Generally speaking, with any plant you should water thoroughly, until the soil is saturated and runs out freely. I personally put my plants (even the 5 1/2 foot tall cacti, which is always a fun time) in the shower and spray them down, let them drain, and then bring them back out, so I have no idea what a ballpark figure would be. I'd say you're probably better off to move the plastic pot back and forth, because if you think it's heavy *now*, wait until you try to lift a 16-inch clay pot full of wet soil. That said, people do manage, sometimes, to water without moving their plant all over creation. Not sure how to advise on this one, because it depends on how blocked the drainage holes are, the season, the type of soil you have in the pot, how wet the plant is now, the temperature, etc. Also, to go back a few topics: Spider mites are possible, but not likely to affect the whole tree all at once within a few days of bringing it home. I would do a google search for pictures, so you'll know them if you see them, but I wouldn't worry about them either. dgmarie: I would think that neither the alkalinity nor the iron content of the well water is likely to be that big of a deal. Or at least, I would assume that the salt content of the softened water is a much bigger deal. I wouldn't worry about adding supplemental iron: it's probably not necessary.

I am no pro on indoor plants. But 1st thing I would have is a moisure meter About 4 bucks at lowes. If moisture is correct then I would think about the soil. Most liquid fertilizers lock up nutrients over time. The soil might need to be changed. If it is in real tight in the pot a hack saw will cut it off real nice and quick. New soil and proper moisture cures most things. A treatment of fungicide while it is out of the pot is in order. I am a new snake oil convert. I use super thrive it works for me. You proably have some type of mineral defieciency. Well this covers 99.9% of possible problems. Domestic animals could be another source of your problem but then the above would cure it for a while. Good Luck, Jim

If I'd give it a lot more light. What type is soil is it in? Did you repot or pot up? lastly, I'd place my bet on overwatering and accumulated salts in the soil. Watering once a week by just feeling the top of the soil means it's probably still very damp down below. Watering with a a cup also ensures you're not flushing out the soil regularly. Get a wooden dowel and sharpen it. Stick it in the soil all the way to the bottom and then pull it out. If it's dark and damp don't water. Wait until it comes out clean and dry to water. You can keep checking every couple days.

robin98, I asked about this in another thread (Ficus Trees in Containers IV) and Al shed some light on this for me! Since the new growth we're seeing is an entirely new branch instead of a continuation of the original stem, it's normal for the first leaves to be small and get successively larger as the branch grows. Andrea, That is a very cool looking rubber tree! The answer I found for mine wouldn't be applicable to your entire plant though, so that's a new mystery entirely! Maybe it is just a random gene mutation?