Hello, I saved a tree from being tossed out,,, now I need to know what it is and how to care for it... I was told it was a citrus tree, possibly lemon but as I look at leaves I believe it's a Weeping Fig.?. Other than that I have no information. It was in an apartment corridor with plenty of leaves then moved to a cold garage to be tossed into the dumpster, where I saw it and took it home. The leaves have mostly fallen off probably due to a few days in the cold dark garage. Currently it is in my home office, the heater behind it is rarely used. I have had it at home for about 2 weeks... Any thoughts? http://www.nlvp.com/SHEDDER/ Here is a link to a gallery of images... Thanks Alan... Scanned Leaf ( photo / image / picture from churchill25's Garden )
I think you are both right.... Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig, Benjamin's Fig) Glad you were able to rescue it, it should come back just fine with proper care.
Keep in mind, these plants are very picky about being moved. They'll drop their leaves if they are "upset". So... once you find a spot that it likes... leave it there!
Here's a link you might like to take a look at Alan. http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgar ... ficus.html Hope it helps you take care of your weeping fig.
My sis-in-law has one that is so temperamental, if you even talk bad about it, leaves will start to drop! :-D
Thanks for the replies... I was hoping for lemons but I'll take a temperamental leaf dropper instead... I'm going to start pruning it a bit while the leaves are off, any advice? How much will the snipped branches drip when cut? And I think I will put it in a new pot... As I understand, a pot with a drainage tray and maybe some gravel in the bottom of the new pot under the roots.
I would wait until the leaves reappear to prune, in case it thins its branches naturally. Wayward branches are pruned anytime to maintain shape. I usually heavily prune in the summer or when the plant is full with leaves. I have heavily pruned ficus of various sizes quite drastically to keep them a size that would fit where I wanted them. I always leave some leaves on every pruned branch and wait until the plant leafs out from the inside area before pruning more. Repotting is something I seldom did. I had one ficus for 20 years in the same pot, and another for 15 years in the same pot. Ficus pumila makes a great ground cover for ficus benjamina and are quite compatible. Watering for ficus should be a good soaking, but never setting in water longer than it takes to throughly soak the root ball. I think improper watering is probably what causes the most problems with ficus. Be sure and keep ficus out of drafts. They really hate drafts (by doors or leaky windows). They love bright indirect light. Good luck and happy gardening.
