Why grow Ficus Benjamina
Ficus Benjamina (commonly known as "weeping fig") is a very beautiful plant, best grown indoors in the temperate climate areas. They come with different leave patterns - some are pure green, others have white stripes and spots, which makes the Benjamin a great decorative plant. It can be shaped in various ways in the form of a bush or a tree. It is especially effective with its gently leaning branches and leaves. One can also braid the stems of the young Benjamins which makes it an additionally attractive plant for aestheticians. It is a very popular plant for offices, where usually a hired professional takes care for the plants. It is pretty easily grown at home also by non-professional growers like us, although it is widely spread (and wrong) that Benjamins are difficult to grow. I will give you the tips for successful growing below.
How to grow Ficus Benjamina
Put the plant in a place with a lot of indirect light. It shouldn't’t be scorched by sun light, but will not develop well in a place without enough light either. Water it regularly when the soil becomes dry - once a week, or twice during the hot months. Use moderate amount of water, do not drown it in it - pour some water around the base of the stem to wet the surface but not drench the whole pot. Especially during the winter months make sure the soil does not stay moist constantly and water even less often to ensure that. However do not let the soil crack from too little watering either. Use tap water but let it stay a while at room temperature. I always keep my water can full and ready for the next round of watering the plants. This way my water is always at room temperature which is the right solution for the majority of the plants. If you are in a hurry you can water it with regular water, of course. Benjamins like moist air, so mist the plant with water twice a week, less during the winter and only if the temperatures where you grow it are not too low. Spraying with water works great also for the plant leaves which otherwise hold dust, especially if grown indoors. You may read somewhere that you “have to” mist your plant twice a day, but if you spray it less often, you will be just fine. I mean unless you really have that time - twice a day, that’s hilarious, right? :) The Benjamina Ficus doesn’t like to be moved much from one place to another. So once you find a good place with a lot of indirect light for your plant, keep it there. In winter it is common for the plant to lose some leaves - they turn yellow and then just fall off. As long as it doesn't have excessive leaf loss (more than 30% for the whole winter season), this is perfectly normal.
Common mistakes
- Overwatering is usually the most common mistake. If you are the type of people who “forget” to water the plants once in a while, this is the right plant for you. - Another issue is exposure to extreme temperature highs or lows. I have seen people take their Benjamins outside in the summer in regions where summer temperatures are above 100 F. This is not good for the plant - grow it outside only if it is warm for the majority of the year, not hot occasionally. And since you shouldn't be moving your Benjamin too much, this means you should not be taking it “outside for fresh air and sun” in the typical temperate climate areas where the yearly temperature amplitudes are big. - In an attempt to place the Benjamin to indirect light, some people place it in very dark corners. It will not enjoy this much either. Its leaves will start losing their chlorophyll (if you put them against the light you will see stripes of less green color), and even start falling. If this happens prune the bared branches and place the plant in a place with more light.
Pruning
Benjamins can grow quite big after a few years, so they will need pruning. If you do not do this and the crown of the tree becomes too bushy, the leaves on the inside of the crown will start falling off. You need to prune the tree in a way that will allow more light to go to all of its leaves. Always start by pruning the branches that are losing their leaves and if this is not enough continue with reducing the density of the branches, as to allow more space, air and light in between them. If you have a particular shape in mind, also cut the necessary branches. If you are shooting for a tree shape cut also some of the branches in the bottom of the stem. Most important is - do not be afraid to cut, branches will regrow, and your plant will appear healthier in just a few weeks. Still do not cut too much as to lose the critical part of the branches and leaves - you want to stimulate the plant, not to make it recover :)
Planting and re-potting
When the tree is young you need to re-pot it every 2 years or whenever you feel that it is already too big for its pot. A universal rule for this is: if the top or crown of your plant becomes much bigger in overall volume than its pot size, it is time for re-potting - as if looking at a picture, you just sense when there is a dis-balance between the tree and the pot “weights”. Best time to re-pot is in the beginning of spring. If you are just starting your Benjamin, either from a bought plant or from your own cutting, you can pot it at any time. Use regular soil, or special ficus soil from the nursery. I have always used regular. The important thing about the soil is the afterwards watering. Since the Benjamin doesn't like moist soil you can add drainage at the bottom of the pot.
