He likes his soil gently moist, but never soggy. Water him when the top two inches of soil are dry.
Somewhere bright but away from direct sun is ideal. If he drops leaves, he probably needs more light.
He loves moist air and absorbs a lot of water through his leaves. Frequent misting will keep that greenery healthy.
Botanical name
Ficus benjamina
Nickname
Benjamin tree; Java fig; Java tree; Small-leaved rubber plant; Tropic laurel; weeping fig; Benjamin fig
Plant type
Evergreen shrub, indoor
Air purifying
Yes
Plant height (including pot)
110-120cm
Pet/baby safe
Mildly toxic if ingested
Nursery pot size
27cm
If you encountered ficus benjamina in the wild, mostly in Asia or Australia, you could expect it to be as tall as 30 metres. Don’t panic that you’re going to need to smash a hole in your roof. Our indoor version is much more compact.
With its abundance of dark green glossy leaves it makes a very stylish houseplant. It’s pretty simple to take care of too. It will tolerate lower light, but prefers bright, indirect light, and just asks that it not be allowed to dry out. You can also encourage it to grow more strongly by giving it a feed with plant fertiliser once a month in spring and summer.
In the wild it will bear small orange-red edible fruit, but don’t expect yours to fruit indoors. Enjoy it for its leafy handsomeness.
If it sheds some leaves shortly after delivery, don't worry. It's just its way of adjusting to new light and temperature levels. A bit of leaf drop throughout the year is normal, especially in winter. It has so many leaves that it can spare losing a few.
Did you know?
The ficus is the official tree of Bangkok. We are not sure what benefits this title affords it, to be honest.
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