Question
I recently "rescued" a variegated leaf ficus that was about to be thrown in the trash by a neighbor re-doing their landscaping.  I did not immediately pot the plant, and now almost all the leaves have turned brown and dropped. One small branch still has healthy looking leaves, so I am hoping that I can still save the poor thing.  I did a root soak with water and a small amount of SUPER THRIVE (vitamins).  I have a large planter for it and would like to pot it in there, but would like some advice to do it correctly without causing it more stress than it has already been through.

Answer
Marcie,

It should not be planted in a pot that has a diameter more than 2 inches larger than the pot it was in before. Make sure the pot has drainage holes and a drain tray under it for good drainage. A ficus is not a swamp plant. When you repot it buy an extra bag of perlite and mix it with the potting soil to improve the drainage. Mix 1 part of perlite with 2 parts of potting soil.

It will need to be sitting in a location where it gets some sun, next to an east, west or south facing window that has the window covering open most of the day. It may have dropped a lot of leaves because it was not getting enough sun where it lived before.

You can prune some of the dead branches off of it and that would be a very good idea just before you repot it. It would make it a bit easier to repot. Just make sure you leave the leaves that it does have. Give it as much sun as possible even letting it sit outside as long as night temps are above 50 degrees.

If you have more questions write again. Good luck.

Darlene