Ficus Plant Care

Ficus plant is extremely popular as a houseplant and for indoor gardening. This is mainly because of the lush green, rich foliage that makes it look very attractive. There are a wide variety of available ficus plant species that can be grown indoors. Some of them are very delicate and sensitive in nature and others are quite sturdy. No matter which species of ficus you are growing in your home, all of them need the same kind of ficus plant care.

How to Care for a Ficus Plant?

Ficus plant care is not a very difficult task. Even beginners can do it, without any hassles. The important aspects are as follows:

Light Requirements
Ficus plant does not require direct sunlight. Rather it prefers indirect sunlight. This is because its leaves are very delicate, that tend to get burned in severe heat of the sun. Place the plant near one such window where it can receive direct sunlight of the morning hours, and gets filtered sunlight through an opaque curtain for half of the day. It should not be exposed to frost and freezing temperatures as well.

Water Requirements
Watering of these plants should be done with great care. The soil should not remain dry for a long period of time. At the same time, over watering is not good for the plant, as it can cause damage to its roots. An excellent way of checking whether the plant needs water is by putting a finger one inch deep into the soil. If you do not feel any moisture on your finger, then it's time to water the plant.

Temperature Requirement
Basically, ficus plant is native to tropical and temperate climate zone. Therefore, it needs warm temperatures which should be around 70 degree Fahrenheit. It cannot tolerate frost and freezing temperatures. If it is exposed to extreme cold, then its leaves start dropping at a rapid pace. Keep the plant away from air conditioning vents. In cold weather, it should be kept away from any leaky windows during the night.

Adding Fertilizer
The plant should be fertilized regularly throughout its growing season which starts in spring and ends in fall. During the winter, the plant is in a dormant state and does not need any fertilizing. Organic liquid fertilizer is good for this plant and it should be added once or twice a month. Those who wish to add chemical fertilizer should dilute it to half its strength, before adding them to the soil. Otherwise, the delicate roots of the plant may get adversely affected.

Pruning
In its growing season, the foliage of ficus plant tends to grow very rapidly. Therefore, pruning is important to maintain the desired shape and size of the plant. It also helps to get rid of dead branches of the plant, and thus keep its attractive look intact. Heavy pruning should be done once in a year, during spring. Rest of the year, light pruning will be enough.

Protection from Insects and Diseases
Inspect the plant carefully, after regular intervals, to check infestation by pests like white flies, scale and spider mites. Washing the leaves by a strong stream of water can eliminate most of the bugs, except scale which is quite stubborn in nature. If you notice scale on ficus plant, then you have to use insecticide.

We can say that ficus plant care is simple and easy. If the above mentioned steps are taken into consideration, it will increase the lifespan of your ficus plant. Thus, it will continue to enhance the beauty of your home or office for many more years to come.