Finicky Ficus

by Mike Bader, Buyer/Manager, Houseplant Department

Just about everyone that has ever purchased a Ficus benjamina tree (commonly known as the weeping fig), has had to drag out the vacuum, broom, or even a rake to clean up those leaves that have dropped. All too often the concerned plant owner tries to water more, or water less, repot it, feed it, move it into more light, or move it into less light, and simply put, the plant just gets confused and so do we.

I have taken many of your phone calls asking why this happens, and generally speaking you will hear me say: “It’s adjusting to it’s new environment. It’s acclimating”. Acclimating is normally a matter of going from high light to lower light. Just as we have certain expectations when we adopt an indoor plant, plants also have certain expectations of us. Understanding their native habitats can help us to satisfy those expectations.

The Ficus family is quite diverse with over 800 species and 2,000 varieties. They can be found growing in full sun or the heavily shaded dense forest. Contrary to what you may have heard, ficus is a very versatile plant as far as light goes. In the full sun, they will have a thick canopy of leaves; but, in the dense forest, they will grow very open with fewer leaves and thin weeping branches.

If one could measure the actual thickness of the individual leaves, you would find the leaves to also be thicker when grown in the sun and thinner when grown in the shade. This explains some of the leaf loss when your ficus goes from higher light levels (typically our greenhouse) to a lower light level (your home). They are adapting (acclimating), dropping inefficient leaves and producing more efficient leaves for capturing available sunlight.

Just as sure as birds migrate south for the winter season, the Ficus benjamina comes from an area of the world that has always had a very distinct wet and dry season. When preparing for the dry season (like that time when you thought someone else was watering your ficus), they shed their leaves. This reduces the amount of leaves needed to survive, since a decrease in water will not support all of them.

When the rains return (the first time you watered after you noticed all the leaves on the floor), new growth will emerge and the canopy will return. As with light changes, their survival mechanism is leaf drop. Ficus do not like changes, they are truly creatures of habit. What they want, as much as anything else, is a consistent environment.

Once you have decided where you are going to place your ficus (the more light the better), try to keep it in the same location. Although your indoor environment changes with the seasons, develop a watering schedule. The soil should be kept moist but not soggy and should not dry out between waterings.

One of the first keys to having success with your plants indoors is maintaining a good root system. Do not make the mistake of repotting your new plant for at least several months. This would disturb the root system and change the amount of moisture around the roots. Do clean the leaves to remove dust on a regular basis.

You should take your ficus to the shower about every two months, or if you prefer to shower alone a damp cloth will do. When grown indoors, ficus have almost no need to be fertilized; however, any well balanced fertilizer (Jack’s All Purpose 20-20-20) will maintain growth during spring and summer. Ficus enjoy warm conditions between 68-85 during the day. As with most tropicals, they will flourish in almost any well drained potting soil (Schultz potting mixes).

Keep in mind that your ficus tree has been shipped from our Florida growers to our greenhouses and then to your home. The plant is experiencing both light changes and moisture changes. Moisture-stressed ficus tend to drop yellow leaves, while ficus exposed to low-light stress tend to drop green leaves.

Great news! Today, thanks to a rigorous trial process, several new varieties have emerged that are highly resistant to leaf drop. Five of my favorites can be found at Behnke’s in many forms which include standard trees, braided trunks, bushes and bonsai. Ficus ‘Monique’ is an upright benjamina type with a bushy growth pattern. It’s leaves are shiny, bright green and have ruffled edges. To date, ‘Monique’ is the most popular of these new ficus varieties.

Ficus ‘Indigo’ has an open, weepy appearance. It’s leaves emerge deep green and darken with maturity to almost blue-black with a high-gloss. As the outer leaves darken, a slight variegation appears in the leaf’s midrib. Ficus ‘Midnight’ is a sister plant of ‘Indigo’ with extremely dark, bluish to black, glossy leaves. It’s growth pattern is upright and it also displays a compact, bushy habit.

Ficus ‘Amstel King’ has long, banana shaped leaves. New growth tips are a very pronounced pink to red that contrast beautifully against the broad, shiny leaves. And finally there is Ficus ‘Wiandii’. This variety has smaller leaves with branches that zig and zag, often turning at right angles. The free-form growth pattern makes this one ideal for bonsai.

On your next visit to Behnke’s, ask about our “Ficus of the Future” and give them a try.

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