A tree or shrub that
is mainly used as a shade and ornamental tree for homes and gardens.
The leaves of the "normal" fig are leathery and about five
inches long and two inches wide, while the ficus benjamina "too
little" leaves are more or less half as long and wide, there as
perfect for bonsai use. It is said that they are perfect for indoor
bonsai, i have them outside from spring to autumn and then place the
inside during the winter period.
Ficus trees are perfect
for neary every style, often seen as group formations.
Repotting / Soil:
As the growth of the tree and in consequence of the roots is very vigorous
i repot the tree every two years eliminating the third part of the roots.
For my ficus trees I prefer glazed pots in green and blue tones. The
soil mixture I use is composed of 1/3 humus or leaf mold, 1/3 of sand
and 1/3 of loam.
Light: The Ficus
is a very versatile plant as far as light goes. In the full sun (should
not do that in Spain, Sun is to hot and dry) it will have a dense amount
of leaves. But, in shadier zones it will grow very open with fewer leaves
and thin weeping branches so you will able to play with this condition
to form a proper tree form. Don't change light conditions too often
because figs tend to drop their leafs as they are accustomed to prepare
themselves for rain and dry seasons.
Pruning and cleaning:
They can be pruned from spring to autumn . I prefer not too prune
them to much at one time as they loose a lot of sap (you can avoid it
by applying charcoal powder to the wound). Be sure to remove young breeds
where you don't want them to grow.
Wiring: Wire
from spring to summer. Be careful when you try to bend big branches
as they bend but also break quite easily. Be sure to protect the branches
with raffia before you wire and bend them.
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Watering: Figs
need constant and regular watering as they don't like whether dry nor
too moisten soil conditions. This is necessary because changing water
conditions will make them shed their leafs.
Fertilizer: As
ever, I tend to use organic solid fertilizer which i apply during the
growing season, that is from soon spring to october. When the tree is in the inside during winter I sometimes apply liquid fertilizer dissolved in the water.
Temperature and exposure:
They resist very high temperatures if the air is not too dry,
as happens in Madrid. Here i have them in mid shadow and moisten their
leafs very often.
Diseases: The
only plague i have had on one of my ficus trees were louses which I
removed with an intense shower of water and two appliances of very dissolved
Folithion.
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