"Jim Lewis" wrote in message
news:000f01c32962$3a646e20$41122cc7@pavilion...
Dimitry,

Both trees will like it better outdoors at this time of year.
If
nothing else, open the window, but if you can put them
outside,
do it.

Unfortunately, the open window is as close as I can get to
putting the
trees outside. I live in downtown Philadelphia, on the 4th
floor. I do try
to open the windows frequently. However, it has been raining
and storming
for the past 2+ weeks.

Don't rely on electronics to test the moisture in the soil.
Eyeball it, or use the stick-in-the-soil method, testing the
dirty end every day to see if it feels damp. Do NOT water
unless
the soil is dry.

I try to use both methods, with the hydrometer to support my
opinion.
Should I let the soil dry completely through?

Well . . . not "completely" but doggone close. In time, you will
be able to merely lift the pots and determine whether it's time
to water or not, but until then, when the stick feels dry, WATER.


It sounds to me like you are using a soil for both trees that
holds much too much water. The one limp branch on the ficus
is
definately a root problem. When you repotted, did you
completely
bare-root the tree? If not, there may be some soil that
stays
too soggy -- or that is so dense that when you water the pot,
it
never even gets wet.

I am actually using 2 different soils. The serissa is in a
tropical soil
from bonsai boy of new york. The Willow Leaf is a soil from
Bonsai of
Brooklyn. The Willow Leaf ficus soil is extremely well
draining. But you
are definitely correct, I did not completely bare-root the
tree. I was
afraid to disturb the tree too much. It was really
water-logged. I thought
about putting it peat moss, but I forgot why I didn't. What
can I do to
save the branch and the tree? Should I disturb the roots
again?

I'm no Ficus expert (understatement) but I understand that they
transplant best in warm weather. I would GUESS that taking the
tree out and washing away all the soil without removing any more
root (except the rotted parts that will just flush away anyway)
would work. But if you have someone nearby who knows more about
Ficus that I do (maybe your neighbor's three-year-old daughter!),
ask her -- just to be sure.

The branch may be un-saveable by now. But maybe not.

The sun's a coming. Don't be too eager. It was 90 here today
with 67% humidity. Just breathing hard was enough to raise a
sweat.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - This economy
is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment. - Gaylord
Nelson, 1995

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