---
title: "The Ficus Wrangler — Interior Designers & Decorators | Houzz"
canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/the-ficus-wrangler-pfvwus-pf~847453270
markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~847453270.md
entity_type: LocalBusiness
business_name: "The Ficus Wrangler"
category: ["Interior Designers & Decorators"]
image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/5af3ba300012d3f6_1190-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg
address: "19300 SW 36th St., Dunnellon, Florida 34431, United States"
latitude: 29.1392
longitude: -82.5328
phone: "(727) 543-8219"
website: http://theficuswrangler.blogspot.com/
rating: 0
review_count: 0
followers: 72
last_updated: 2026-09-06
---

# The Ficus Wrangler

Original Houzz profile: [The Ficus Wrangler](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/the-ficus-wrangler-pfvwus-pf~847453270)

## Professional summary

- **Primary category:** Interior Designers & Decorators
- **Location:** Dunnellon, FL
- **Serves:** Tampa bay area and north-centr
- **Houzz rating:** 0.0 out of 5 (0 reviews)

## About

### Houzz Badges

- Houzz Influencer

Interior horticulturist in the Interior Landscaping industry for 30 years,  now bringing  professional methods to the general public - Down With Dead Houseplants.

### Services Provided

- Interior Design
- indoor plant design and maintenance

### Areas Served

- Tampa bay area and north-centr

## Business Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Business Name | The Ficus Wrangler |
| Address | 19300 SW 36th St., Dunnellon, Florida 34431, United States |
| Phone | (727) 543-8219 |
| Website | http://theficuswrangler.blogspot.com/ |
| Followers on Houzz | 72 |

**Social profiles:**
- Blog — http://theficuswrangler.blogspot.com/

## Contact

- **Houzz profile:** [The Ficus Wrangler](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/the-ficus-wrangler-pfvwus-pf~847453270)
- **Website:** http://theficuswrangler.blogspot.com/
- **Phone:** (727) 543-8219

## Ideabooks

- [Garden ideas for Florida](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/64472756/list/garden-ideas-for-florida) — 32 ideas
- [ideas for new house](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/66618837/list/ideas-for-new-house) — 114 ideas
- [Presentation ideas](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/61917071/list/presentation-ideas) — 5 ideas

[See all 3 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/theficuswrangler)

## Community Q&A

**Q: My Dischidia has bugs** *(in House Plants)*

Seems like my Dischidia Million Hearts has bugs. Every time the weather is nice I run it up to the roof for sunlight. I guess it caught bugs up there. 
All the new growth is covered in with clusters of tiny yellow things that move. 
I'm going to throw it in the garbage, and it breaks my heart. I've pampered this plant now for two years, and it's thriving. If my manta are going to catch bugs when I bring them out, then I'm going to just throw them all in the garbage. I'll just keep my hanging Pothos and a few of the snake plants. I'll have to chuck my Jades, my cacti, etc. It's all very disappointing. I do know that I'm not going to spend months spraying insecticides and taking them out with swabs

A: spjin - alcohol and water is not really a very good thing to use. Much better is mild liquid soap (you can use horticultural soap if you want, but you don't have to) and water, 1 tsp soap in 2 cups water. Some people like to add a bit of alcohol, like 1 tsp, for treatment of mealy bugs and aphids, but honestly, I've always had just as good results with just soap and water. But I'm wondering what you were treating for? If the plant was gorgeous and thriving, did it have a problem? And if it had mites (which hedera are terribly sensitive to,) it might have been those that killed it, rather than the alcohol and water, which doesn't much affect mites. And if you sprayed only once, perhaps all you did was piss them off, and encourage them to double their efforts to mount an invasion. They have to be sprayed weekly for 4 weeks, to keep killing off the young as they hatch and before they can lay new eggs.

**Q: aspadistra houseplant care** *(in House Plants)*

Who knows if cast iron plant is draft tolerant ?  Would it do well near a.c. vent ?

A: Put  your hand where the plant will sit. If you feel cold, uncomfortable air on your hand...well, you wouldn't want to sit there, right? So neither would your plant. But if all that you feel is a gentle breeze, not especially cold, your plant should be okay. It might even like it.

**Q: Jade Plant Infestation?** *(in House Plants)*

Hello! I recently received a beautiful Jade Plant from a friend. Recently I saw a little mold growing on the top of it, just scrapped it off. Also, while scraping it off - I noticed little bugs crawling around in the soil. They would be around 1-2 mm long. They looked a little silver and skinny. They were no where on the leaves, just moving around in the soil. I have no idea what they could be? Should I think about re-potting?

A: While I have no objection to the spraying of various things to discourage mold, you should be aware that mold growing on the soil is a good indication that the soil is too wet. Especially for a jade plant, wet soil = dead plant!. Succulents, of which jade plant is one, need for their potting soil to get dry, all the way to the bottom of the pot, between waterings. This will also discourage thingies that are living on the soil. If you can learn to test the soil moisture before you water, you'll have gone a long way toward being a successful plant person. You can test the soil with an electronic moisture meter (be aware that they can easily stop working) or a bamboo skewer, even a pencil. You push these last two into the soil, then pull up the tester, and run it between your fingers - it should feel dry. Don't water until the tester is dry (or reads dry if its electronic.) When you do water, water plenty, allowing it to run freely out the drainage holes.
As far as "mold" on the leaves or stems of the plants, if you see it, it's not mold, it's mealy bug. You can wipe them away with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol, as many people recommend. Be aware that if you are seeing them, there are probably dozens that are too tiny to see, hidden in the crevices of the plant. You'll need to spray the plant with a mixture of soap and water - best to use a pure soap, such as castile, or insecticidal soap. Mix 1 teaspoon into 2 cups of water. You can add a little vegetable oil (1/2 teaspoon) and/or alcohol (1/2 teaspoon). Actually, people use these ingredients in many different ratios and formulations. 
The important thing is to spray the plant once a week for 4 weeks - this makes sure you kill all the crawlers as they hatch, but before they can lay more eggs.

