Question
I live in central Florida, have an indoor 4-foot-tall ficus transplanted into a larger pot a few months ago.  The room is quite sunny, but the tree is not in direct sunlight, and the tree has been in the same spot for 2-3 years.  It has developed a scaly leaf spot, small and round, light brown with a dark center.  I can easily scrape it off with a fingernail.  Unfortunately, it has spread to virtually all the leaves, even the new growth is soon covered.  Some leaves turn yellow and drop, but the majority do not.  I do not detect any bugs either on the tree or in its soil.  Please tell me if/how I can treat this problem and what my general routine care for it should be.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Lauren, I checked this out and found this for you.  Leaf Spot Fungus - also known as cercospora spp. This looks like tiny black dots on the backs of the leaves of the tree. The leaves may turn yellow and fall off. Remove the diseased leaves and spray with Benlate (follow the instructions exactly). Do not mist the leaves.  I do not know what Benlate is but assume it has poison in it.  If this bothers you and you want to try something organic that will remove the fungus I would check out Atomic Grow.  kathy