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Ficus trees have the reputation of being temperamental high light plants, but today there are new hardy varieties to choose from that will suit almost any location.
The original indoor ficus, the Benjamina, lost leaves if you just looked at it; any
fluctuation in light, temperature, or water caused a hundred leaves to drop. Now we have ficus
midnight and ficus Monique that adapt well to medium and even low light; ficus wintergreen with green and white leaves; and Ficus
Alli or Amstel with elongated leathery leaves. All of these are very forgiving
and rarely drop any leaves You can buy a ficus as a table plant, a bush, or a tree with a regular trunk, a braided trunks,
or a spiral trunk.
Houseplant 411 for the iPhone & i Pod Touch
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CARE OF FICUS
Light: Ficus trees, especially Benjamina and Wintergreen, with its variegated
leaves, need very bright indirect light: . New varieties called Ficus of the Future survive and grow slowly in medium and, at times, low light; examples of
Ficus of the Future are Monique, ruffled green leaves, Midnight, green/black leavers. and Alli, elongated leaves. Direct sun
will burn the leaves of a ficus.. Water: Allow the top 25% of the soil to
dry out before watering. Under watering causes leaves to turn yellow; over watering causes green leaves to fall off &
new grow to turn black. Follow a consistent watering schedule. Fertilizer:
Feed a ficus every two weeks in the summer, once a month in spring and fall, and never in the winter. Pests: Ficus are susceptible to spider mites, scale, and mealy bugs. Spraying your plant with the green solution usually gets rid of these pests; you may have to use a children’s toothbrush to scrape off heavy scale. Finicky Ficus: Although the Ficus of the Future is
fairly hardy, try to avoid the following: moving your tree to different locations, putting your tree near heaters, air conditioners,
or cold drafty windows and doors.
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FICUS FAQ’S
1. The green leaves on my ficus turn yellow and fall off.You are probably under watering.
Always water until you see the water draining out of the bottom drip holes in the grower’s pot. 2. Some of the leaves of the ficus are covered in clear sticky stuff and have a black dust on them.The
ficus has scale. The sticky stuff is called honeydew and it attracts the black stuff, called black sooty mold. Locate the scale and scrape
it off using a child’s toothbrush. Spray the entire plant with the green solution (undiluted alcohol mixed with a few drops of mineral oil and a few drops of biodegradable soap. 3. Green leaves are falling off and the new growth turns black.Ficus don’t like changes in watering,
light, or location. Your problem may be: over-watering, check this first, because if you over-water and kill the roots you
can’t save your plant; cold drafts from doors or windows; blasts of hot or cold air from heaters and air conditioners;
or change of location. 4. I bought a ficus from the nursery and put it in a warm
bright draft free spot; two weeks later half of the leaves dropped off.Ficus trees take up to two months to acclimate
to a new place. Use a product called Super Thrive in your water and don’t use any fertilizer until you start to see
new growth
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