Outdoor ficuses are fairly adaptable and can be trimmed during most seasons. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. If you inherited an unruly weeping fig, you can even prune it all the way down to the main stem. This “renewal pruning” makes it easier for your Ficus to resume growth. If that’s not possible, a Ficus that feasts on the bright light of a shaded porch in summer and is given a bit of annual grooming when brought indoors grows bushier by the year. Weeping fig (ficus benjamina) is grown as a tree or bush, inside or outside. Just make sure to give your little cuttings plenty of TLC to help them grow strong and healthy. Creeping fig, aka Creeping ficus, or Ficus pumilla, is a creeping vine that crawls along structures or walls and is a favorite Florida plant for disguising or softening fences or buildings. It has slender branches that arch gracefully from a light gray trunk. Once the conditions that caused the leaf drop have been addressed and corrected, prune the branches back from one-quarter to one-third of their length. Most indoor weeping fig trees will grow to a maximum height of about six feet, but they can be kept much smaller with pruning or grown as bonsai trees. In terms of appearance, the plant has gracefully bending branches, earning it the nickname weeping fig tree. Caring for weeping figs indoors is a matter of selecting an appropriate location. Prune the weeping fig bonsai before new growth begins in early spring. Pruning and training. Dropping leaves signals the onset of dormancy. Ficus benjamina is actually a real tree, with its hard trunk crowned with branches full of green leaves. Shetsky has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Marist College. When planted indoors, however, you only need to prune it when you see dead leaves or branches. How to Prune a Weeping Fig Tree Weeping fig (ficus benjamina) is grown as a tree or bush, inside or outside. Weeping fig (ficus benjamina) is grown as a tree or bush, inside or outside. Yellow or brownish spots on a Weeping Fig shows that it has fungus. 5. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, Forest Service: Information on Weeping Fig trees. It can grow as tall as 6 feet high and have 2- to 3-inch-long leaves that are medium green in color. Generally lush, leafy and bold, they include familiar favourites such as the rubber plant and weeping fig. What could it be? Anytime from late summer to early spring is ideal, as this is right before and after your ficus's dormant season. Don’t discard that fickle Ficus until you give it a haircut to find out whether it’s just playing possum. Ficus benjamina, commonly called weeping fig, is native from India to northern Australia. Weeping ficus or fig is one of the most popular houseplants found in homes, offices, and interior landscaping. Prune your tree as needed to shape and promote new, beautiful growth. The plant is sensitive, though, converting to deciduous behavior if conditions change too suddenly -- as when it is moved from a cool, foggy screened porch to the warm indoors where central heating drops the relative humidity to 30 percent. Wear gloves, long sleeves and closed shoes because sap may irritate your skin. Pruning a fig tree at the wrong time, during spring for example, can cause them to bleed profusely. This loss of sap can weaken the plant and in extreme cases may cause death. Nearby floor registers should be covered, and the plant should be moved away from doors and windows where sudden drafts could exacerbate its shedding. It is an indoor air purifying plant. Make all cuts next to the collar, which is the thicker section at the base of branches. Dwarfing a Weeping Fig Tree Keeping a plant, such as, a tree, in a small pot can be challenging but using some of the techniques of bonsai can help dwarf a plant and keep it small. A retired municipal judgem Reynolds holds a degree in communications from Northern Illinois University. In addition, it has air-cleaning qualities that remove formaldehyde. The weeping fig ficus benjamina continues to be a major crop for indoor use. She writes for several websites, specializing in gardening, medical, health and fitness, entertainment and travel. Cut them with pruning shears at the point … Prune to shape as needed. Setting the plant’s pot on a gravel-filled tray holding water raises the humidity around the plant. This is a video of me in my tiny NYC apartment leaf and root pruning my Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina) indoor root-over-rock bonsai. 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