Tips for an always successful Benjamin
One of the reasons why Benjamin has a bad reputation for being hard to grow is because people buy their Benjamin from a nursery, where professionals take too much good care for the plant, and spoil it. So later in our hands they “suffer” from our inexperienced caretaker mistakes. Now my personal rule is that if a certain plant requires too much care, I will simply not grow it. I mean I love plants but I don’t want to become a slave to them. However I have found a 100% successful method for growing Benjamin at home, and this is when I raise it on my own from a cutting. The reason why this is so successful is that you “teach” the Ficus to your plant-growing habits from the very beginning, and it grows to a hardier and healthy plant.
Ficus Benjamina (commonly known as "weeping fig") is a very beautiful plant, best grown indoors in the temperate climate areas. They come with different leave patterns - some are pure green, others have white stripes and spots, which makes the Benjamin a great decorative plant. It can be shaped in various ways in the form of a bush or a tree. It is especially effective with its gently leaning branches and leaves. One can also braid the stems of the young Benjamins which makes it an additionally attractive plant for aestheticians. It is a very popular plant for offices, where usually a hired professional takes care for the plants. It is pretty easily grown at home also by non-professional growers like us, although it is widely spread (and wrong) that Benjamins are difficult to grow. I will give you the tips for successful growing below.
How to grow Ficus Benjamina
Put the plant in a place with a lot of indirect light. It shouldn't’t be scorched by sun light, but will not develop well in a place without enough light either. Water it regularly when the soil becomes dry - once a week, or twice during the hot months. Use moderate amount of water, do not drown it in it - pour some water around the base of the stem to wet the surface but not drench the whole pot. Especially during the winter months make sure the soil does not stay moist constantly and water even less often to ensure that. However do not let the soil crack from too little watering either. Use tap water but let it stay a while at room temperature. I always keep my water can full and ready for the next round of watering the plants. This way my water is always at room temperature which is the right solution for the majority of the plants. If you are in a hurry you can water it with regular water, of course. Benjamins like moist air, so mist the plant with water twice a week, less during the winter and only if the temperatures where you grow it are not too low. Spraying with water works great also for the plant leaves which otherwise hold dust, especially if grown indoors. You may read somewhere that you “have to” mist your plant twice a day, but if you spray it less often, you will be just fine. I mean unless you really have that time - twice a day, that’s hilarious, right? :) The Benjamina Ficus doesn’t like to be moved much from one place to another. So once you find a good place with a lot of indirect light for your plant, keep it there. In winter it is common for the plant to lose some leaves - they turn yellow and then just fall off. As long as it doesn't have excessive leaf loss (more than 30% for the whole winter season), this is perfectly normal.
Common mistakes
- Overwatering is usually the most common mistake. If you are the type of people who “forget” to water the plants once in a while, this is the right plant for you. - Another issue is exposure to extreme temperature highs or lows. I have seen people take their Benjamins outside in the summer in regions where summer temperatures are above 100 F. This is not good for the plant - grow it outside only if it is warm for the majority of the year, not hot occasionally. And since you shouldn't be moving your Benjamin too much, this means you should not be taking it “outside for fresh air and sun” in the typical temperate climate areas where the yearly temperature amplitudes are big. - In an attempt to place the Benjamin to indirect light, some people place it in very dark corners. It will not enjoy this much either. Its leaves will start losing their chlorophyll (if you put them against the light you will see stripes of less green color), and even start falling. If this happens prune the bared branches and place the plant in a place with more light.
