A weeping fig, or Ficus Benjamina, is a truly gorgeous houseplant that adds a touch of elegance to any room. But, how to look after a weeping fig plant must be foremost in your mind!
Let’s look into this plant’s likes, dislikes, the best ways to look after it so that it thrives and grows well in your home environment.
What You'll Learn Today
How To Look After A Weeping Fig Plant
As same as pretty much every plant in the world, weeping figs have some conditions that they prefer to others, and some that can actually kill them. Take note!
If you want to keep your Ficus Benjamina as happy and healthy as you can, here are a few important rules to follow:
- Keep them in bright but indirect light – near a window, but not close enough to the direct light to scorch the leaves, is ideal.
- Make sure they stay warm, and they will need to be in a position which does not get colder than 60 degrees F (16 degrees C).
- Avoid putting them near a draught, and make sure that your home does not have sudden changes of temperature.
- Ensure they have plenty of space around them – these plants can grow quite large, so make sure they are not crowded.
- Plant them in a deep pot that has drainage holes, and use soil-based compost that has something to help drainage – perlite or vermiculite is ideal.
- Do not overwater – in fact, you only need to give this plant a drink when the top 2-3cm of soil is dry.
- When you do water, use tepid water as anything too cold can shock the plant and cause it to lose its leaves.
- Feed it with diluted liquid fertilizer during the spring and summer. All purposes fertilizer is fine for this.
- Prune the weeping fig if it gets too tall or needs to be kept in shape – ensure that you wear gloves, as the sap can be irritating to skin.
- Avoid moving them. Ficus Benjamina are home birds, and will not react well to being moved around from pillar to post.
This detailed article will give you some more ideas on how to look after a weeping fig plant.
How Often Do I Water My Weeping Fig?
These plants, like many others, really do not appreciate getting too wet too often – in fact, overwatering can seriously impact their health.
A good rule of thumb is to water this plant ONLY when the top 2-3cm of soil is completely dried out.
You should only water it when the soil is dry – this will take longer in the winter and shorter in the summer, so keep checking it.
Weeping figs, like most plants, will need considerably less water in the winter, when they are “dormant” and not actively growing.
You can choose to top water or bottom water, either is fine as long as the soil is able to drain away the excess water.
One thing to remember though, is that using tepid water will definitely be better for your weeping fig, as they do not like sudden changes in temperature.
Should I Mist My Weeping Fig?
Misting has a good few different benefits – it can help with humidity, allow plants to take in water, remove dust, and even help control insect invasions.
Because weeping figs come from tropical, humid areas, they do very much like a bit of extra humidity in the air. If you don’t want a humidifier, misting is the next best thing!
Misting plants is easy – simply add some water to a spray bottle with a fine nozzle, and spray it all over your plants.
Weeping figs should be misted daily in the hot summer months; this will help them take on water that does not sit around the roots.
Misting can also help plants with lots of big leaves to photosynthesize, by clearing off dust and debris that sit on the leaves.
Here’s an interesting video about misting houseplants, plus some other ideas on how to increase humidity:
How Long Do Weeping Figs Last?
This tree can reach a good healthy old age – in fact, in some cases they can even outlive people!
In the wild, they can obviously live longer than their pot-bound counterparts – but even an indoor Ficus can last a good few decades.
Generally, they are expected to live between 20 and 50 years, with the right growing conditions, but there are stories of them living even longer.
As long as you give your weeping fig its favorite growing conditions and make sure it does not get disturbed, it can happily grow in your house for years – even decades – to come.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Weeping Fig?
This is a truly gorgeous plant, that will make a great focal point in your house, with its elegant foliage – however, they do have a bit of a “reputation!”
The only real disadvantage to a weeping fig is their propensity to drop leaves at the drop of a hat.
They do this when they are shocked by changes in their environment – they are not as good at coping with change as some other plants.
As long as you keep it warm, in indirect light and make sure you don’t overwater it, you should be able to enjoy your Ficus Benjamina for a long time to come.
One other thing to mention is the fact that the sap is irritating to skin, and should definitely not be ingested.
Take care to wear gloves when pruning, and make sure that your pets or toddlers don’t decide to have a cheeky munch of it!
Final Words
If you have been struggling to take care of your weeping fig or it is not growing as well as it might, hopefully you now have some ideas.
With the right care and attention, this plant can live for a long time and will continue to grace your house with its presence. Enjoy!
