Re houseplants: most spoiled foliage is caused by physiological issues, over/under-watering, oedema, nutritional toxicities/ deficiencies, light levels, ...... with subsequent populations of fungi acting as opportunists as opposed to acting as causal agents. In this thread, oedema, a physiological disorder, is the main actor. Dead animals don't cause vultures, but they do provide a reason for vultures to congregate. IOW, lesions caused by physiological disorder often provide the consistently moist conditions for a period lasting long enough to ensure incubation and germination of fungal spores. This isn't to say that fungal conditions do not commonly appear in plants as pioneer pathogens, only that evidence of physiological disorder is far more common than direct evidence of pioneer populations of fungi. Plant pathologists often describe the disease process using a 4-sided figure called the disease tetrahedron (think “pyramid – 3 sides + the bottom/ base”). Each side of the tetrahedron represents an essential part of the infection process. There must simultaneously be a virulent pathogen (capable of infecting the plant) that is genetically capable of recognizing its host. Either the environment must be conducive to the development of the pathogen, or the pathogen must be able to stress/weaken the plant. The 4th requirement is the time required for diseases to develop and spread. Whenever conditions are such that any one (or more) of the 4 requirements is missing from the equation, there is no immediate threat. Since the best medicines are prophylactic, the grower who makes sure plants are healthy and not stressed is ahead of the game. Biotic diseases are better able to overcome the natural defenses of plants weakened by stress that occurs when the plant is forced to deal with cultural conditions near, at, or beyond the limits the plant is genetically programmed to deal with. Al

Depends on what it is. Try King County Cooperative Extension. They will need samples.

It's common for the leaves of some plants to tear as they unfurl if relative humidity is low. USUALLY, dorms are very low in RH. Might that be the case in your room? MG potting soil is very water retentive ...... to such a degree that they are best used with one or more work-arounds to mitigate the impact of excess water retention. Your digital devices (fingers) aren't as good at determining when it's time to water as a wooden "tell" would be. Moisture levels deep in the pot are what determines whether it's to water or withhold water. I just left the following on another post here at houseplants, you might find it interesting. Rather than check soil moisture levels with a digital device (a finger), it would be better to use a "tell" made from a 1/4 or 5/16" wooden dowel rod. They can be had from any hardware or home improvement store for 50-75 cents. Buy one 48" long, cut it into 2-24" pieces, and sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener. To use, push the dowel deep into the soil, as in all the way to the bottom. Pull it out, inspect the tip. If it's wet or stained dark from water and whatever's suspended in the soil solution, withhold water until it comes out nearly dry. If you check the top couple of inches of soil with a finger, and your finger reads "DRY", whatever is beneath the depth you can reach with a finger can be 100% saturated, which is decidedly bad for whatever plant is in the pot. From something I left on another thread about using a "tell": Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. None of the plants in the Ficus genus is particularly difficult to keep happy. As with all plants, soil choice is very important. Beyond that, they want LOTS of light, a warm spot free from cold drafts, and a nutritional supplementation plan that can be hit and miss if you can't water appropriately because of an overly water-retentive medium, or monkey easy if you're using a good soil or even a middling soil with work-arounds in place. Al

The spots are scars left by a physiological disorder called oedema. See the short piece I wrote below, which explains the cause and how to keep it from happening. Oedema Oedema is a physiological disorder that can affect all plants. It occurs when the plant takes up more water than it can rid itself of via the process of transpiration. The word itself means 'swelling', which is usually the first symptom, and comes in the form of pale blisters or water-filled bumps on foliage. Under a variety of circumstances/cultural conditions, a plant's internal water pressure (turgidity) can become so high that some leaf cells rupture and leak their contents into inter-cellular spaces in leaf tissue, creating wet or weepy areas. Symptoms vary by plant, but as the malady progresses, areas of the leaf turn yellow, brown, brown with reddish overtones or even black, with older damage appearing as corky/ scaly/ ridged patches, or wart/gall-like bumpy growth. Symptoms are seen more frequently in plants that are fleshy, are usually more pronounced on the underside of leaves, and older/lower leaves are more likely to be affected than younger/upper leaves. Oedema is most common in houseplants during the winter/early spring months, is driven primarily by excessive water retention in the soil, and can be intensified via several additional cultural influences. Cool temperatures, high humidity levels, low light conditions, or partial defoliation can individually or collectively act to intensify the problem, as can anything else that slows transpiration. Nutritional deficiencies of Ca and Mg are also known contributors to the malady. Some things that can help you prevent oedema: * Increase light levels and temperature * Monitor water needs carefully – avoid over-watering. I'd heartily recommend a soil with drainage so sharp (fast) that when you to water to beyond the saturation point you needn't worry about prolonged periods of soil saturation wrecking root health/function. Your soil choice should be a key that unlocks the solutions to many potential problems. * Avoid misting or getting water on foliage. It slows transpiration and increases turgidity. * Water as soon as you get up in the AM. When stomata close in preparation for the dark cycle, turgidity builds. If you water early in the day, it gives the plant an opportunity to remove (for its own needs) some of the excess water in the soil. * Put a fan in the room or otherwise increase air flow/circulation. Avoid over-crowding your plants. Al