Care Guide For Ficus Bonsai
Today we are going to try and cover some basic information regarding ficus bonsai and their care routine.
Are Ficus Bonsai Hard To Care For?
Ficus Bonsai are probably one of the easiest bonsai plants to care for. This is especially true if you live in a tropical or sub tropical climate. If you live in an area that gets below 4c during winter months then some extra care will need to be taken which we will discuss further down in this article. Ficus are often recommended to people as their first beginner bonsai tree because they are so forgiving against mistakes.
How Often Should You Water Ficus Bonsai?
When it comes to watering ficus are very forgiving against dry spells, Ficus have the great skill of being able to store large amounts of moisture in their trunk and branches to help them survive against periods of miss watering. Although they have this ability you should still try to maintain good watering practise. During the hotter months water you tree at least once per day, make sure you give it a good drenching by allowing water to penetrate the soil surface, keep appying water and letting it soak through until water is pouring out of the drainage holes on the bottom of the pot like a tap. In the cooler months keep an eye on how quick the pot is drying out, as the weather begins to cool your watering wont be as frequent. The goal is to keep the soil moist but not sopping wet.
Do Ficus Bonsai Need Sunlight?
Yes and No, Ficus can live happily inside as an indoor bonsai with minimal light requirements but in saying that you wont get as good of results out of your little tree if it was outside. By putting your tree outside you allow it to photosynthesis properly with the sun allowing it to create sugars for itself. This will see your tree grow much stronger, reduce its leaf size and get more branching. You see inside the tree will try searching for light, one tactic the tree uses for this is to grow larger leaves creating more potential surface area for photosynthesis to occur. This isnt what we are trying to achieve on Bonsai though. So in short while your ficus will live inside it will thrive outside.
Do Ficus Bonsai Need Protection From The Cold?
Once the temperature approaches and drops below 4c you will need to protect your ficus bonsai. Ficus are a tropical species and thrive in hot environments which means they aren't a fan of the colder weather. You can bring your tree into an unheated garage or basement over winter to help protect it from potential damage due to cold weather. light wont be an issue for the tree just over winter. As soon as your temperature begin to rise again you can get the tree back outside in its natural environment.
Tips And Tricks For Ficus Bonsai
Now that we have covered a few of the basic care techniques for ficus bonsai i will share with you a few extra tips for success with your tree.
1. don't work on ficus until temperatures reach 20c over night and 26c during the day, ficus wont respond well until the weather is very warm. This includes pruning and repotting.
2. Keep your ficus well feed with a fertiliser to keep the leaves nice and green.
3. when you prune ficus branches poke them into the soil and put them in the shade, ficus strike very ealisy from cutting and you will have some extra little trees to work with.
4. Keep an eye out for scale and treat with a pest spray, scale love ficus bonsai and are likely to attack your little tree.
I hope this has helped you get some initial information about your Ficus Bonsai and we wish you all the luck in your bonsai journey!
