#One - Make sure that your Ficus plant is getting the right amount of sunlight. Ample light is necessary and some direct light for part of the day is fine but avoid a location that exposes to plant to direct sunlight for too long. Also keep in mind that these plants are very sensitive to changes. It is not uncommon for a Benjamin Fig to drop all of its leaves in response to a dramatic change. The trick is to find a good location and then don't move it!#Two - Take care of your plant' s roots. The two main things you need to worry about are root rot and becoming root bound. To avoid root rot it is a good idea to not let you plant sit in standing water. If you over water and allow the plant to sit in a tray with the excess water root rot may develop which in turn will cause the leaves to start spotting and falling off. Water the plant only when the soil is almost dry, make sure the moisture gets to the roots but don't allow the excess water to collect at the base of the plant. In between these waterings you can also keep the plant happy by misting it every few days or so. To avoid the plant becoming root bound it will be necessary to trip back the roots every 3-5 years and possibly change up to a larger pot.
# Three - Keep your plant well fed. It is generally recommended to fertilize a Benjamin Fig monthly during the months that the plant is growing with a basic fertilizer diluted to at least half strength. It is important to feed your plant but it may be equally important to not overfeed it as well.
And remember, your plant is in fact a tree and is trying to become like the one below, so to keep it small and cute in an indoor setting you need to take care of it!
see also...
Fiddle Leaf Fig care tips
Money tree plants
My Benjamin was doing very well for almost two years. always green leaves and no falling leaves. I did not change anything but since 4 month ego, it started to have yellow leaves and eventually falling leaves. I don't know what to do.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all don´t panic and do something drastic. These plants can be quite sensitive and the shedding of leaves signals that it might have been shocked by something like too little water, not enough light, being moved, cold draft etc. Try to return it to maximum stability with regular watering but not too much, lots of light but not direct light, feed it with liquid fertilizer for green leaf plants (sometimes you can even buy "Ficus food" and be patient and wait for it to come back to good health. Unless something more serious is wrong with it it should gradually recover.
ReplyDeleteDear Dan
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your answer.
That's right! In fact, there was a time when I did not regularly watered my Benjamin. I didn't know it is so important.
Thanks again!
There are crawly bugs in the soil of my ficus. How should I treat this?
ReplyDeleteYou have probably answered my question but since I'm here let me explain. My plant has been doing well for about 7 or more years. There have been occasions where leaves have fallen but nothing extreme.
ReplyDeleteI've been a little concerned that the plant isn't growing larger and can't determine if it is root bound; I don't see the usual roots coming out of the bottom of the pot but since it's been in the same pot for the 7 or more years and I haven't trimmed them I wonder if it is time to do so?
This is where I get concerned. If I re-pot the plant I feel it could start a host of problems I haven't had, and I don't want to lose the plant after all of these years with the success I've been having. I would like to see it become larger but after reading the article above, I may be worried over nothing. Is this one of those cases where doing nothing is better than doing something?
What say you?
I have already had ficus benjamina for some 30 years. I water it thoroughly once a month, turn it around 45 degrees for a balanced upright growth. I have trimmed it numerous times maintaining height of about 125 cm. I have kept it by a large window at a relatively shady west exposure with some summer afternoon direct sun light. Ficus passed entire last summer on the partially shaded patio. I repotted it cutting ‘a wreath’ of abundant roots. Ficus have occasionally lost some leaves, but have always grown new ones. I am using Schultz fertilizer diluting more than seven recommended drops of the fertilizer in a litre of water. I love my ficus and for what I can see, ficus is responding to it.
ReplyDeletePavel
I live in Salt Lake City Utah and move my ficus tree outdoors for the summer months (May- August). This year, I moved the tree to a new location where it is receiving a lot more direct sunlight. How much direct sunlight should the tree receive? And what signs will I see if the tree is receiving too much direct sunlight?
ReplyDeleteHow is you ficus doing outdoors? My always thrives being most of the day in direct sunlight. I don't know signs of having been exposed too much to the sunlight, only can recommend watching its 'behaviour'. Keep it in a clay pot, sprinkle frequently the leaves and feed it generously. You cannot in my opinion go wrong.
ReplyDeletePavel
My benjamin tree was very healthy and full of leaves for few weeks after we got it from the store. The pot was very small and we repotted, refreshed the roots vertically. We did add fertilizer as well. Now all the leaves are gone and the tree looks very dry.It is behind a big window with West exposure. What I should do?
ReplyDeleteI found a tiny ficus growing in the muddy mat of my van carpet. It was about 3 inches tall when I carefully removed it and watched the root when I put it into the ground and after 2 years it grew to about 13 inches. I finally dug that out and placed it into a large Urn-type concrete planter where it lives today and is 4 years old and about 24 inches tall with lots of branching.
ReplyDeleteI now use this as a memorial tree in honor of my niece who died last year. I call it Beverly.
I purchased my benjamin plant around early fall and it use to drop a leaf or two every wk or so. However the leaves are dropping more and more and more since I first brought it home. I've read that they are quite sensitive to changes and my plant is currently sitting next to my front door. It gets great in-direct sunlight and I am fertilizing it but could the draft of opening and closing the door cause my plant to be in stress? I also have 2 little dogs that wiggle my plant whenever someone rings the door bell. I love my plant and could really use some help :)
ReplyDeleteBought two a couple of weeks ago and have not found pots I like so they are still in gallon pots on front porch. My question is how much bigger do I need to get for them and do I use regular potting. Soil when I repot
ReplyDeleteMy plant is over 20 yrs old and still only about 3-3.5' tall but it is in a pot about 20" deep & 18" in diameter and the roots are growing out the top of the pot. I live in zone 7 so the plant is inside all winter. In the spring should I take it out of the pot and cut off some of the roots and then repot it? Thanks, MaryEllen
ReplyDelete