Question
I have has a ficus for several years.  Over the past couple of months, it began to lose a lot of leaves on one side, and dry out.  Now the other side with green leaves is becoming dry, and both green leaves and dry leaves are dropping.  At first I thought I was over watering, but now I'm not sure.

Answer
Hi Maurice,
It sounds like you have been overwatering and the Ficus may now have root rot.
Remove the plant from its pot and check the roots. They should be light colored and firm. If they are dark and mushy then the plant has root rot.
The plant may not recover but there are things you can do to try to save the plant if the root rot has not affected too many roots.
Trim off affected roots. Make the cut about 1 inch into healthy root. Repot the plant in fresh soil. If possible repot in a pot 1 size smaller than the one it was in.
Water the plant only enough to keep it from wilting and keep it out of direct sunlight. When there is a good amount of new growth then return to the normal care appropriate for that plant.
When you return to normal watering allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry between watering.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks
Tracy