Benjamina Ficus Winter Care - Potential Forest?

[Zako51]

Good Evening Everyone,

Below is a picture of one of my Benjamina Ficus trees. I bought them from a guy on craigslist who was downsizing to an apartment and did not have room for them. I think I have (7) of them. All of them are in pots and look similar to the one you see below.

I brought them into the garage as here in Austin, TX we are having occasional nights in the low 30's. They are beginning to drop some leaves and wanted to know if that is normal and if you had any suggestions.

Also I was thinking of taking the (5) of the (7) and putting together a Benjamina Ficus forest. What time of year should I do this. I believe it has been a couple years since any root pruning and general tree cleanup.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[sorce]

A heated garage?

That's Damn cold.

Sorce

 

[aml1014]

A heated garage?

That's Damn cold.

Sorce

Damm cold for a ficus at least.
Benjamina tend to drop leaves when they are moved around (or so I'm told, never happened to me). I'd aim to keep it above 45 at least.

Aaron

 

[Zako51]

A heated garage?

That's Damn cold.

Sorce

Source,

Actually my garage is not heated, it is just insulated. It is probably 15 degrees warmer.

 

[sorce]

Source,

Actually my garage is not heated, it is just insulated. It is probably 15 degrees warmer.

A bit cold.

I put mine inside at 50F.

Inside with 16hr flourescents and over 70f and humid.

I don't want them dormant ever.

Sorce

 

[Petebak]

that's a tropical tree, should be kept inside when temperatures outside drop below 40 F. I keep mine indoors all year around and they do just fine.

 

[GrimLore]

Any help would be appreciated.

You need not be concerned about working them and should not until early - mid Summer when they will grow insane outdoors. Right now your concern is keeping them alive to see it... They need to be inside once the nights hit 45F here. They get 16 ours a day of full spectrum light, humidity, and air circulation 24 hours a day. The often will drop when brought in but not always and if they do lighten up the water and in about two weeks they should be showing a lot of new bud.

Grimmy

 

[groverick]

I have lived in Austin TX and I have lived in Phoenix AZ. I had a F. benjamina that wintered outside in AZ, in a very sheltered nook (roof over top, no direct sun, heated space on three sides, incandescent light all night). I would move this tree out into the shade of larger trees for the summer. Winters in Phoenix are warmer than those in Austin. There are several frosts each winter in Phoenix, with temps down to the mid 20's, but in the sheltered nook, it never froze. Benjamina did *survive* in its AZ shelter, but did not thrive. I would consider this shelter like an unheated garage with big windows. Your garage might be enough like my Phoenix nook for them to survive, but if you really want them to survive, don't count on it. I remember ice storms in Austin and temperatures below 20.

For F. benjamina to thrive, it need lots of light, warm temps and humidity. You've got that covered for at least half the year outdoors in Austin. The difficulty is setting up a space indoors to provide that for the winter. They don't like to be moved, but you will have to do so twice a year. It is likely they will drop leaves going both ways. A bright sunny place indoors, possibly with supplimental artificial lighting will be best. When they go back out, keep them in the shade. The difference between bright indoor light and shade outdoors is such a drastic increase in light that they will be shocked. If you move them from indoors to direct sun outdoors, all the leaves will burn and die. They can adapt to direct sun outdoors, but then when you bring them indoors they will be more severely shocked, so just keep them in the shade while outside.

If you want your figs to survive, get some grow lights over them in the garage. Get a thermometer out there and watch it carefully. Never let them freeze, in fact as several others commented, keep them well above freezing if you can. If you want them to thrive, bring them into a heated space and put lights over them, then water appropriately. Don't even worry about any pruning or potting until spring. Just keep your babies alive.

Currently, my Ficus plants are in a sunny east-facing bay window in Connecticut with artificial lights 15 hours a day. They are growing new leaves on Christmas day!

Rick

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I'm north of Chicago, space in the light garden is limited, I put up with keeping my ficus dormant in winter, and only getting good growth for the warmer parts of the summer. Because of this, they ''size up'' at maybe a third the rate that they would if kept warm and sunny all year round, but they are healthy, this has been a long term pattern, for over 20 years, and they have not died. I leave my big 'Mexicali' or 'Chiapas' ficus out until about 40, then into the basement light garden for rest of winter. Most of the leaves drop off, then I find a brighter spot for it when the new grow starts, usually Feb or March. Outside late in May. In may any weak growth from being shade grown is chopped off, then I get good growth for June, July and August. Cycle repeats. My 'Chiapas' ficus is essentially a willow leaf type, but different from the clone that is being sold by Wigerts.

Key is,, a winter "dormancy' may not be the fastest way to grow a ficus, but it is a "long term stable" method, health does not seem to be affected, no disease issues or decline, just slower growth and longer to develop. In Austin Texas, your winter is at least 2 months shorter than mine, this method should work well for you.

If you want year round growth, Really should protect them from temps below 60 F, and give them the equivalent of half sun to full sun all year. Not easy to do indoors unless you set up a proper light garden, bright enough for tomatoes, peppers or marijuana. But if you let them get chilled, and go dormant, you really can keep them in deep shade until they start trying to grow. Or do like I do, and cut off weak growth that grew while in the shade, once they are outside for summer.

When I put mine out for the summer, usually I defoliate, prune and wire the tree. Over the winter I remove the wire, or at least check for cutting in.