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

Here's another photo of a different leaf

Hello! I'm new to the forums, but I got such excellent help regarding one of my orchids that I'm returning. I just found this 5'9 fiddle leaf fig for sale at the local second hand shop for 29$, and I couldn't resist. I've just discovered this forum, and I've read about the importance of soil composition and the difference of a true repot vs just moving to a larger pot, and a lot of other things. So a bit of a lightbulb moment. Now I'm asking if you think my plan for this fig will work. The situation: The leaves are looking a bit dry and some are also a little yellow. The pot looks like someone bought it and never changed pot or soil at all. It looks very root bound. I can't discern any bugs or other kind of disease, as far as I can tell anyway. I have not taken it out of the pot yet, so I don't know the exact root situation. My home at the moment unfortunately has rather small windows, and I'm not sure the light will be enough, but perhaps if I can make everything else close to perfect, it will work? We will change windows in a couple of months though, so perhaps that will make a difference. My plan: I'm going out to buy some ingredient for Al's 5-1-1 mix as I'm not sure I, or the plant, is ready for a gritty mix. I've found a larger ceramic pot (with draining holes, of course) for it, and will repot. But, should I trim the roots? And if I do, should I prune the plant in order for the root system to be able to care for the remaining leaves? My dream vision is a healthy plant with a thick trunk and several branches, so I'll need to trim at some point. Were/How high should I trim? Or should I wait with the trimming? And how do I encourage the top to root? Lots of questions, now here's some pictures

I agree the damage is almost certainly from pool chemicals. If you haven't flushed the soil VERY thoroughly, please do. Make sure that a volume of room temp water equal to at least 10x the volume of the pot the plant is in makes its way slowly through the soil. If you're worried that represents over-watering, you need to take a critical look at your soil choice, but that's another conversation. If you're using a cache pot or a saucer under the plant, make certain the bottom of the pot is lifted well above any water that collects in the saucer/cache pot so there is no pathway for the effluent to make its way back into the soil after it exits the drain. Then, as Jean mentioned, it becomes a wait and see kind of deal. Withhold fertilizer unless/until you see new growth. Water when the soil is almost but not quite dry near the pot's bottom. Use a wooden skewer or, preferably, a 1/4 or 5/16" dowel rod sharpened in a pencil sharpener. Push it to the bottom of the pot and water only when the tip shoes nearly dry when you remove it. The background info provided forces us to believe it's from the unscheduled swim it took, but I still must ask if you have an ion exchange water softening system - one that requires the addition of salt from time to time? On the chance the answer is 'yes', priority one is figuring out a work-around for that. Al