I have mine in a pot, it does better outside. They are finicky.

I will let others advise you as to the timing of the repot... however, as someone who has had her share of back problems, one thing to keep in mind when you do repot is... maybe don't lift it? One approach might be:

1) prepare the new soil mix in advance... whether it is going to be 5-1-1 or gritty... (this is a whole separate issue... what you will put it in ... try to plan so you have the new mix ready 2 weeks ahead if its 5-1-1 ... I always forget this part) ...then

2) spread out a tarp or a layer of plastic bags, then a layer of newspaper, and ... (also, waiting a few days after watering, so it will be even lighter) ... just tip it on its side, very carefully, and slide it out of the pot. (If possible, you might want to drag it onto the balcony before this... but I don't know your situation...)

What you'll need to do is, remove the old soil completely and then keep the roots moist and get it into the new soil as soon as you can. I just did this myself a little while ago with a different plant. (And mine's not showing new growth yet... so it's very good you asked first if this is the right time to re-pot. I sure hope I didn't kill it.)

I like to put something on the ground under the lower trunk to support it/prop it up off the ground a bit while I de-soil the rootball, so I don't put stress on the trunk. This can get a little tricky but you can also just hold it up with your other hand.

If you time it right and have also a new container of whatever size you'll need (which is also something I don't know about) ... with the new mix in it (which probably should be pre-moistened)... then you can just re-plant it right away. If not, keep the roots moist in a bucket of water.

You will also need to figure out ahead of time what you are going to do about the drainage holes in the new pot. (I used that drywall tape in one recently, but I used two layers which really messed up my drainage... surprised the heck out of me! now I just use one... I don't know what everyone else uses.)

If you're lucky, people will tell you to wait until spring and that will give you plenty of time to read up.

I just chimed in bc I too have a hard time with lifting things and this whole process pretty much *is* going to be messy. Probably unavoidable to a certain degree. Nice thing about a bark mix is it will probably be a bit lighter.

And this is all just my opinion. I'm sure other people will have better tips about what they do. It's good to have a strategy -- that much I do know!

How often do you water it and how much? It looks dry to me. I would def put it outside, and repot, and reassess my watering habits.

I watered it two days ago with a couple of drops of fertilizer and it perked right back up! And typically I water it once a week, maybe a cup or two. Which was more than enough during the winter but perhaps in the summer months it needed a bit more? However the bottom branches' leaves are still yellowing and falling off, which to me means I am over watering. A friend recommended I trim at least the one branch on the left so the plant stops wasting energy on trying to save those leaves. I simply removed the yellowing leaves for now. I find it confusing/interesting that the main stalk needs the water at the top but the lower leaves are suffering from too much. Not sure what to do about that.

Thanks to your advice Al, I began watering more frequently and testing the soil. And it has now produced three new leaves on the main trunk and then one on the right hand trunk. However the new leaf on the right trunk is spotted with small brown spots. Should I be concerned?

Could you take a picture of the brown spots?

It's good to hear your plant is beginning to revive.

Are you following Al's advice to wait until the plant needs water before watering it? And how much water do you give it when you do? Did you start out by fully flushing the pot with a large volume of water to remove mineral salts from the soil?

Also, could you describe the brown spots or post a few photos?

Count me as wanting to see images, too.

Al

I do wait to water until my dowel comes out dry. And when I water it, I slowly water it until I see water coming out of the bottom. Unfortunately it's a little large to be able to move into a space to flush it fully as I live in an apartment. The first three leaves that appeared at the top of the plant look perfect. Just this last one. I've attached an image to show you what the spots look like. Thanks for help everyone!

Mary, here's my improvised and kind of crude draining method that might allow you to flush your monster in place. You'd still have to lift the pot a foot or so, but at least you wouldn't have to carry it around.

BTW, here's how I'd lift your plant if my back was hurting: I'd kneel on one knee, brace one elbow against the knee that was raised, and use that arm as a lever to lift the plant.

You'll need some string (or twine or light rope), two lengths of scrap wood or metal or sticks, a few buckets, and a piece of plastic (maybe a garbage bag that's been cut open) to catch drips.

First, tie the ends of two pieces of wood together with string. The narrow end works for small-to-medium sized pots and the wide end for big ones.

Here they're laid across the bucket for normal watering or fertigating.

And here they're separated so the the pot is tilted at 45 degrees, which drains more water to reduce the PWT. The string prevents the pieces of wood from being pushed away by the weight of the pot.

With two buckets you could switch between them as each gets full.

I hope that helps!

Lenore