Hi, Sarah. I can see you've done some reading. I'll offer some advice, which might seem a little bit general in some cases, which opens the door to questions if you have interest in getting deeper into a topic.

Sarah says (in bold): "[I] have started a watering schedule of once a week. There ARE situations when watering on a schedule is ok, but generally it's not. If your soil holds excess water, you should water only when the plant needs water, and you can best tell when it needs water by using a 'tell' in the form of a piece of wooden dowel rod (hardware or building supply store like Lowes/Home Depot) that's been sharpened on the ends. I also spray the leaves
daily with water. ..... More likely to cause problems than do any good.

So my questions are ...

Do I remove the damaged leaves? Or cut off the brown spots? Leaves are where almost all photosynthesis occurs. The product of photosynthesis is carbohydrates/ sugar, so think of each leaf as a mini food factory. The plant has chemical messengers that tell it when a leaf isn't pulling its weight. When that happens, the leaf is shed. If your plant is reasonably healthy and the leaf bothers you, remove it. If a plant is circling the drain, it needs all the green tissue it has, so avoid removing leaves with green on them from plants in severe decline. Too, there is still some good stuff in the spoiled foliage that the plant can recycle and use elsewhere. In the end, it's better for the plant if you don't remove any leaves with green on them (exception for diseased leaves), but not a big deal if you do unless the plant is stressed/strained.

When should I fertilize it? When it needs it. Some mistakenly think that fertilizer should be withheld in winter. I won't go into it unless you want me too, but plants that aren't in a predictive dormancy need all the essential nutrients in the soil at all times, and they will do best if the ratio of nutrients closely mimics the ratio at which the plant actually uses those nutrients. If you're using an appropriate soil, establishing and taking control over nutritional supplementation is very easy. If you're using a soil you can't flush regularly for fear the soil will remain saturated so long that it limits root function or wrecks root health, fertilizing is pretty much a crap shoot.

The tips (tops) are brown and look dried up or crispy, does that mean it won’t be able to produce new growth? need more info. Are you sure you're not looking at a bud sheath? The sheath dies as the bud it protects emerges and starts to open into a leaf or branch.

If so, when should I think about pinching the tops off to promote the new growth? You CAN pinch anytime you like, but you'll definitely get the best response (more back-budding) if you pinch or prune in very late spring or very early summer, by the calendar. Summer begins on June 21 in the N hemisphere, so 2 weeks either side of the solstice is the best time to work your trees hard (hard pruning, repotting).

I want to make sure that my timing is appropriate so that I don’t stress it out! Timing IS important. Plants have natural rhythms you can work WITH, or AGAINST. As you might think, working WITH the plant to minimize stress by working it when the plant is in the most active part of its growth cycle is not only easier on the plant, it also allows the grower to better scratch that itch to nurture everyone here has. It makes us feel we're more in sync with the things we care for.

Al

Hi Tapla! Thank you for taking the time to respond so thoroughly. I am so sorry for my delay getting back to you. As I read posts I always keep an eye out for your comments as they are so helpful. I would love to carry on this conversation if you are willing.

Since I posted on the 14th...

I've scratched the water schedule. I have dowels and use them, but I still question what I'm seeing when I pull them out, so I purchased a water meter. Since purchasing I now water when needed and when I notice the leaves wilting slightly.

I've stopped spraying completely. Instead I leave the water that drains to the dish and add more water to the dish when needed. The plant does not sit in the water as I have it propped on bricks inside the larger pot. Since bringing home, I have not repotted and do not plan to until spring/Summer around June. (as advised by Pike when purchasing)

I have not cut anything however randomly 1 leaf on 1 of the trunks (3 total trunks) turned yellow overnight, and when I lightly touched it to examine, it fell off. Curious if that is because I rotated the plant about a quarter turn two days prior?

As for the buds and bud sheaths, 2/3 of the trunks do not have the sheaths. What I assume is where the new growth will grow from, has brown tips. However below the brown tips, the trunk/stem is green.

I've had the plant for about a month now and fertilized for the first time yesterday. I used 10.10.10, 1/4 teaspoon in a gallon of water. I used Jacks classic all-purpose water-soluble plant food with micronutrients. (as advised from the Brooklyn Homestead blog)

What I've noticed is that the leaves on the bottom are huge and then smaller leaves are growing from the middle up. Like I stated in my first post, the plant was neglected when purchased, so figuring that could be why the leaves are smaller?

My last concern is the tilting of one of the trunks (see pic). It is somewhat top heavy but also leaves that grew towards the center of the pot have been removed, not by me. I think this was done to create room because three trunks are growing in one pot. I don't know for certain though. Should I stake it? Remove leaves? I'm torn about what the right thing is to do.

Once again, thank you for any and all advice you have to offer.

Thanks, Sarah