Indoor Ficus No Winter?

x98cmongerx · White Belt Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 8 Location: New York

Hello everyone. I was at wal*mart of all places a few days ago, and I decided to stroll through the plant section just for kicks. I ended up walking away with some kind of ficus from what I can see. I'll work on getting some pictures up sometime. I figured it'd be nice to have a spare incase my carmona decides to kick the bucket anytime soon. Anyway, I've been reading up on them, and everyone says to slow watering, stop feeding blah blah blah in the winter. I was just wondering if I keep the light on for it (850ish Lumen coiled fluorescent), plus any sunlight it gets (window faces a few degrees off of south), if I will need to worry about a "winter." I saw somewhere that the tree knows it's winter when the days start getting shorter. So if I keep the lights on for the same amount of time all year long, will this be stressful to the tree or anything like that? Thanks for any advice.

emorrin · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 3:05 am Post subject: Re: Indoor Ficus No Winter?

The ficus does not have any real dormancy needs since it is a tropical tree. It does slow down growth during times of the year but I am not sure if it has to do with less light per day (i.e. the days getting shorter) or not as the light duration doesn't change much near the equator. I have my tropical bonsais/pre-bonsais under supplementary fluorescent lighting and do adjust the light duration per season however. In winter the growth did seem to slow down so it may be a factor (or just a coincidence due to other factors).

First thing before I go further, if there are still glued rocks on your ficus then take them off. Walmart sells two different types of Ficus and they both have glued on rocks. One type has a real fat root like trunk and the other one is a skinnier "S" shaped tree. Also, it may be a good idea to re pot into more suitable bonsai soil if you already didn't do so.

In the winter, I end up watering my Ficus(es) a little less than the rest of the year because they didn't need it. I only water if the plant needs it so there is no set schedule nor would you let it go dry for long periods either, just because it is winter. That would end up killing it. I still fertilize in the winter because I use a mainly inorganic potting medium. I usually only use a NPK 0-10-10 fertilizer half the time I would usually fertilize though. In the winter I would not keep it too close to a window due to cold drafts. Sudden changes in temperature and drafts will cause it to drop its leaves. Other than that, I treat it the same way year round.

x98cmongerx · White Belt Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 8 Location: New York

Alright thanks for the help. It's the S-shaped one, and I took all the rocks off the top. I read somewhere a while ago that the rocks stop the water from getting in. I'm working on making a pot right now out of clay, so once it gets fired I'll repot it.

emorrin · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: Indoor Ficus No Winter?

If it is an "S" shaped ficus, it is a Ficus retusa microcarpa "tiger bark". You will find this species easier to care for then the carmona, which I consider an "intermediate" care plant. About a month after you re pot, you can start fertilizing with a balanced NPK 10-10-10 fertilizer. Once new leaves start forming, if you want a denser canopy, pinch off the top shoots before they form into leaves. This will encourage back budding and should grow more leaves lower on the branches. Don't worry about the white sap that will bleed from the pinched tips when you do this. This is normal.

I have bought quite a few of these from Walmart since my neighbors want an "indoor" bonsai after seeing mine.

Here is a picture of one I bought a month ago:

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii208/emorrin/BonsaiRomeo158.jpg