Appearance
The small tree impresses with its three to thirteen centimeters long, oval and slightly shiny leaves. New breeds are colorful and enchant with their white-green or yellow-green foliage with pretty drawings.
also read
- How to properly care for your Ficus benjamina - tips about the weeping fig
- Watering Ficus benjamina correctly - when and how often?
- Ficus benjamina gets yellow leaves - what to do?
With good care, the weeping fig can reach a height of up to three meters. It can grow quite expansively and, if you do not cut it back, it will take up a lot of space.
Location
The ficus thrives in the wild at the edges of forests and in clearings. Accordingly, the plant needs a location that is not too sunny but bright. The temperature should be between 22 and 28 degrees.
You should avoid changing location conditions, drafts and the cold of the ground. These often lead to Leaf shedding and balding of the plant.
Watering and fertilizing
If you show some dexterity when watering the weeping fig, you can't go far wrong.
- Always let the substrate dry off and water whenever the top three centimeters feel dry.
- Since the weeping fig is sensitive to waterlogging, pour away any remaining liquid in the saucer as soon as possible.
- Rainwater or tap water at room temperature are suitable as irrigation water.
Fertilize the ficus in the growing season from March to September every three weeks with a special fertilizer for green plants.
Cut back
The weeping fig is very easy to cut. Plants that are too big or too bulky can be shaped with sharp, clean scissors. Make sure that the milky juice does not splash on clothes or the floor, as the stains can hardly be removed.
Multicolored varieties sometimes form single-colored shoots. Since they grow quickly and change the appearance of the plant, you should cut them out.
Repot
Pot newly purchased weeping figs into fresh substrate, because the soil in the sales containers is often of poor quality and the pot used is too small.
Depending on the vigor, the ficus must then be moved into a larger planter every two to three years.
Substrate
Ficus benjamina needs a structurally stable substrate. For this reason, pure houseplant soil is not well suited.
A mixture of:
- One half Potting soil,
- A quarter of building sand,
- A quarter of lava grit or Clay granules.
Tips
Latex allergy sufferers should refrain from cultivating the weeping fig. With this one, too, as with many rubber trees, white sap escapes when the bark is damaged. This contains latex and can cause severe reactions.