Question
We received a ficus about a month ago in a pot for my father's wake.  We brought the tree home and put it in our house so that would have it forever.  The tree is slowly dropping all of its leaves (they are green).  the Tree is in a westerly facing window room that gets sun but the widow is covered with a sheer curtain and an open blind.  we have been only watering the tree when the soil is dry, misting the branches and the leaves are still dropping.  please help!  we want to save this tree!

Answer
Hi Teresa,
  As far as I can tell you are basically doing everything right. Ficus is notorious from dropping it's leaves, especially in response to even the slightest change in environment.
In late summer and fall, the loss of up to 20% of the leaves is quite natural. You are already doing most of the things recommended to keep leaf loss to a minimum in any season, mist plant daily to help increase humidity and withhold fertilizer until the leaf drop stops. Also resist the temptation to overwater a shedding plant, which will make the problem worse. With good care, new leaves will appear in spring and summer to replace those that were lost.
Ficus can experience an unnatural, excessive leaf drop for many reasons, such as a sudden change in temperature and/or light levels and as I said before, a change in environment. Overwatering and over fertilizing can also cause excessive leaf drop.

Ficus require bright, indirect light. An east facing window or a curtain filtered south facing window is ideal. A curtain filtered west facing window will also work but make sure the blinds are lifted up, not just open. The blinds being down but open may be filtering the light too much and your ficus may need just a bit more light. Ficus will adapt to direct sunlight but a combination of dry air and direct sunlight can lead to problems with spider mites. Misting the plant is beneficial for both the health of the plant and prevention of spider mite infestations.

Ficus should be watered when the top 1-2 inches of soil feels dry to the touch. Water plant until a small amount of water drains from the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. Plant should be watered less in the winter when the plant is dormant and light levels are lower.
Ficus grow best in a well draining potting soil. Adding a small amount of extra perlite and vermiculite to a good commercial potting mix will help improve soil drainage.

Keep plant in a warm place that is free from cold or warm drafts as temperature changes cause excessive leaf drop.

Ficus can be sensitive to fluoride, chlorine and other mineral deposits commonly found in tap water. I recommend using distilled water. Ficus is also sensitive to high salt levels in the soil. Using distilled water and avoiding over fertilizing will keep salt levels in the soil to a minimum.
It also might be a good idea to check the plant for any insects or spider mites. Look on the underside of the leaves for any sign of insect presence.
Spider mites can barely been seen with the naked eye. The most common Spider Mite is the Two-spotted Spider Mite, they have soft pear shaped bodies with 2 dark spots on their backs. The most visible sign of a Spider Mite presence is webbing on the undersides of leaves and between stems, however, webbing indicates a high population of Spider Mites. Although Spider Mites are very hard to see with the naked eye, their eggs can usually been seen easily, grouped together on the undersides of leaves.

Despite all the problems that can happen with a Ficus, I have found that once you find a place that the Ficus is happy in it will require little more care after that to stay healthy.

Since this Ficus is from your father's funeral and has a lot of sentimental value, you might want to propagate this plant. Then you will not only have a second ficus plant but if something happens to the original tree you will still have some of it.
Ficus are not the easiest plants to propagate but with a little extra effort and following these tips, you should be able to propagate the ficus without much problem.
It would be best to try to propagate the ficus when it is actively growing.
Taking cuttings from new, green branches will root the easiest and quickest but cuttings from woody (brown) branches will root too. Dip the cut end of the cuttings in rooting hormone. Rooting hormone will help the cuttings root. Put the cuttings in soil. Ficus cuttings really don't root in water very well.
If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
        Tracy

PS ~ Here is a link to a guide I wrote on insect control on houseplants. It has a lot of information on the most common insects/mites found on houseplants, the different methods to control them and the most common insecticides.

http://reviews.ebay.com/Insect-Control-On-Houseplants_W0QQugidZ10000000004625662