Pruning
Benjamins can grow quite big after a few years, so they will need pruning. If you do not do this and the crown of the tree becomes too bushy, the leaves on the inside of the crown will start falling off. You need to prune the tree in a way that will allow more light to go to all of its leaves. Always start by pruning the branches that are losing their leaves and if this is not enough continue with reducing the density of the branches, as to allow more space, air and light in between them. If you have a particular shape in mind, also cut the necessary branches. If you are shooting for a tree shape cut also some of the branches in the bottom of the stem. Most important is - do not be afraid to cut, branches will regrow, and your plant will appear healthier in just a few weeks. Still do not cut too much as to lose the critical part of the branches and leaves - you want to stimulate the plant, not to make it recover :)
Planting and re-potting
When the tree is young you need to re-pot it every 2 years or whenever you feel that it is already too big for its pot. A universal rule for this is: if the top or crown of your plant becomes much bigger in overall volume than its pot size, it is time for re-potting - as if looking at a picture, you just sense when there is a dis-balance between the tree and the pot “weights”. Best time to re-pot is in the beginning of spring. If you are just starting your Benjamin, either from a bought plant or from your own cutting, you can pot it at any time. Use regular soil, or special ficus soil from the nursery. I have always used regular. The important thing about the soil is the afterwards watering. Since the Benjamin doesn't like moist soil you can add drainage at the bottom of the pot.
Tips for an always successful Benjamin
One of the reasons why Benjamin has a bad reputation for being hard to grow is because people buy their Benjamin from a nursery, where professionals take too much good care for the plant, and spoil it. So later in our hands they “suffer” from our inexperienced caretaker mistakes. Now my personal rule is that if a certain plant requires too much care, I will simply not grow it. I mean I love plants but I don’t want to become a slave to them. However I have found a 100% successful method for growing Benjamin at home, and this is when I raise it on my own from a cutting. The reason why this is so successful is that you “teach” the Ficus to your plant-growing habits from the very beginning, and it grows to a hardier and healthy plant.
How to grow Ficus Benjamina from cutting
You can use any size cutting from a branch of a grown, healthy Benjamin. The cutting can be anywhere from 4-5 to 8 or more inches if you like. Remove several leaves from the bottom of the cutting (this will form the future stem of the plant), keeping at least 2-3 leaves at the top. Make sure the end of the cutting is made with a sharp cut, it should not be just torn with your fingers - use sharp knife, regular or garden scissors. Then you need to root it in either water, or directly into soil or sand. You can dip the end of the cutting into rooting hormone (sold at nurseries). I never do that - I don’t like messing with nature, especially when it is completely unnecessary - roots will emerge without it anyway.
- rooting in water - the easier way to root a Benjamin cutting is to just put the cutting end in water, keeping the leaves above the water line. Refresh the water once a week (or once per 2 weeks, depending on the room temperature). Put it near a window or other place with lots of indirect light. Your cutting should produce roots in 2 weeks. You can leave the cutting like this for months (even to a full year) if you are not ready to pot it yet. I know people who put several cuttings in a vase, and keep them as decoration, then give them away to other enthusiasts (that's how I acquired my first "Benji" :) ). Once you have several roots, pot the cutting 1-1.5 inches into the soil, depending on the height of your cutting stem so that it can stay straight into the pot. The cutting will start producing leaves and branches almost immediately after that, protruding them from the base of the existing leaves.
- rooting in soil or sand - fill a 4 inch container with soil or sand, make a 1-1.5 inch deep whole in the soil, and place the cutting in it, then firm the soil around it to hold still. Water it thoroughly. You can cover the pot with a plastic bag to keep the moisture inside and to stimulate faster rooting. Keep the plastic 1-2 inches above the leaves - you can use an improvised wire net placed over the container to hold the plastic away. Again place in a lot of indirect light. Open the bag once in a while to prevent mold or rotting. Check occasionally if the soil is still moist, and add some if it begins drying out. To check if the cutting has rooted try to gently pull up the stem. If it resists, then the roots are already formed. It may take several weeks to a month for roots to appear this way. Once they do, remove the plastic bag, reduce the watering, and start following the general rules for growth care. Professional gardeners recommend rooting the Benjamin in sand or potting soil, but that method requires a lot of preparation, buying containers, sand or soil, dealing with plastic bags, and keeping the right water balance. Hence, they are error-prone for the beginner or inexperienced gardener. Rooting in water is super easy, you can observe the whole process of the rooting, and the result is completely satisfactory. The major benefit of rooting in sand or soil, per professionals opinion, is that the roots developed in water, are not the actual roots the plant will develop once potted. So it will take more time for the plant to develop new leaves and start growing after potted in soil. On the other hand however roots appear much faster in water than in the soil, so I am not sure there is any actual benefit in terms of "time to get a growing tree". I use the water method, and it works with 100% success and no mess.
