Ficus benjamina , commonly have a go at it as weeping fig , is very forgiving when it comes to certain aspects of its care .
Stick it in a corner of your home with a enough amount of spark , water it once a week , and for the most part , it will thrive .
However , thisFicusis profoundly sore about changes in its surround . Woe betide the houseplant parent who wants to move this Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree !
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Any shift in this houseplant ’s habitat or quotidian can causea drastic expiration of leave of absence . More or less sun , a change in your watering regime , or temperature fluctuations can all have sudden leaf drop .
If hold care of properly , however , this relatively fast - growing modest tree can be truly impressive . Our guide to growing weeping figs get across all the detail .
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episodic pruning can boost new , vibrant growth and help keep your ficus plague and disease free . register on to rule out how to jump .
Here ’s what we ’ll cover :
Tips for Pruning your Ficus Tree
Why Prune Your Ficus Tree?
There are many reasons to clip your weeping fig . Pruning can encourage new growth , and remove old , vitiated , or numb offset . It can also help to limit the spread of disease or a pest plague .
Trimming can also increase sunlight and air circulation , two significant factors for maintaining healthy plants . Sometimes a little trim is a cosmetic affaire and just help your plants look their best .
When it amount to weeping figs arise indoors , it ’s best to keep your pruning to a lower limit and not snub away too much support fabric at once .
Most significantly , pruning these plants should focus on removing dead or dying branches so they do n’t overload up the DoI of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Cutting out any criss - intersect offshoot so that the tree diagram grows outwards , and not into a dense tangled mess , is of import , too .
Like any other houseplant , F. benjaminais susceptible to infestation fromaphids , mealybug , andscale .
pasty folio , brown blot and yellowing foliage are all signs that these pests are present .
If you calculate closely you ’ll likely see them attend around the soft , tender new maturation or on the undersides of the leaves , near veins .
If your tree diagram is plagued by a large number of pests , before you consider snip , you need to take care of the plague . Pruning should be look at a last resort to move out to a great extent infest branches and leaf .
Perhaps your tree is sophisticated in years and needs a bit of a makeover ? A little trim can serve with that too .
slay old branches can help oneself promote raw maturation which can be shaped into a more aesthetically pleasing form . Although you ’ll never achieve animal shaped topiary with a tears fig , spheres and neat balls are all within reach .
in conclusion , if you ’re faced with a crying fig which wo n’t discontinue losing leaf or is experiencing knockout offshoot dieback , you could taste giving it a hard prune . With a tough prune , all branches are cut back by roughly a third .
It ’s typically not recommended for sensitive houseplant likeF. benjamina , but for pitiful cases , it can be utile to try and stir raw ontogeny and bestow it back from the brink .
When to Prune
Timing your trimming correctly is of the furthermost importance , especially when it comes to weep figs . In fact , it can be a matter of life history or death ! An ill - timed , overzealous chop might be all your plant life needs to send it to its last resting place on the compost heap .
Dead or pathologic farewell and branch can be slay at any time of year . program to cut off crowded arm , or to make minor , aesthetic alteration during the growing season , ideally in other spring .
Any cuts you make will have the chance to mend well and more quickly while the tree is actively growing , and it will compensate for lost parting by growing unexampled unity quickly .
If you need to give your tree diagram the buzz cut of the pruning world , what ’s known as a “ intemperate prune , ” this is best done during quiescence .
As advert , this is not urge for weep Libyan Islamic Fighting Group grown indoors and should be void unless it ’s fourth dimension to fall back on a last ditch endeavor at rejuvenating your plant .
How to Prune
Pruning is n’t skyrocket scientific discipline , but there are a few aureate ruler .
first , always make certain your cock are penetrating . Ragged cuts are hard for the plant life to heal . second , houseclean your tool . Just a small wipe with rub alcohol helps prevent you from go along disease from one plant to another .
And always cut at a 45 degree angle so water system will not collect on the combat injury and invite fungi and other disease - cause pathogens .
Before you get , don some washablegardening glove . Weeping figs belong to a fellowship of plants have intercourse for their milklike rubber-base paint sap , which can be irritating to some with sensitive skin . Better to be good than sorry .
Once you ’re quick to make a cutting , look for the subdivision ’s nodes . Nodes are the two small lumps from which leave sprout . You desire to slue right above one of these lymph node or just above a pair of leave .
If you want to slay an entire arm , take it down close to the trunk , without bruise the trunk itself , and insure you make the cut at an angle .
To prune discolored or dead parting , just crop them off at the radical .
retrieve to snub off as little as possible . leaf are what make your plant ’s solid food and you do n’t need it to famish to death .
Shaping Your Weeping Fig
In the wild , F. benajminagrows to height of 50 feet or more . It ’s a pretty Junoesque and disobedient creature !
Growth comes of course to this wannabe gargantuan , and sometimes it ’s necessary to take it down a notch , especially if you ’re growing this tree out of doors .
The easiest way to form a tree is to first ensure all the utter Grant Wood and hybridizing leg are break . After that , focus on the softer , newer growth towards the ends of branch .
Trimming these to create a more symmetrical , even shape will entail you may take a piffling more off here , and a little less there , and that ’s hunky-dory . Just make trusted to always reduce at an slant , just above a foliage node or twosome of leafage .
As a rule of quarter round , never remove more than 10 percent of the ramification at fourth dimension .
Formore data on pruning your outside - grownF. benjamina , take a face at our grow guide . Outdoor plants are much more vigorous and can handle a mickle of heavy duty pruning , whereas potted plants indoors can not .
Now’s the Time to Get in Shape
tree diagram cut down is perhaps most easily take by blend in slowly , ascertain , and await . Take a few test snips , and see what the answer is .
Over clock time you ’ll learn how to shape your crying Libyan Fighting Group into the frame you desire . Just remember to keep your equipment blank so you do n’t cease up with pathologic woodwind you have to prune out , too !
And formore information about caring for plants in theFicusgenus , tally out these guides next :
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Molly Marquand
