looks like they are just developing with holes in them. Would this be caused by the same water/fertilizing issues we've discussed? Very commonly, dry air causes a leaf of F lyrata to stick to itself before it unfurls. As the leaf opens, the 'stuck together' part often tears, leaving split leaves, or if the entire piece of tissue that's stuck to another part of the leaf's surface pulls free - a hole. This is very common in leaves that unfurl in winter when humidity is VERY low or in leaves that are in a cool, air-conditioned environment - especially if the cooled air blows over the plant. There are some nutritional issues that can cause weak or dead spots in the tissues of young leaves, but getting on a sound fertilizing schedule should put a stop to that. Al