I know I look small but I did all but 5 all by myself.. the rest I got help from a few neighbors.. I have two cherrys too, one yoshino which bloomed and the other a weeping which I got no flowers at all ;( pond is almost done.. not sure why my guestbook doesnt work, it allows users to add entries but they dont save.. will call them tomorrow.. My big sagos are yellowing a bit.. not sure why, from the side view you cant tell but from overhead they are yellowing.. will fertilize again, but once they turn colors you cant reverse it.. the big ones I got in my front yard I got for free.. over 600$ value.. just had to rent the truck and do the labor to remove them.. All my small ones are sending up new fronds which is always a treat as it looks so amazing... have three and all are sending up new fronds now.., will be sure to protect them this winter as I did not last winter..

Am I understanding correctly that you did a full repot, which includes removing all existing grow media, root pruning, and a change of medium? If yes, and especially considering a highly stressed plant will have little in the way of natural defense against insect herbivory and pathogens, your priorities should be to ensure the grow medium is damp/moist - about as damp as a well-wrung out sponge, not wet or soggy, the plant is warm (21-26c), and it gets plenty of light. Resist the urge to water until a wooden "tell" inserted deep into the pot bottom comes out barely moist. More on 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 plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, 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. I'll link you to two short pieces I wrote that provide 1) An Overview of Good Growing Practices, and 2) an Specific Overview of Long Term Care of Ficus in Containers. Hopefully it's not too little, too late. If you have other questions you think I might be able to answer, please don't hesitate. I have at least 40 containerized Ficus covering at least a dozen species or cultivars. Al

As a pool professional of over 35 years, IN NEW ENGLAND, this is something I have actually seen several times. My first thought was multiple pinholes in the liner due to a stonedust bottom, which is very common, second was possibility of ants/termite damage on the bottom if the bottom was done with sand ( also very common )-neither of these seem to be the case here. Third would be the possibility that the main drain cover may have failed, possibly jarred loose when vacuuming the pool,and the gasket has separated and therefore not really visible as a tear or leak ( I would lean on this as the cause more than anything else. ) There would be no hydrostatic valve in this vinyl pool, rarely if ever used in vinyl installations. The dual main drain is the new code NATIONWIDE, and any renovation or new install requires these dual drains. Either way, looks like you got it repaired and hopefully you'll have another 12-15 years with this liner.

Direct sunlight would be outside in direct sun. The sun coming through your windows is already going to be filtered light. It would be very good for your tree to repot into a container with drainage, use something like the 5:1:1 mix and place it right up in front of a southern facing window where it recieves as much light as possible. I grow quite a few ficus benjaminas. They have the same general needs as your tree. Naturally, these trees want as much light as possible. Anything that says they don't like direct light is false. It's just that indoor grown leaves can't handle full outdoor sun unless acclimated. In the winter months, I keep the tree in front of a southern facing window with the addition of grow lights. I have five 55w (250w equivalent) 5500k grow lights above the tree. In the summer, I acclimate the tree over a span on a couple weeks and then place it in full direct sun all summer. That is when it puts out the most growth. Literally grows a couple feet every summer. the tree is 7 feet all and was under 4 feet tall when I got it a year and a half ago. Currently in an 18" terra cotta pot in Al's 5:1:1 mix.