Hi everyone,

I posted this question as a general soil question in House Plants and Container gardening and got no answers, so I am hoping someone here can help.

I purchased this Rubber Tree a week ago. It was all 3 trunks in a single pot of peat based soil. As you can see (more pictures below) it was not in the best of shape to begin with. According to the shop owner it had just arrived and it was a mistake delivery and she will not have it in stock again. I liked the variegation and wanted to give it a try, so I bought it anyway to try to help it recover.

The owner of the nursery said she did not know if it had been overwatered, but that she thinks the damage to the leaves (see top and undersides) was due to the plant being delivered during a cold spell of 17 degree weather.

I am in Little Rock (Zone 8) and I know the best time to repot Figs is June/July. However, the only other Fig I had was a Fiddle Leaf bought in winter, and as I waited to repot it in June, I overwatered the soil it came with and killed it. Knowing my limitations with watering I decided to emergency repot the Rubber Trees given their state and my tendency to overwater.

So I separated the trees into 2 pots. The single trunk is in a 2 quart plastic pot with several holes cut in the bottom, and the two others are in a 7.5" Azalea clay pot. I made a version of 5-1-1, which is:

- 5 parts unscreened ReptiBark

- 1 part similar sized LECA/hydroton

- 1 part Manna Pro grower size granite

- 1 part Fertilome African Violet peat

After repotting, I watered thoroughly, letting all water drain out, and placed them in bright indirect light coming from a southeast window. The temperature is always between 65 and 75 degrees. I plan to fertilize with Foliage Pro 9-3-6, but only in a few weeks or months when it's had a chance to recover a bit.

My questions are:

- does the "soil" mix look ok to you?

- is the larger particle size going to pose enough of a problem (and if so what kinds of problems might it pose) that I should buy Turface (or break the LECA with a hammer and screen it), screen the bark, and repot in true/traditional 5-1-1?

If the plant can thrive healthily in this medium, I would be happy to keep it even if it does not reach 100% of its potential. But if it won't be health or live or be stunted, then I'll do the work and repot

- what do you think are the causes of the splotchy/withering leaves? I'm guessing overwatering or salt accumulation in the peat based soil it came in

- what do you think is the cause of the rust colored marks under some of the leaves, and what if anything should I do about it?

Thank you all so much! I know the plants were in rough shape to begin with, but I love them and would love to be able to help them recover and thrive.