Hi, Vanessa. I saw your email, but my mail has been really backed up lately. I'll try to answer here. There are a couple of things to consider here. The first is when you're working with trees, you're on tree time, not people time, and things happen much more slowly than we would like them to. Nothing snarky in the way I offered that observation. ;-) The second is that trees are 'generating' organisms, not 'regenerating', like animals. They cannot regenerate cells in the same spatial positions, so cannot heal themselves. This is applicable not only to the damaged foliage, which is just a symptom, but possibly to the underlying cause of the symptom. What that means is if the tree is going through a physiological process of either shedding the foliage or extracting mobile nutrients and other biocompounds for reuse in other organs, it's likely that process or the physiological process that caused the symptoms is not correctable. As an example - if symptoms were being manifest resultant of the tree's initiation of the shedding process as a drought response, there would be an abscission layer formed or forming at the base of leaf petioles which is not reversible. Since it's not reversible, nutrient/water flow in, and photosynthate flow out of the leaves would be impaired. Even if the cultural conditions causing the drought response are corrected, the physiological response continues due the the lack of the organism's regenerative ability. The same applies to any possible damage by a previously high level of soluble salts in the soil (solution). The short answer is, many processes, once begun, are not reversible and can only move forward to completion. From reading your enumerated notes: 2) If you haven't fertilized in a while, especially not since you flushed the soil, your plant needs it. How often you fertilize and whether you can/should fertilize through the winter depends on your soil choice and watering habits. If you're watering so 10-20% of the water you apply exits the drain when you water, you SHOULD fertilize through the entire growth period. More fertilizer would be required if you have good light than if you have poor light. If you are watering in sips, you cannot fertilize as regularly, and it's likely the ratio of nutrients in the soil will become rather skewed, to accompany the accumulation of soluble salts. 5) If the plant is badly root bound, I'd saw off the bottom 1/4 of the roots, make some deep vertical cuts in the root mass with a sharp utility knife, and pot-up a size. Use a soil similar to what you have now and use a wick to help drain the soil after watering so 10-20% of the water applied exits the drain hole. Move the plant outdoors into open or dappled shade as soon as temperatures allow, and do a full repot around Father's Day. It's not a photo-exposure or photo-intensity issue, unless it's a manifestation of the shedding process due to inadequate light. The best you can do is to have faith your tree will respond to favorable cultural conditions & then set about to provide them. I think you already have a good start on what it will take to get things turned around. I'll post this reply on the thread over at 'Houseplants', too. Al

Sorry for the tardy reply, I've been off on a plant adventure since last Thu. So should I hold off on watering it for another week? Generally speaking, watering on a schedule doesn't do the plant justice unless you're using a soil that allows you to water on a schedule w/o having to endure the limitations (of your plants) that accompany over-watering. It's best to check your plant for moisture levels and water on an 'as needed' basis. Copy/pasted from a offering I left on another thread: Many years ago, in a bonsai workshop led by a Japanese master (Ben Oki), one of the participants asked a question: "How often should I water my juniper?" His (Mr. Oki's) expression never changed at all as he answered in Japanese accented English, "Wait until plant become completely dry - then water day before." To this day, I'm not sure if he was serious or it was his brand of humor, but the advice is sound for most plant material. Water your trees on an 'as needed' basis. When the soil is dry, water until a tiny bit of water runs from the drain holes, allow them to rest for a few minutes, then water again, applying less water than the first time - just enough to flush accumulating salts from the soil. This will be about 10-15% of the original volume of water applied. At first, use a chopstick stuck into the soil to tell you how damp the soil is. If the stick is dark or wet, don't water. If it's damp or dry - water. Heft your pots often if your plants are small. Soon, you'll be able to tell by their weight what plants need water. Over-watering carries different but just as serious consequences as under-watering, so try your best to avoid both. Given a choice, it's better to under-water by a little than over-water. If you think your soil is too water-retentive to allow you to flush the soil every time you water, your soil is inappropriate. Using a wick, and tilting your pots at a 45* angle after watering are BOTH very helpful ways to drain excess water from too-heavy soils. Let me know if you need/want this explained. I bought the FLL last Tuesday and haven't watered it at all. If I should water it, should I flush out the soil to make sure there aren't high levels of salts in the soil? If you're using an appropriate soil, you can make flushing the soil a part of your regular watering routine. If you're not, things become more difficult; but you should either use a soil that allows you water to beyond the saturation point at will (much preferred) or have a plan in place that allows you to either maintain an appropriate level and ratio of nutrients in the soil or to flush the soil regularly, which is sort of like pushing the fertilizer 'Reset" button. If you need help with that part, I can guide you in the right direction. Al

Odds favor it being related to over-watering and/or a high level of soluble salts in the soil, but I'd need to know more about your soil and watering/fertilizing habits. Another real possibility is oedema, a physiologic malady related to over-watering and other cultural conditions, particularly over-watering + low light + cool temps. If you contact me off forum through my user page, I'll send you my email address & you can attach pictures to your reply. As a bonsai practitioner, I have a number of species of Ficus specimens and am very familiar with the genus. You might wish to read the thread at the link I'll leave & post your future questions there. This forum is primarily, though not exclusively, dedicated to discussion of the hardy fig, F carica. Al Here is a link that might be useful: More about Ficus in containers if you click me .....

It looks like all the overwatered FLFs I've read about on the houseplants forum, and all of them have turned out to be caused by overwatering. 'Overwatering' happens when the soil stays saturated for long periods of time, preventing air from prejudicing oxygen to the roots, leading to dead and rotting roots and a plant that starts to kill and drop leaves its reduced root system can no longer support. You might want to scan the first page or two on that forum for FLF threads, but meanwhile I'll ask a few questions: Does the pot have a drain hole? How do your water--on a schedule, when the top of the soil is dry, or when the soil at the bottom of the pot is dry? Do you give it a fixed volume of water, or water until it drains freely from the pot? Does the pot ever sit in standing water? What kind of soil are you using? Have you potted up (put the plant in a bigger pot with new soil around the existing rootball) or repotted it (removed all old soil from the roots, pruned errant roots, and replaced the soil with all new mix)?