Ginseng ficus
Also called Indian laurel, Chinese banyan, Ficus ginseng.
| Light | bright indirect light |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 7 days in the growing season, every 16 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | moderate |
| Height | Up to 45 cm (18 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats toxic, dogs toxic |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Fig entry.
Toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. The ASPCA entry for Fig is Ficus benjamina, a close relative, listed as toxic to cats, dogs and horses through a proteolytic enzyme and psoralen. Treat this species the same way. Keep it where an animal that eats houseplants cannot reach it, and speak to a vet if one does. In South Africa telephone the Poison Information Helpline on 0861 555 777; in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435.
This is the plant sold in every garden centre as a beginner’s bonsai, with a fat trunk that is not a trunk at all but a swollen aerial root, grown thick in a nursery and then potted up with the fine roots trimmed away. It is a genuine fig and a very tolerant one, which is why it is used: it takes indoor light, forgives clumsy pruning and regrows readily from bare wood. What it does not forgive is being moved about, which brings on a shower of leaves every time. Put it in the brightest steady spot you have, water when the top of the shallow pot dries, feed lightly and often, and expect it to outlive most of the other plants in the room.
Ailments observed
| Leaves falling off | A move, a draught or a change in light, which every ficus answers this way. Put it somewhere bright and steady and leave it alone. It will releaf within a month from bare wood. |
|---|---|
| Sticky residue on the leaves or the floor | Scale insects on the stems and undersides, which figs attract. Wipe the stems over with a damp cloth and check weekly. The sticky film is what the insects excrete rather than sap from the plant. |
Filed underStatement plants, Plants for a balcony or a small space
Neighbouring entries
Dragon tree
Dracaena marginataDragon tree care for an office or a hallway, with how often to water, why the tips brown, and how to cut a bare stem so it branches.
Fiddle-leaf fig
Ficus lyrataFiddle-leaf fig care that keeps the leaves on, with the light it actually needs, why brown spots appear, and what to do about a bare lower stem.
Rubber plant
Ficus elasticaRubber plant care with the light and watering it wants, why the lower leaves drop, and how to cut a leggy stem back so it branches.