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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Ficus


Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)


Ficus elastica (rubber plant) and F. elastica ‘decora’ (with broader leaves and red new growth) have long been rated as easy to grow, but really they’re not. The assumption has been that the rubber plant would grow in the poorest light and with minimum water. Untrue! A rubber plant needs bright light and regular watering. In its natural environment, it’s a big tree, growing in full sun.

Celeste fig
F. lyatra (fiddleleaf fig) sports huge, stiff, glossy leaves that demand constant moisture or they turn brown and drop. F. benamina (weeping fig) has small, waxy leaves on pendant branches and is the easiest of his group o manage. Although less fussy about light and water than the others, it will go into a decline if you put it in too dim a light and treat it like a desert plant.

The celeste fig boast bold, handsome leaves that are decorative from spring through fall. They drop just a deciduous trees are losing leaves outside. After they go, however, the angular stems offer their own peculiar beauty throughout dreary winter months.

Light
All ficus species like bright, indirect sun. full sun through glass will burn the leaves.

Water
Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)
Keep the soil moist to the touch. Frequency of watering depends (as with any houseplant) on the size of the plant and pot and whether the container has drainage and is made of clay, plastic, or ceramic.

Special Helps
Use a general potting soil lightened with a little sand or perlite. Feed three or four times a year with any complete solube or liquid houseplant food. If your plant grows too fast, space feeding at longer intervals or eliminate altogether. Do nont feed Celeste fig during its winter dormancy periode.

Source : Growing Houseplants 

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