How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Weeping Fig Tree (Ficus Benjamina)

Ficus benjamina, also known as the weeping fig tree, is a beautiful and beneficial tree that comes from Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It’s the official tree of Bangkok, and we here at Epic Gardening can definitely see why!

The tree can be grown in the ground in certain regions and makes a lovely houseplant in containers. It’s not hard to care for, which means you can grow one at home in smaller or larger spaces.

In this guide you’ll learn exactly how to grow a weeping fig plant in your home, as well as the beneficial properties it has for your health.​

What is the Weeping Fig Tree?

The weeping fig tree (Ficus benjamina) is one of the best plants to have in your home when it comes to removing formaldehyde from the air. It also purifies air of toluene and xylene. In fact, it was studied by NASA as a plant to include in space flight due to its toxin-cleansing properties.

Native Area

Ficus benjamina is also known to have roots that can cause significant damage to soil structure outside its native range of Asia and Australia. They can lift sidewalks, and foundations when allowed to grow too tall. In areas that are prone to hurricanes, they can fall over in the face of gale winds.

In this regard, unless you live in a tropical region, keep one as a houseplant, or outdoors as a very short shrub.

Characteristics

It can grow up to ten feet indoors but can also be grown outdoors, where it gets considerably taller. It’s a staple of landscaping for hospitals, parks, and playgrounds around the country. Some of the tallest ones can reach over 100 feet tall!

As the plant ages, the leaves will turn a darker green. The leaves have a glossy look to them, almost as if they have been polished.​ These trees are monoecious, and the inflorescence is small, pinkish-white, and egg-shaped. They are one of three types: male, fertile, or sterile female flowers.

Each of these flower types has a distinct morphology. Male flowers have free sepals and a pronounced stamen. Fertile flowers have three to four sepals and an egg-shaped ovary. When pollinated, the flowers produce berries (which are actually ripe figs) that contain seeds.

Planting

To plant in the ground, choose a location with well-draining soil and partial to full sunlight, ensuring it is away from structures or underground pipes, as its roots can be invasive. Dig a hole twice as wide and slightly deeper than the root ball to allow roots to spread easily.

Mix the soil with compost or organic matter to improve fertility and drainage. Remove the plant from its container and gently loosen the roots before placing it in the hole at the same depth as it was in the pot. Fill the hole with the amended soil, pressing it gently to eliminate air pockets. Water deeply immediately after planting, and apply a layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture and regulate temperature.

Regular pruning will help maintain its size and shape in the landscape.

To plant in a pot, choose a container with drainage holes to prevent waterlogging. Select a pot slightly larger than the current root ball to allow room for growth. Gently remove the plant from its original container, loosening the roots if compacted. Place the plant in the new pot so the root ball sits at the same depth as before, then fill the surrounding space with the potting mix, pressing it lightly to secure the plant.

Water thoroughly until water drains from the bottom, then allow the soil to dry slightly before watering again. Position the pot in a location with bright, indirect light, and avoid sudden changes in light or temperature, which can stress the plant.

How to Grow

Overall, weeping fig plants are easy to care for. They love high-humidity areas, so placing them in a bathroom so they can take advantage of the shower mist is a good idea.

Light

Indoors, weeping figs like at least five to seven hours of bright, indirect sun per day. Even with this much light, they’re still slow growers, but they’re worth the wait. Make sure that wherever you place your weeping fig tree is free of strong drafts of air – both cold and hot. If planting outdoors, choose an area with partial to full shade. It can handle full sun in the morning.

Water

Ficus benjamina are very sensitive to chemicals that appear in most tap water. Fluoride, chlorine, and the salts that are in tap water can harm the plant. For best results, water only with filtered or distilled water. If you don’t have a filter, you can leave a jug of tap water out overnight so chemicals like chlorine dissipate.

Weeping figs don’t like soggy soil at all and will quickly drop leaves and die if they are watered too often. The soil should try to be at least one to two inches deep before you water them again. In the winter months, you can water even less often as the plant is dormant for most of this time and needs less water.​

In the active growing seasons, sure your plant gets a daily misting with distilled water to promote the 60-80% ambient humidity it appreciates. You can also use a plant humidifier to maintain humidity.

Soil

A well-draining soil is best for weeping figs. If you are planting into new soil, be sure to bury the stalk at least three inches deep in the soil.​ Containers and in-ground plantings should have humus-rich soil that drains well. Amend rich soils with cactus soil and bark chips. Additions of perlite can assist with drainage as well.

