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Ficus “Benjamina”

Latin name

Ficus benjamina (Bush)

Pronounciation

(“FY-kus ben-jah-MEEN-ah”)

Common name

Weeping Fig

Origin

India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, parts of China, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, tropical Northern Australia, Solomon Islands

How easy am I to care for?

Buy one of my cousins from the nursery:

Ficus benjamina, commonly known as Weeping Fig, has dense foliage and drooping habit with hard, shiny leaves, between 5cm and 10cm in length, that are usually elongated to a distinctive tip, resembling the lip of jug. This is called a ‘drip tip’ and helps the plant shed excess water during the frequent heavy rain found in its natural habitat of the tropical rain forest. When mature, Ficus benjamina can reach a height of over ten metres – and sometimes much more. However, younger plants can often be formed into a bushy habit and can make decorative houseplants. Older trees will produce distinctive aerial roots that hang down form its branches. Ficus benjamina is a relative newcomer in cultivation and the American botanist, L.H. Bailey described it in 1943 as “A rather unimportant tree horticulturally”. Now it is one of the most popular indoor plants and is widely used as a houseplant as well as in commercial interior landscape projects.

All our potted plants come in compostable coir pots.

Caring for your plant

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Light

Needs good light and can tolerate direct sunlight. Variegated varieties need high light
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Watering

Keep the soil moist, but not wet
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Pruning

Smaller plants can be trimmed to keep them to their desired shape. Larger plants can be pruned to remove crossing branches or to maintain a pleasant form. The sap produced from cutting the plant can be irritating to the skin and will stain clothes and fabrics (it dries to a reddish brown colour)
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Feeding

Add dilute fertilizer to the water every time you water the plant
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Pest & Diseases

Mealybugs and scale insects can be troublesome and should be removed by cleaning as soon as they are seen. Large colonies often cluster around young buds and new foliage and it then it might be easier to trim off the end of the branch where they have settled. Scale insects are often very difficult to spot and often the first time you are aware of them is when you discover sticky honeydew on the leaves or surrounding surfaces. Other pests, such as thrips and two-spotted spider mite, are much less common

Mill Pond Nurseries,
Mill Road,
Henham,
CM22 6AA

T: 0345 505 3333
E: enquiries@planteriagroup.com

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