You can use any size cutting from a branch of a grown, healthy Benjamin. The cutting can be anywhere from 4-5 to 8 or more inches if you like. Remove several leaves from the bottom of the cutting (this will form the future stem of the plant), keeping at least 2-3 leaves at the top. Make sure the end of the cutting is made with a sharp cut, it should not be just torn with your fingers - use sharp knife, regular or garden scissors. Then you need to root it in either water, or directly into soil or sand. You can dip the end of the cutting into rooting hormone (sold at nurseries). I never do that - I don’t like messing with nature, especially when it is completely unnecessary - roots will emerge without it anyway.
- rooting in water - the easier way to root a Benjamin cutting is to just put the cutting end in water, keeping the leaves above the water line. Refresh the water once a week (or once per 2 weeks, depending on the room temperature). Put it near a window or other place with lots of indirect light. Your cutting should produce roots in 2 weeks. You can leave the cutting like this for months (even to a full year) if you are not ready to pot it yet. I know people who put several cuttings in a vase, and keep them as decoration, then give them away to other enthusiasts (that's how I acquired my first "Benji" :) ). Once you have several roots, pot the cutting 1-1.5 inches into the soil, depending on the height of your cutting stem so that it can stay straight into the pot. The cutting will start producing leaves and branches almost immediately after that, protruding them from the base of the existing leaves.
- rooting in soil or sand - fill a 4 inch container with soil or sand, make a 1-1.5 inch deep whole in the soil, and place the cutting in it, then firm the soil around it to hold still. Water it thoroughly. You can cover the pot with a plastic bag to keep the moisture inside and to stimulate faster rooting. Keep the plastic 1-2 inches above the leaves - you can use an improvised wire net placed over the container to hold the plastic away. Again place in a lot of indirect light. Open the bag once in a while to prevent mold or rotting. Check occasionally if the soil is still moist, and add some if it begins drying out. To check if the cutting has rooted try to gently pull up the stem. If it resists, then the roots are already formed. It may take several weeks to a month for roots to appear this way. Once they do, remove the plastic bag, reduce the watering, and start following the general rules for growth care. Professional gardeners recommend rooting the Benjamin in sand or potting soil, but that method requires a lot of preparation, buying containers, sand or soil, dealing with plastic bags, and keeping the right water balance. Hence, they are error-prone for the beginner or inexperienced gardener. Rooting in water is super easy, you can observe the whole process of the rooting, and the result is completely satisfactory. The major benefit of rooting in sand or soil, per professionals opinion, is that the roots developed in water, are not the actual roots the plant will develop once potted. So it will take more time for the plant to develop new leaves and start growing after potted in soil. On the other hand however roots appear much faster in water than in the soil, so I am not sure there is any actual benefit in terms of "time to get a growing tree". I use the water method, and it works with 100% success and no mess.
[Update Feb 06 2013]
On the left is a picture of the now 2 year old Benjamin tree whose baby picture you can see above as a young cutting, that I had freshly potted while writing the article.
Notice how the tree has kept its original shape from the 3 main leaves now protruded into 3 main branches. Sweet, yeah? This can give you a visual of how the original form of your cutting can shape the future older tree. Don't forget though that with pruning you can change that shape if you are not satisfied with it.
On the left is a picture of the now 2 year old Benjamin tree whose baby picture you can see above as a young cutting, that I had freshly potted while writing the article.
Notice how the tree has kept its original shape from the 3 main leaves now protruded into 3 main branches. Sweet, yeah? This can give you a visual of how the original form of your cutting can shape the future older tree. Don't forget though that with pruning you can change that shape if you are not satisfied with it.