Did you know that according to ancient manuscripts, the Buddha found enlightenment while meditating under a ficus tree?
Did you also know that studies suggest indoor plants lead to a lower distraction rate by absorbing background noises?
Coincidence? We don’t think so. Because extensive research on the effects of plants indoors says that they actually increase productivity by 15%, thanks to all the benefits they have.
Now, who wouldn’t want to create a distraction-free, calming environment to make it warm and welcoming, right? But growing and managing trees indoors always become a big hassle.
Well, not anymore!
Yes, managing plants or trees could be a difficult task but not every tree is high maintenance. Fig trees or Ficus are very popular indoor plants that, with a few great tips, are extremely easy to grow and maintain.
So, what are those great tips, you ask? Read on to find out.
Your Comprehensive Guide to Grow Ficus Indoors
Let’s begin with the basics.
Know Your Ficus
That’s it. That’s the first tip.
Simple yet complex. What an irony!
You can’t start learning the grammatical complexity of a language without knowing the alphabet, right? Likewise, without having a clear understanding of your Ficus, its preferred environment, soil type, etc, you can’t crack the code of growing them like a pro.
But, lucky for you, the internet has brought you to the right place. We don’t know which Ficus trees/plants you are interested in or where you want to plant them. But, we for sure know that these awesome tips are just sitting there. Waiting for you to read them and take your Ficus growing game up a notch.
So, use the following tips to “know your Ficus” and ‘Voila…’, is what you will be saying when you see your plants growing beautifully, serving their purpose.
What Type of Soil is Perfect to Grow Ficus Indoors?
Saying that soil is one of the most important components to grow a plant is stating the obvious. We are not going to state the obvious for you. You have already checked the ‘smart’ box in your gardening skills list by deciding on Ficus.
So, here’s what you need to know if you want to keep appreciating the year-round deep green foliage of your plants.
Ficus needs well-draining and fertile soil. Your first choice can be loam soil as it aids drainage. You can also go for sandy soil with excellent drainage but you might have to irrigate more frequently to reach the proper moisture level.
While selecting the right soil for your Ficus, it is also important to check its pH. The ideal soil pH level to grow Ficus is between 6.0 to 6.5. Since you are planting them indoors, the potting soil should fall within the ideal pH range. However, if a test shows that it isn’t too acidic, you can use a lime application to adjust its pH.
How Much Water?
If you had a dollar for every time plant owners killed their plants by over or underwatering them, you’d be a millionaire. Multi-millionaire.
Did you know that overwatering can cause fatal plant diseases? And of course, underwatering them leads to fatal consequences as well.
So, know these to avoid both –
- Ficus don’t need overly moist soil.
- They grow better in soil that remains slightly dry.
- Water your plants evenly throughout the summer and reduce the frequency with dropping temperatures.
- If you can’t figure out how much and when to water, always check the soil before watering.
What is the Ideal Temperature to Grow Ficus?
Do you like winters? Because your plants don’t.
Ficus have low tolerance toward cold temperatures. The ideal temperature would be over 70℉. Maintaining a temperature of at least 60℉ or above is necessary to grow Ficus.
Cold drafts could also cause harm to them. So, positioning them away from doors, windows, or AC units during winters would be a great idea.
How Often Do I Need to Fertilize Ficus?
Ficus grow actively during summer and spring. So, feed them with soluble fertilizer every four weeks.
In winter and fall, however, you can feed them every four to six months as these are not their active growing seasons.
For a newly planted tree, you can use an application of a 10:20:20 fertilizer blend at the rate of two ounces.
If it is a mature tree, you can raise it to three to four ounces every 20 to 24 weeks.
When Should I Prune My Ficus Tree?
Plants, humans, or animals. Who doesn’t need grooming, right?
Being really easy-to-grow houseplants, Ficus occasionally outgrow their site. Moving or repotting them may not be such a good idea.
But your Ficus trees are touching the ceiling of your house and you don’t want that. What do you do? You trim them.
During their vegetative growth in summer and autumn, they get more susceptible to injury. To reduce that risk, the best time to trim them would be in winters, when they have gone into dormancy.
In Conclusion…
Grow them in a container or in a garden, as long as you understand the specific needs and favorable conditions of your Ficus, Bob’s uncle.
Be it a Fiddle Leaf Fig Bush or Ficus Benjamina; Ficus Spire or Ficus Robusta. After reading this comprehensive guide, you have now cracked the code of growing Ficus like a pro.
But what if you come across issues that are beyond your understanding? You contact our interior plant service team of experts.
Until then,
Happy planting!
