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Plant of the Week
Weeping Fig
Latin: Ficus benjamina
I have a love-hate relationship with this tree.
I love its graceful, weeping form with a mixture of 3-inch long, shiny, dark
green and light green leaves. I hate its tendency to be finicky and the fact
that it seems to always be recovering from one ailment or anticipating its next.
Like so many things in life, it has its good points and its bad ones.
The weeping fig is a relative newcomer to the houseplant world, mainly arriving
in large numbers with the construction of shopping malls in the 1970's. At that
time the foliage plant craze was sweeping America and the demand for a "normal"
looking shade tree-shaped plant was much in demand. The weeping fig, known to
most of the 70's vintage houseplant enthusiasts as "ficus," was in the right
place at the right time to sweep across the U.S. and move into most of our
homes.
This fig is native of southeastern Asia and the Malayan peninsula and is a
member of the mulberry family. It is a 30- to 40-foot evergreen tree in its
homeland, but its size in the average home is more manageable and pretty much
determined by how big its pot is and how much light it has. Usually, the trees
are under 10 feet tall.
The weeping fig is usually grown as a single stem tree, often with dangling
aerial roots that strive to reach the ground like its cousin the banyan of
India. However, some creative growers or frustrated hair stylists -- I’ve never
been sure which -- discovered it was possible to braid the stems of the weeping
fig. Braiding tree stems is an ingenious idea, especially considering it allows
the producer to use poor quality rooted ficus cuttings that would otherwise be
destined for an early end on the compost heap. Of course it wasn’t long before
people were entwining golf balls, rocks, beanie babies and all manner of
memorabilia into the stems.
While these braided tree trunks may not be preferred by the horticultural
establishment, the trees don’t seem to mind one bit. The stems grow together and
eventually behave as one trunk.
Weeping figs do best when there is bright light -- usually 250- to 400-foot
candles. They will tolerate lower levels, down to as low as 40 ft-c, but they
drop a lot of leaves at the lower light levels and tend to have leaves toward
the ends of the branches.
Because they have the potential of getting big, they should be repotted only
when the tree begins to seriously suffer from being root bound. Then, only a
slightly larger pot should be used to keep the tree growing but to avoid giving
it too much fresh soil so it can make a break for it. Weeping figs should
receive normal watering with fertilizer applied periodically when the tree is
making some new growth.
The main problems with weeping figs are leaf drop, scale and a twig blight. Leaf
drop is most likely to occur during the fall and spring at the change of seasons
and is a part of the normal cycle of growth for the plant. However, ficus plants
also tend to drop leaves rather heavily when moved from one growing environment
to another.
Scale insects cling closely to the stem of the plant and are often difficult to
see. The first sign often noted is that your foot sticks to the carpet under the
tree. This honeydew deposit is usually a clear indication of scale problems.
The twig blight results in stem dieback which is caused by a fungus disease that
is usually more serious under low light levels. It is best treated by pruning
out the infected areas and giving the plant better growing conditions.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
July 2, 1999
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