Mark,

Move the plant to a warm sunny location. If you are in Chicago, I doubt you
could find too much sun anywhere in your house this time of year, btw.

Perhaps the leaf-droop was due to too much or too little watering, doesn't
matter now. But, you need to not keep watering it like you usually do if the
soil is moist and is staying moist. Don't water it "on a schedule." Check it
every day and wait for the top of the soil to dry out. In fact, if it is
really wet and has been really wet for a few days, take it out of the pot
and let the rootball air-dry for a few hours. If you have it sitting in a
drip catching pan, make sure it does not sit in any water. In the summer, I
let mine sit in the water on purpose, but not if you are trying to dry it
out...raise it up with a grate or brick or something..

And definately look for bugs like the other poster suggested. I got a weird
little black bug this year that makes the leaves fold up in half lengthwise.
Talk about ugly!

hth,
John
in Houston, where my Ficus are on the back porch and have braved 31F this
winter and 100F last summer (in afternoon shade of course...but full morning
sun) with no leaf drop


"Mark Anderson" wrote in message
. net...
I have an indoor ficus that seems to be dying or starting the process of
"swirling down the drain." I've had this plant for three years now and
although they don't do very well in the winter, this winter all the
leaves have drooped, something I've never seen out of these plants. I
put 2 pics up at:

http://www.brandylion.com/images/ficus/index.html

It's in an 18" pot, the same pot for 3 years so I'm not sure if it's root
bound or needs to be upgraded to a 20" pot. The soil is moist so I'm
afraid of juicing it with some Miracle Grow. When I juiced my Rosemary
with Miracle Grow it only made things worse. I did have this plant in a
rather cold area of the house. This winter I closed that area off even
more to save heat so it might have gotten in the 40s or 50s up there for
a few cold days. I have since moved it downstairs and in a sunny room
hoping that it will survive.

Can anyone think of what else I can do? Trim it perhaps? I really don't
want to lose this plant. The leaves look a lot more healthy in the
pictures. They feel very thin and papery to the touch.

BTW: I'm in Zone 5 Chicago to give an idea of the light cycles going on
here.