Bearing in mind that the vast majority of ficus species are trees that grow very large, many people may think that keeping them potted all their lives is unfeasible. I thought so myself…until one day I realized that I already had a collection of four different types: F. benjamina, F. microcarpa, F. maclellandii ‘Alii’, and the latest to arrive was F. elastica ‘Abidjan’, which differs from the typical elastica by its very dark green, almost black leaves.
And of course it wasn’t the same. Now, yes or yes, I would have to think carefully whether or not it was possible to have a ficus in a pot throughout its life because, one: in the garden there is no place for them; and secondly, it can never be ruled out that this collection will not be expanded in the future. So I will tell you how I take care of my container grown trees.
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Are ficuses indoors or outdoors?
First of all, it’s important that we clarify this first, as it will make it easier for us to decide where to place them. And what we need to know is that what will determine whether a plant – whatever it is – is considered indoor or outdoor, is whether it can withstand the cold and frost in our area. That’s to say, if you want to have a ficus, the ideal is to know its hardinessand based on that, think about whether we’re going to have it outside -which would be the most ideal-, or whether we’ll have to protect it when the cold comes.
Therefore, below we will tell you what is the cold hardiness of the most common ficus:
- ficus benjamina: tolerates cold, but begins to lose leaves if temperatures remain below 10°C for a few days. Does not support frost. See file.
- ficus carica: frost resistant down to -7ºC. It is the most resistant species of ficus, but yes: unlike the others, it is deciduous. See file.
- ficus elastic: it tolerates the cold quite well, and can even withstand occasional frosts down to -2°C if it is a little protected. See file.
- ficus lyrata: it is very sensitive to low temperatures. He doesn’t like the cold at all. See file.
- Ficus maclellandii ‘Alii’: we can say that it is one of the most delicate. It should not be stored outside if the temperature drops below 12°C. See file.
- Ficus microcarp: resists cold, but not frost. If the temperature drops below 0 degrees, it must be protected. See file.
Sun or shade?
If there’s one thing all ficuses love, it’s direct sun. Well, it’s not that they like it, it’s that in dark places they can’t grow. They do well in places where there is a lot of light, that is, where you can see well during the day, without problems, without the need to turn on a lamp or a flashlight by example ; but let me tell you, the best trees I’ve seen and see every day – in my city there are plenty of them in patios and gardens – are those that are in full sun.
In case you have to enter the house, you have to find a room with windows facing east, from which the royal star comes out and in which, I emphasize, there is a lot of light.
When to water the potted ficus?
Ficus are not plants that can go a long time without receiving a single drop of water (except for the ficus carica, which is somewhat resistant to drought), but you have to be careful with the irrigation, because it would not be good either to water them too much. For it, It is important to water them about 2 to 4 times a week, that is, every 2 or 3 days during the months when the weather is good.; while the rest of the year we will do it once a week.
We will use rainwater if possible, as it is the most suitable for watering any plant. But if we can’t get it, we can use bottled water as long as it’s safe to drink.
How to prune the ficus?
Pruning is something we will have to do whether we like it or not if our intention is to keep it in a pot. Luckily, these are plants that recover quite well from these tasks, healing wounds quickly and resuming growth in no time. But be careful: you can’t cut them drastically. As I like to say, a well-made size is a size that cannot be seen with the naked eye; that is to say, it is the one that respects the plant.
And it is that, for example, a thick cut branch, in addition to looking ugly, it also looks unnatural. For it it is preferable to prune the young branches small (thin, tender), even if it means having to prune the tree every year. There’s nothing wrong with doing it like that. In fact, it is the most ideal if we want to have a healthy and beautiful plant.
Related article:
How to prune a ficus?
Now, when should it be pruned? Ficus like it warm, so we’ll prune ours when spring has finished setting in, and minimum temperatures remain above 15 ºC. When the time comes, we will need to do the following:
- The first thing will be to move a few steps away from our tree, in order to better identify the main branches, see what development it has, how it grows, and what style we could give it without the pruning not being too noticeable. To know what style to give it, I invite you to read our article on bonsai styles, because even if you do not want to have it as a bonsai, the styles that are recommended for these small trees can also be given to ficus grown in jars; it only changes the size it will have.
- Now we are going to remove the dry branches and the broken ones. Also, if we see one that is a bit dry, we can cut that part off, leaving the live part intact.
- Then, and keeping in mind the style that we are going to give it, we will proceed to cut the very long branches. If our trees are very young and/or have few branches, I simply advise removing the most recent leaves of each of the above to cause them to branch.
- Finally, if we have cut a semi-woody or woody branch, we will seal the wounds with healing paste which you can buy here.
How often should you change the pot?
When the ficus is young, it will have to be planted in a larger pot every 3 or 4 years, in spring. But there will come a time when it will be impossible for us to do this unless we ask someone for help because it will weigh heavily. For this reason, I like to follow this schedule and transplant it at certain times:
- Just bought: move it to a pot about 10-15 cm wider and higher.
- At 3-4 years old: plant it in a larger pot, about 40-60 cm in diameter (depending on the size of the previous one, because it would not be good to move it from a 20 cm pot to a 60 cm pot, because it might have trouble watering itself because it has too much wet soil at its roots).
- After about 3 more years: if it is in a pot of about 60cm, transfer it to the final pot, 80 to 100cm in diameter; Otherwise, it is replaced by a 60cm and, after about 3 or 4 more years, it is planted in the definitive one.
As a substrate, you can put universal soil for plants like this here. There is no need to complicate this.
We hope these tips will help you take care of your potted ficus.