Beginner Gardening: Help please: Black rotting spots on my Bodhi tree leaves! , 1 by PatrickA_FL

PatrickA_FL wrote:
Once again Al, I thank you for your help.

The information about cystoliths is very helpful. I appreciate it very much. It opens up a whole new topic for me to research to become a better grower, so thank you.

Considering I am growing in the coarse soil mix and fertilizing with the 3-1-2 fertilizer as you have recommended, I am hopeful that the cystoliths will not turn yellow on the newly grown foliage. I have gained 7 new leaves in the last 10 days for a total of 15 leaves now, so things are certainly moving in the right direction I feel. None of the white spots on the new leaves have become chloriotic as yet, so i am hoping they remain this way.

If you were to suspect which cultural condition causes the chloriosis around the cystoliths, what would it be? I am refraining from watering the tree until the soil is mostly dry, and I use a Pur water filtration system to filter my city water prior to using. I would normally use reclaimed rain water, but it is the dry season here in Florida. I can purchase and use distilled water if you think chlorine may be to blame. I am still exclusively using the CFL bulb indoors from 8 am to 11 pm, unless it is a watering day and then I take the tree outside, into the sun for the day while the pot drains (using a wick). I am also considering the purchase of a Spectraboost full-cycle grow bulb.

If I may ask one other question, now that I have decent new foliage growth, would you recommend that I start removing damaged, older foliage slowly? I read where damaged foliage robs nutrients from the tree in an attempt to correct the damage and actually impairs new growth. Is this true?

Again, I appreciate your help.

Pat