**Q: Any advice welcome- dying Dracaena marginata** *(in House Plants)*

Hi everyone,
I was hoping i could get some advice on how to bring my plant back to life.
It was doing great before I left last Thursday and when I returned Sunday night the top was wilted and some leaves were yellow and had fallen off.
It got up to 93 degrees over the weekend and wasn't sure if the heat may have affected it or if it's something I needed to do. It generally never gets this hot here and before i start to give it water I wanted to see if the plant is saveable.
Please let me know, I would love to bring it back to life if possible!

A: A couple of things that might help you to understand what might have happened. Plants often don't show signs right away when something goes wrong; often, especially in plants like the marginata, you don't see a sign (except MAYBE a few yellow leaves) that the roots are rotting until the whole plant is basically dead. And feeling the soil on the surface doesn't really help - you have to check the soil moisture down near the bottom of the pot. That's where all the roots are. Even if the soil is all dry now, if it was wet for a month or so at an earlier time, the rot could get started. Once it gets started, it's almost impossible to stop.
However, I'm like about 99.99% sure the heat had nothing to do with it. Heat and humidity just aren't the factors that many people think. After all, the things are native to the tropics, and their adaptability is what has made them so significant as indoor plants. The only thing that can really kill them is wet roots.

**Q: What is the problem?** *(in House Plants)*

Hi all. Recently I'm encountering problem with my calathea. Its leaves are going yellow and/or drying at edges and curling. Is it some deficiency? The plant is not happy of where it is standing? Or maybe it is disease?

It came to such bad state with all leafs that about 2 weeks after re-potting when I spotted new leafs coming up, I had to cut off all adult leafs. The plant comes back to life nicely but still the problem seems not to be eradicated. Attaching photos...Please help? What shall I try to save this plant?

Thanks!

Anna

A: Try more light. Calatheas, stromanthes, marantas are generally rather difficult plants, with very specific requirements. In addition, many of the cultivars that are sold look very pretty in the stores, but don't last worth a fig.

**Q: Input on cause of ficus lyrata leaf drop** *(in House Plants)*

Hello. I got my fiddle leaf fig at the end of March. It had signs of being overwatered at the store and is in what looks like a fine standard indoor potting mix. The plan was to repot in June. I had dried it out, only watered when a bamboo skewer inserted all the way through the pot was dry (averages out to be about 14 days). It stayed up in front of a west facing window and got maybe 2-3 hrs of direct light, with the rest being indirect. I went on a 13 day trip, watered it just before I left (the skewer was dry) and when I came back yesterday, it dropped 50% of its leaves.

Wanted to know what your thoughts were on why it dropped the leaves. I didn't think anything changed except for maybe less circulation (no windows were opened when I was gone). Unless somehow I had over/underwatered it to begin with (which I didn't think I was). Or maybe bugs? I found these guys mid April or so on a leaf and I wiped it down with alcohol. 

Any input is highly appreciated. I'm not sure what I should change or just stay the course and hope nothing else bad happens... I'm forgoing the plan to repot in June and holding off fertilizing.

Before:

After:



Bugs (white dots on the stem/base of the leaf):

A: I would have recommended you leave the tree in its original pot and soil - contrary to what many people advise, those of us in the professional indoor plant trades (interior landscaping, or commercial plant care) find that repotting newly-purchased plants is one of the least beneficial things you can do for them. The growers have them in a mix that actually promotes growth. Think about it - if the growers don't have plants growing quickly and strong, they don't have any profits. If you only had the plant for 3 months, it certainly had no time to develop fertilizer problems, or salt build up. (BTW, growers recommend you not fertilize lyratas for at least 6 months after purchase.) I think it most likely the leaf drop had more to do with the change of light it had gone through, from grower to truck to store to your home. 
The care that you describe, testing soil moisture with a skewer, watering till you see a run off, sounds right on to me. If you were gone only 13 days, that was still the interval you'd been using, so I don't think underwater could be the problem; besides, underwatered leaves usually turn yellow before falling. You could probably let the soil get a bit drier with no problems, but I don't see any sign of overwatering, either, which would appear as brown areas on the tips of the leaves.
I don't see much difference between the size of the original pot and the new one - in any case, a 10" pot is a standard size for a lyrata of that size, and it should be good in that pot for 2 or 3 years. If you want to make some changes in the soil now, you could, since the little feeder roots (you see them on the outside of the original soil mass) have already been destroyed. Don't worry, it'll be okay - lyratas are tough and persistent.
Anyway, since you've decided to use a conventional soil mix, I think you have the right idea of putting perlite in it, but you can use more - I use up to 50/50 mix of perlite with my potting mix, which is cactus mix, if I'm using packaged soil. Just be sure that you don't use a kind labeled "moisture managing," or "moisture retentive."
If you had left the plant in the original soil, you wouldn't need to worry about fertilizing at least till next fall. However, since you pulled it out of the grower's soil, which already had fertilizer, quite possibly a slow-release form, fertilizing now would be acceptable, though not strictly necessary - after all, fresh soil should be "fully charged" with minerals. If you want to fertilize, I would recommend a water-soluble formulation in a 3-1-2 ratio with micro-nutrients. Add fertilizer with the water, don't worry about removing the run-off. (With this system, you won't fertilize again for 3 months, so there's not much problem of salt buildup.) Set the plant back by the window, continue testing the soil for moisture and watering as you were, and sit tight. Plan to fertilize every 3 or 4 months. Your lyrata should right itself soon, though it will use its energy for growing roots before it turns to leaves.

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*Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-06.*