Temperature

Weeping fig doesn’t like too much drafty air, and prefers around 65-75°F (18-24°C) temperatures. In areas where winters are cold, and summers are hot, bring your ficus indoors during extremes outside the optimal range.

Fertilizer

These houseplants don’t need a lot of fertilization. Fertilize about once a month in spring and summer with a standard liquid fertilizer. Dilute the mixture by at least 50% to avoid burning the leaves.​ In fall and winter, when the tree becomes dormant, do not fertilize. This can lead to conditions where rot is more prevalent.

Maintenance

Due to how slowly they grow, they don’t need to re-potted often. Once every three to four years is about as often as you should consider repotting them. When you do re-pot, be careful with the root systems. Unlike many plants, they need their root systems to be unharmed during re-potting or they may suffer for some time.

Pick a pot three times larger than the size of the plant so the roots have time to spread and grow without worrying about root rot.​

Weeping fig trees are tolerant to heavy pruning. If you inherited an unruly weeping fig, you can even prune it all the way down to the main stem. It will take some time to recover, but eventually you’ll see new shoots coming out of it.

Overall, you can prune to maintain the shape and size of your tree. Prune in-ground plantings outside its native range to keep them at shrub size.

Propagation

Weeping figs are best propagated by cloning from cuttings. You will create a plant with the exact same genetics as the mother plant by propagating in this way. In the beginning of spring, take cuttings from your tree and place them in water for about a week or so.

After a week, place cuttings directly in a soil mixture of peat moss, or coco coir, perlite, and coarse sand.​ After two to four weeks, roots should be well-established. You can double-check this by gently tugging on them and seeing if they hold on to the soil.​ You shouldn’t need to up-pot until a few years later.

Common Problems

One of the best things about weeping figs is that bugs or diseases hardly ever attack, but in some rare cases you may have some problems.

Growing Problems

Ficus benjamina trees are very sensitive to temperature and light changes and may take on yellowing leaves when they are adjusting to new conditions. If the plant continues to produce yellow leaves, adjust your conditions. Remember to mist the tree, and only water when the top one to two inches is dry.

Singed leaves can occur on plants in too much direct sunlight. If needed, place a sheer curtain over your window or provide some shade in the form of another taller houseplant. If you notice leaves starting to drop in the fall, don’t worry. This is completely normal, and there’s no way to prevent it.

Pests

Scale insects are super-annoying bugs that suck out the juice of your weeping fig tree. If they’re not spotted and removed early, they can decimate your tree. You can wipe smaller populations off the tree with a damp cloth, or pop them off with an alcohol-soaked q-tip. Neem oil mists will keep future populations away.

The best way to get rid of them is to take your fig tree outside and give it a good hosing down. You will need to repeat this process two to three times to make sure you get rid of all of them. If you have a heavy infestation, you will need to go with a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap.

Mealybugs are annoying pests that show up on the underside of your leaves and can be hard to spot at first. Go with an insecticidal soap for multiple applications to rid your plant of these.

Thrips are difficult to get rid of and even harder to see as they’re less than a twentieth of an inch long. You can spot them by looking for the small dark dots of waste they leave on your leaves. To get rid of them, wash your ficus off with water and use a neem oil or a predator to thrips to fight them off if you have a more serious infestation.

Whiteflies attack your weeping figs in a similar manner to the pests above. You can tell if you have a whitefly problem by shaking your fig tree and looking for a cloud of flies to pop up. To prevent them, you should use neem oil sprays multiple times to be sure you’ve killed them all off. Standard yellow sticky traps are also a good way to get rid of them.

Diseases

For the most part, weeping figs don’t suffer from too many diseases.

Tip blight is a rare disease to run into, but it will cause the tips of new Ficus benjamina shoots to die off. The culprit is high humidity, so to prevent this you should make sure that you aren’t bathing your figs in too much mist. To treat it, just remove the blighted tips by cutting below them.​ Then reduce humidity.

Root rot is caused in two ways: having poorly-draining soil, and/or watering too often.​ Either one of these situations will cause the roots to be in too much water and begin to soften and rot away. Preventing this is easy: water less often and add more sand to your soil so it drains better.​

Phomopsis canker​ is caused by pruning with non-sterile equipment. It’s a fungal disease that enters the plant via pruning cuts. You can tell your tree has it by looking for cankers near the pruned sections. If you notice it, you should prune that branch off completely.

Frequently Asked Questions