Hi, Sarah. The cultural issues most likely to cause wilting are over-watering, under-watering, high temps, and a high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution. The later is usually accompanied by necrosis of leaf margins on lyrata, unless the high level of salts was due to a very recent fertilizing. If it wilted while the soil was still damp, your issue would probably be related to the effects of over-watering and/or the heat. Water and nutrient uptake is an energy driven process. It takes oxygen to burn (convert) the food (carbohydrates - from photosynthesis) into the energy that drives root metabolism. Too much water in the rhizosphere (root zone) means too little air means not enough O2 means the work of water uptake is compromised. The heat increases the rate of respiration increases water demand and exacerbates the issue. I would: Shade the pot to help keep roots cool if the plant has direct sun hitting it Use a wood dowel or bamboo skewer to test the soil, waiting to water until the soil is nearly but not quite dry. When soil is at first dry to the touch, there is still 10-15% additional water left that the plant can access - so a built-in margin for error. Flush the soil thoroughly the next time the plant needs watering by pouring a volume of water equal to the pot capacity up to 10 times, using room temp water; this, to rid the soil of accumulating salts. Then, fertilize the plant with a soluble fertilizer with a 3:1:2 NPK ratio. RATIO is different than NPK %s - ask if you'd like me to explain the difference. After flushing the soil, water on an as needed basis. Don't let the soil remain saturated for extended periods. I can also help you learn how to deal with soils that hold too much water, if you think that's an issue. I'll wait on your comments before I offer anything else. Al

OMG - having just noticed this condition, I.e. observation, while cleaning and trimming my 12’ ficus, that was also dropping leaves, I have to say, 1) I’m glad I didn’t try to do anything about it, other than knocking off the waxy globs, before I consulted the “internet” meaning, you guys ... 2) my husband and I are laughing our heads off reading this thread - hysterical debate - thanks for the laugh ... 3) sorry Ficus, no way you’ll be pollinating anything anytime soon! ... on a more instructive note, I’ll just say that my ficus has always been very hardy and not very fussy. However, I had moved it to a less sunny spot to accommodate our Christmas Tree. It didn’t seem to care for that location, so it had started dropping some leaves, causing me to search for extraneous clues, and finding the white globs ... I am happy yo report it is now back in its original sunny spot, has been trimmed and had leaves spritzed and cleaned. I’m sure will be a happy camper once again, very soon! Fondest regards to everyone and their ficus trees!

What it looks like to me is localized death of tissues caused by something phytotoxic (poison to plants). What would cause this is spraying something the plant doesn't like on the leaves and allowing the solution yo dry on the plant. How did you apply the neem product? Was it pure cold-pressed neem oil in an emulsifier like soapy water or is the neem fraction already dissolved in a solution? It's not unusual for plants to react poorly to the vehicle that delivers the neem fraction of the product. For clarity, if you were spraying saltwater on weeds to kill them, salt would be the active ingredient (like neem is) and the vehicle that delivers the active ingredient is the vehicle. Often, the vehicle used for insecticides and neem products are solvents, and solvents are often used to extract neem oil from the branches and twigs. Both solvents and detergent emulsifiers can destroy the cuticular wax in leaves that protect the plant from moisture loss and pathogen entry into the plant ...... which is why cold-pressed neem oil is best. It's possible the leaves are in the process of being shed. The chlorotic look (yellowing) of the leaves might be because the leaves are being shed. Part of that process is recycling the Mg from the chlorophyll in the leaves. Chlorophyll is a green pigment, so when it's broken down, expression of other pigments follows. Also, part of the shedding process before the leaf falls off is a layer that forms at the leaf attachment site. The layer (abscission layer) first inhibits movement of water/sap/nutrients/all bio-compounds across that layer/region. Because it doesn't look like under or over-watering, my guess, if it is related to the leaves being shed, is that it's ultimately related to A) a reduction in light levels or B) poor nutrition, which causes the plant to rob mobile nutrients from oldest leaves in order to fuel new growth. You really need to fertilize. Don't use a fertilizer advertised as being specifically for Ficus - they're scams. You won't find better than Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. When the cause of the problem isn't conspicuous, it's often best to review what you're doing for the plant, culturally speaking - how much light, temperatures, watering/fertilizing habits, etc. Comparing your care to this Overview of Good Growing Habits might isolate something that, if improved on, could make a significant difference. Al

I don't get how people can't seem to live in a place instead of just squat there. The same people who went through (and PAID for!) the naturalization process and uprooted their lives abroad to get to a country can't let go of the old one. I get ethnic food and fond memories, but if you make a conscious effort to live near and exclusively interact with other ex-pats in the native language, what can you learn and know about the culture and people of your new home? When i have lived abroad (as opposed to simply traveled), i have left my American ways and language at the airport for me to collect on my way back to the US. I never looked for other Americans or spoke English. I interacted with and lived among the people with an open mind. If my language was not sufficient to get my point across, I invited people to correct me so that i learned. I ate the food, i visited the landmarks and learned about their significance. What would i have gained if i brought my flag and waved it to ward off people that were not like me, and only interacted with other Americans? Nothing but distrust of the people and culture of the place i called home. I would feel isolated and unaccepted by everyone around me, unaware that i CAUSED it myself. Everyone would seem like a racist from that perspective, wouldnt they?