I have been babying an alma (could be some other variety) for nearly two years, from a cutting on the verge, to a hardy and vigorous young tree. From this past April until when I decided to plant it in mid- May, it grew about one foot from last years two feet of growth, and shot up several side branches.

I planted it in a great location with plenty of sun. I used the natural North Carolina clay, and amended it about 40% with perlite and MG shrub/tree recipe garden soil. After I planted it, I spread about half a cup of 10-10-10 and then laid down a bed of mulch. I water it about twice a week, as it has been really dry here in NC this summer. I use this formula for every fig tree in my yard, and most seem to do well with it. I have a dozen varieties in the ground. My Alma, however, looks terrible. It has stopped growing completely, and nearly all leaves have turned from healthy green to bright yellow. Each leaf is covered in 50 or so tiny brown/black specks. For a while I thought it was a bad case of rust, but none of the leaves are curled, have that "burned" look or have fallen off. The transition to its current state happened very fast, yet has not changed physically in nearly a month. A few of my other trees suffer from mild cases of rust, and it has never hindered growth.

Any ideas or suggestions? The leaves are not curling- I don't think that I am over or under watering this tree. I treat all of my trees fairly consistently, so I think this must be some acute pest, or perhaps water is not draining from the bottom of the hole?

I should have pics in a week or so

Thanks, sorry for the long read.