Question
My Dad received a beautiful Bonsai Fig for his 90th birthday. It has thrived well for four years on the bathroonm sink, with bright but diffused light from the muted-glass privacy window. A friend periodically used to "shower" it with cool water to get rid of possible spider mites.  The plant loved it and never seemed to suffer from its shower. Recently it has dropped all its leaves, but worse the legs of the trunk seemed to be soft to the touch and now seem to be withering, and this really concerns me.  The soil seems to have some white "mold" and I spotted some on the trunk of the plant as well as on the rocks.There seems to be a hole where there is soil missing between the trunk, the rocks, and the side of the 7x5" oval pot with a separate but connected water tray below it. I thought my dad may have overwatered it.  It may have gotten a cold draft from the open window.  I have cut all the branches to spurt new growth, because this did it well two summers ago, let it dry out a little, and today I cleared out the mold from the soil and "washed" the trunk of the plant.
I fear that we have severely stressed the plant by doing all the wrong things and hope that it can survive our misguided care and attention. Please help us.  this plant has very sentimental value because it was given to my dad by his beloved godchild and it really is a very beautiful plant when healthy.  What can we do now?  Does it need to be repotted(what kind of soil do we need), fertilized(never been fertilized), just left alone for awhile with gentle watering to recover, or are we too late since the trunk legs have started to go soft?  Please help us save this once beautiful plant. Thank you so much, Marie

Answer
Hi Maria,

The soft trunks mean that the roots have already rotted beyond saving and that means the plant cannot be saved. I wish I had a solution for you, but if I offered one I would be misleading you.

The root rot has been developing slowly for a long time. It is a result of too little light and not allowing the soil to dry out sufficiently between waterings. Plants that are in poor ligth use very little water.

Figs must be kept right on sunny windowsills with clear glass. Bathrooms are not good locations for most plants because the light is not usually adequate. There was enough light in this case to keep the plant alive for 4 years, but it actually has been slowly dying due primarily to inadequate light. If we had caught the problem before the trunks started to soften, it might have been possible to save the plant.

I have written articles on Ficus care and on Bonsai care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC