Question
Hi,
I have a Ficus . lately I have observed that it has shed all its leaves. The branches also look dry. I have been taking good care of it but I don't understand why it shed all its leaves. Is it alive or dead and how can I regain its health.thanks

Answer
You can scrape a little bark off an upper outer branch and if the color under the bark is green the branch is still alive and should bud out. If the color under the bark is brown the branch is dead at that point on the branch--continue down the branch scraping at intervals until you find green or reach the trunk. IF the color is brown that branch is dead and can be pruned off. If you find no green the tree I am sorry to say is dead.