Ficus Trees Care & Culture Overview
Ficus Trees Care & Culture Overview
Information about the care and culture of ficus plants and flowers including ideal light, temperature, humidity, ventilation, water, potting and fertilization.
The following information are tips not ficus plant specific, but more general, due to new varieties of Ficus plants that are being developed and improved upon for durability and versatility, to withstand the average household conditions (rather, to better withstand lack of care).
Watering Ficus
One of the most important factors that come into play when caring for the ficus house plant is the Moisture level (or the amount you’re watering). Accounting for a large percentage of ficus plant deaths is the act of over and under-watering a plant.
The ficus tends to require a moist soil, and not soggy. Water the house plant pot until water runs out of the bottom, and don’t let this house plant’s soil dry out between watering, wait until the top half of the soil has dried out. The ficus’ soil tends to dry out, it’s important not to overcompensate by watering too much. This could result in your plant’s leaves yellowing and possibly falling off. In fact, the best way to water an indoor ficus is by using a sub-irrigation system.
Ficus Light
Every plant requires a certain amount of light, this is necessary for all plants because they use this energy source for photosynthesis. The Ficus can survive low interior light but really prefers bright, indirect sunlight or filtered light. I’ve found that positioning a ficus house plant near a south window works great.
Of course there are specific guidelines for each species. The kind with plain green foliage tolerates more shade than do the variegated ones (the ones that have streaks, marks or patches of a different color) such as F. benjamina Variegata’ or F. benjamina ‘Starlight.’ These types of Ficus must have a few hours of bright light each day, or the leaves will most likely lose their coloring and sharp contrasts, and may even drop off.
Fertilizing Ficus
Fertilizing your ficus should pretty much be done at your own discretion. If you’d prefer your plant to be larger and more robust, than I’d recommend using a fertilizer during your ficus’ growth stage (during the spring and summer when the sunlight intensifies), and avoid fertilizing during the fall and winter. Since the ficus’ growth rate is slow, be sure to fertilize at the recommended label rate every two or three months, or fertilize every seventh watering (depending on the growth rate of your plant, and your desired size).
As I’ve said before; the indoor ficus plant grows slower, so you should keep the ficus’ food intake capacity lower if you like to keep a smaller, more manageable plant (fertilizing isn’t really needed).
Potting Ficus
I recommend potting your ficus; they like to be pot bound. And only need to be re-potted every 2-3 years, although some will grow rapidly enough that yearly re-potting may be necessary. By potting your ficus, the size can be controlled by regularly pruning it and putting it back into the same pot. The stems can also be cut back to the desired height and will produce new, compact growth.
Ficus Temperature
Unlike most house plants that can tolerate a more unstable living environment, the ficus plant requires a pretty steady, unchanging environment. For optimal plant growth, keep temperatures between 60 and 72 degrees F (ficus trees love warm conditions). In the evening the ficus doesn’t require as much heat, in fact, it prefers cooler temperatures (more desirable for plant growth). On the other hand; cold, drafty conditions will slow the Ficus’ growth considerably. In fact, your ficus may drop leaves in response to any change in its environment (temperature, light, humidity etc).
Ficus Humidity and Ventilation
For ficus plant growth to be at its optimal level, it’s important to remember that the plant needs about 25-30% humidity. A great way to raise the humidity in your home (around your ficus), would be to group some of your other house plants close together. Be sure to avoid placing your ficus in an area where there could potentially be a direct heat source blowing on it.
January 28, 2007
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Sandy posted on May 29, 2007:
My daughter has asked me if I’d like her ficus tree but I live in the Santa Clarita Valley in Calif. and in the summer the temp. goes past 100 degrees. We do not have air conditioning in our house, do you think the plant will survive?
admin posted on June 7, 2007:
@ Sandy. Ficus have the reputation for being finicky due to the special watering guidelines, its requirement of bright, indirect light, and the need for temperatures between 60 and 72 degrees F. Without knowing what kind of ficus tree your daughter is offering, I can’t fully answer your question; but in my opinion, I think you are right on about it being way too hot in your area (and in your home) for a ficus tree to flourish!
Check out my post Growing Ficus Trees Indoors for some general information on growing requirements for ficus trees indoors. There are also links to “Common Indoor Ficus Plants,” to give you a better idea of what species your daughter has.
Happy Growing!
nathan posted on January 27, 2008:
i have a indoor crassula it has lost alot of leafes in the last week the stems has becume really soft is this normal and what i am doing wrong and what can i do to help it
alfred e. magro posted on April 3, 2008:
What do you recomend about the amount of leaves that have drop over time under outdoor ficus trees. The amount of dead leaves averages about 10 inch acumalation. We fertilize on top of the dead leaves.
Glenda Vance posted on May 24, 2008:
I have a ficus benjamina that has finally stopped dropping leaves and some baby leaves are now appearing. Should I cut off the branches that have no leaves(I believe this would called pruning) or should I leave the branches alone and wait for some new growth?
Joann posted on June 13, 2008:
my ficus tree the leaves r turning yellow n falling off. i was told to much water so now i watch. now i notice this milky stuff on the leaves. maybe someone can help me i have the tree8 years.
Madelyn Brown posted on October 15, 2008:
When is the best time to transplant my fiscus tree? I live in central Pennsylvania. I got the cutting from a fig tree in Kentucky approximately 8 years ago. I had the plant in a pot for several years. I took it out of the pot and planted it outside next to the garage. I get a lot of foliage, but no figs. I now want to move it to the back of the garage where it will have more room. Do I move it now (in the Fall) or wait until Spring?
Diane Slaughter posted on December 11, 2008:
I have a beautiful ficus tree that I have had for a year and a half. I have transplanted it three times. When I bring it inside for the winter, the leaves fall off at a rapid rate. It flourished all summer on our front porch, but winter and snow has come and we are forced to bring it inside. What can I do to stop the leaves from falling off. It appears that it needs to be transplanted again as the roots are coming up through the top of the soil. We keep it watered and it sits under a window in our livingroom. Thank you for any help you can give me.
Steve posted on January 12, 2009:
My ficus tree has recently turned brown on one side nearest the sunlight and the leaves are falling off. We recently had low temperatures in the 30’s and today it’s 90 degrees. Could the drastic change in temperatures cause this to happen?
Barbara posted on January 14, 2009:
I have a 10 ft.ficus tree for over 25 years now. It was absolutely beautiful and healthy. I live in NJ and would put it outside May-Oct in the shade of my patio. It would thrive outdoors. I took it in a little later this year and now not only are the leaves falling off, but turning brown and the branches are brittle. I’m wondering if my beautiful tree is dead. I’m so upset by this.Any thoughts?
Rose M posted on February 11, 2009:
My outdoor ficus is about 15 years old and enormous. I noticed that the exterior bark is cracking/splitting pretty deep in the trunk. Is this normal?
Joanne Evangelista posted on March 18, 2009:
I have four ficus trees that I have had for a very long time. One is even 35 years old. My problem is that I always watered them once a week and they were fine. I now have been given a very large one and was told to water it 2 or 3 times a week. I did and all the leaves are fallling off. It is almost bare. Any ideas on what to do? I am just watering it once a week now but don’t know if I am the one killing it.
Alicia posted on April 27, 2009:
I have a braided (two trunks) Ficus that my grandmother grew for me from clippings off my mom’s tree. Half of it died during the last freeze. We are moving and I don’t want to uproot it. What is the best way to start a new braided tree from clippings? I live in central Florida.
Thank you.