Hi guys! Im new here from Florida. I recently joined cause I need some real help. I bought 2 nice, healthy lithops (living stones) plants from a local garden center and brought them home. I repotted them in a dry mixture of 1 part course sand, 1 part sandy soil and 1 part perlite. They were plenty wet beforehand, so I decided to keep them dry for a while before watering them so that they would not rot from overwatering. I kept them in a fairly low light place for a few days till they had time to adjust to the shock of repotting then moved them slowly into greater light conditions. To my dismay, they shriveled within 2 days into nothing more then a desicated mass. I think it might have something to do with the humidity down here, but to tell the truth, Im new at this and I don't really know. I need some serious advice, anyone else have this happen to them? or live in similar conditions and can give me some advice as to how to counter this? I really would like to grow these fascinating plants, its killing me, cause they are just so freaking cool... Thanks in advance! :)

2hrs of full sun is not enough, even in LA. You may want to put them in a spot that is protected from mid-day sun - when it may be too strong, but in full sun in am and perhaps later on. I keep all of mine in full sun sunrise to sunset. Moving into more sun should be done gradually, otherwise they could burn. So add just some, and after few days or so add some more. Well draining mix is what you need, and you won't get it by adding just little pumice or perlite. Ppl that use soil in their mix will use Cactus & Succulent soil mixed with minimum half, or as much as 80%, of coarse perlite. You can use pumice or perlite or even both, but add generously. Plants in photos potted in terracotta pots are too low/deep inside of pot; pls. add more mix when repotting. Water when mix is almost completely dry - use bamboo skewer or chopstick to check: insert at least 3/4 deep into pot and leave it there for few minutes. If it is dry and clean when pulled up, mix has dried and plant should be watered. If it comes out damp/cold and it may also have small particles sticking to it, mix is still wet and wait few more days. Check again, water if dry. Watering should be thorough, not just sips, until excess water runs out thru drainage holes. Water the mix, not the plant. Some plants have protective coating on their leaves, looking like dust or powder. It is there for a reason - to protect leaves - and should not be rubbed off. Spots on some of your plants could be mold if they stayed wet for too long, or if very humid. Assure good air flow by leaving space between pots. Perhaps it is humid by the pool?

Hi! A couple of years ago, I got a cutting of a ficus elastica that grew into a lovely plant... until recently. Its leaves are now droppy and I’ve noticed small dark brown spots at the back of the leaves, on the edges. The spots look yellowish from the front. The ficus is in a pot, outside, under a patio (translucent roof, so it gets plenty of light) I water it frequently but not so frequently in winter as it gets quite humid here. I’m in Perth, Western Australia. We’re currently in spring. Winters are coolish but it never freezes or snows. Summers are hot and dry. Spring and autumn are just perfectly sunny and comfortably warm. I am located 30kms from the beach so no salty winds or rains here. I have checked the plant for pests but couldn’t find any. The trunk looks healthy too. Am I overwatering? Under watering? Should I check the roots and repot? I’m lost... Thanks in advance

Unless there is a soil test that indicates that something is missing, stop with the fertilizer. You can create issues with excess fertilizer, both in the garden and in the surface water and groundwater where the excess ends up. As an indication of how much fertilizer this plant needs, in my nutrient poor acid sandy loam soil, without any fertilizer ever, mine has done fine, blooming profusely and taking over as much territory as I will allow it. And regardless, you want to stop fertilizing in August so the plant stops putting out new growth for the year that might not have time to harden off before winter. Do you check to see how moist the soil is before watering? And how long do you water for or how much water do you give it? I would look at the underside of the leaves to see if there are insect pests, but other than quitting with the fertilizer and checking to see that you aren’t over- or under-watering, I would chalk it up to being late in the season, and as a new plant with less developed roots that gets a lot of sun, the leaves are a bit tired. Typically, this is planted where it gets some shade in the afternoon when sun and heat are particularly intense.