Thank you for replying.

The pot has several drainage holes.

For the winter, I think the leaf drop might be to a draft or temperature change. I placed the plants under a southern facing Velux window so they would receive good light (I live in a very cloudy country) but my room is in the attic and the temperature changes are stronger there.

The reason for watering from the bottom is because the humidity is very high here the majority of the year (about 80% humidity, I believe) and the damp upper soil sometimes invites problems such as bugs. I have no screens so everything flies in. This is particularly a problem in the cooler months. In the warmer months, I water from the top and let the water drain out.

I usually flush the my plants soil about once a month in the tub or sink but I haven't done it to this one since I brought it down a few weeks ago.

All the houseplants are watered with bottled tap water that has sat out for a few days.

The roots all look very healthy.

For the winter, I think the leaf drop might be to a draft or temperature change. OK. The main causes of leaf loss are over-watering, under-watering, a change in light levels, usually from brighter to dimmer, but leaves can be shed if the change from dimmer to brighter is significant enough, cold drafts, root congestion (a big one), and nutritional issues. I placed the plants under a southern facing Velux window so they would receive good light (I live in a very cloudy country) but my room is in the attic and the temperature changes are stronger there.

The reason for watering from the bottom is because the humidity is very high here the majority of the year (about 80% humidity, I believe) and the damp upper soil sometimes invites problems such as bugs. If gnats or other bugs that reside in the soil for a part of the metamorphic cycle are an issue, it's much to change your soil to another with superior drainage/aeration, otherwise, you're swapping one limitation for another when both can be avoided entirely. At a minimum, the soil should be flushed at least every 3rd or 4th time you water. All the houseplants are watered with bottled tap water that has sat out for a few days.

The roots all look very healthy. There is no point in allowing water to sit in an open container for any length of time. The main offenders to be found in tapwater are CMgO3 (magnesium carbonate), CaCO3 (calcium carbonate), fluoride, chlorine compounds. Some chlorine might gas off if the water is chlorinated with elemental chlorine, but most systems use chloramine or chloramide treatment that does not gas off appreciable. NONE of the fluoride or carbonates gas off - all are entirely left behind in the container as water evaporates; so essentially, the concentration of these chemicals increases linearly with the amount of evaporation that occurs.

Al

could you just tell us where you are ... you are making it all so mysterious.. i just have to know.. lol .. big city name and country ...

it seems to have started when you took it upstairs ... so.. you shocked/stressed it.. leading to leaf damage ... the more minor the damage.. the longer it takes to show ... the problem being... by the time you see it ... the problem might be gone.. and you are then late in trying to fix it.. if any problem is left to fix .... you already brought it back down ...

damaged leaves can still process light into energy ... so never cut them off .. until the stress is gone.. which would be indicated by young healthy growth ... and once that gets going.. you can remove the ugly old leaves as the plant is replacing them with new ... the plant will drop a leaf.. once it is useless ... or make it so apparent that you know its time to cut it off ...

imo ... its stressed.. and probably not hungry ... i would not fert until i felt that it is over its stresses ... though a little of this or that.. isnt going to hurt ....

try not to love it to death ... just leave it alone.. and water it properly ...

ken

"i would not fert until i felt that it is over its stresses ...." What if the source of stress is a lack of nutrients? A deficiency of any of the nutrients mobile in the plant can cause leaf shedding.

Al

Al:

I flushed the soil, so hopefully that helps. I will hold off on changing the soil for now.

Ken:

LOL, sorry, I was not trying to be mysterious. Brussels, Belgium for location. My apartment is on the top floor of an older house and my bedroom is the attic. The heating is below by the windows so I moved it up so it could have light but not the stress from the radiators. But it is not well-insulated and heated so it stressed it too much, I think. Perhaps this winter, I will just ease it away from light downstairs so it adapts better and not take it upstairs.

I think you are correct that the stress from being moved up was too much. There are several new leaves so I think it is much happier now. I have never tried to put plants upstairs before, so now I know :)

Thank you so much!