Al: Oh, I do indeed have more trees! I am a bit overwhelmed by the number of pots both in and outside of my home. I am an incurable collector. I could ask you questions about them all day. . . Back in March, you answered several of my questions about making the gritty mix when I was just embarking upon that adventure. I put a few plants that were on death's doorstep in the mix then. A few didn't make it (a draceana among them), a few are thriving (the aloe and spider plant love the mix!), most have held steady and are starting to show signs of growth (shefflera, swiss cheese philodendron). So I do have a sense of the patience required when repotting before the optimal time. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of undertaking things at the right time. It's been nice to practice with the mix, learn about it's water retention, and begin to tweak it for my needs before I moved my most-beloveds into it. This week I chopped an enormous floppy jade back to it's thick base and put it in the mix. Looking forward to that development. Also a favorite cactus whose name I don't know; it's about four feet tall, main stalk about 3-4" diameter with five stalks coming off the main, so maneuvering it was an exciting project. I was nervous about that one, but glad I did it when I got in there and saw how cemented the roots were in the hardest soil I've ever dealt with. I have a ficus lyrata (fiddle fig) that also reaches the ceiling, so I'm using your advice to give it a new shape. I'm planning on following roughly the same timing for it as for the elastica. I have a very big Bloodgood maple in a pot that's too big to move. I'd love to get that back to a manageable size, but it has just leafed out beautifully and I'm thinking that it is not the right time for that. Your comments are welcome. My other big question involves conifers. I have a very sick Wilma Goldcrest Cypress, and some kind of arborvitae (I think). I've noted that you don't recommend bare-rooting these, but cutting wedges. Is that correct? What about timing? Okay, I've rambled enough. As you can probably tell now, I'm addicted (like many folks I've read on this site). Thanks again for your help. I'm really enjoying learning about the plants, seeing their roots, and giving them conditions to thrive. blessings, brenda

The first and the last are the mother plant that's as tall as my lips ( im5f 6in) the middle is a cutting I rooted from one leaf and one node two years ago!! It's ridiculous how this plant spits out growth I love it! I don't see many tree like rubber tree plants anymore, mine is bigger then most people I know. Then again I don't really get out much lately ;)

I do wish the photos could be enlarged when I click on them , but seems not on my computer , so I'm not sure what I'm looking at , but in regards to "reversing" I'd guess that means instead of the leaves arching partly upwards they are now hanging more downwards, and in many cases plants respond to varying degrees of light levels in regards to upwardly pointing leaves or downwardly pointing leaves as well as the internodes lengthening if light levels are much lower than they prefer, so though it may grow with it's new habit it may be getting a big more spindly and weak in new growth . A downwards arching of leaf stems could mean the roots aren't actlng as efficiently as before due to root damage from overwatering perhaps , so the leaf stems that hold the leaves more erect in bright light may be slightly wilted causing the leaves to droop more than before . I would watch for color changes in the leaves and the leaves should stay the same green as previously though a paler color green could indicate a lack of brighter light . The elasticas with any severe root problems will also shed the newest leaves sometimes Best of luck and I've only ever lost my mature elasticas from over watering in winter here indoors.

I think litterbuggy is right - based on what you describe about soil/pot situation, I'd repot the plant even if it's a non ideal time for it. Another thing you could try to do is poke the dowel up into the drainage holes of the pot to see if they have clogged up, or if there are rocks that press down on them and stop drainage, and see if water comes out of the holes after that, which may be a shot-term relief solution as well. That said, if you can get a grow light, the time of year for repotting is of lesser importance, since they compensate for winter darkness pretty well (as designed). I use a 310W UFO LED grow light in my living room (I'm in Norway so we are at high latitudes, and winter has dim light), and I can only run it when we are asleep, because the light is not at all living-room friendly. The actual fixture is decent-looking (white flat cylindrical fixture with down-pointing LED elements that hangs of a hook in a ceiling), but the light it gives off is sunlight-bright (obviously) hot highlighter-marker type neon pink. It is very hard on the eyes and mental state (unless you really really LIKE pink, which I do not, but who knows). The pink LED does work great (my chili peppers are ripening and blooming under it with about 8-9 hours per day), and it is cheaper to run for same output of lumen than some other grow lights (which also tend to have ugly reflectors less suitable for a living room), so it may be a solution if you can set it on a timer for when you aren't around. And you can get one of these for about $50 on ebay (something like this one - just make sure to get a US plug if you are in the States - there are usually options to select what sort you are buying).