Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
- Messages
- 11,337
- Reaction score
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- USDA Zone
- 5b
@Hannahmm
Welcome to crazy. I read your avatar, love it. My 30 year old niece works as a raft guide on the New and Gally Rivers in West Virginia every summer. She is only 5 ft 2 inches tall and less than 100 pounds. Yet she wrangles a 12 man raft as well as the biggest of "da Boyz", drunk tourists and all. Last January she kayaked the Grand Canyon for 10 days. So I love your avatar, it is true.
I keep my Ficus as an outdoor in summer, indoors and as dormant as possible for winter. The fat roots of ginseng ficus are an adaptation to a wet-dry monsoon climate. They grow like crazy when warm (over 70 F) sunny and wet. Kept cool, below 65F, they store enough water to go 3 or 4 months without rain (dry monsoon).
I find it difficult to give my Ficus the sun and heat it needs for good compact growth. So I leave mine out until nights get cool, upper 40s, then I bring it inside, bright shade, cool location (60's F) and let it dry until leaves begin to wilt, then give a light surface misting with water, then keep letting it dry until it wilts a little. It will drop most of it's leaves, and growth will pretty much stop. It will take longer each time for the few remaining leaves to wilt. Towards February it might get water once a month. Leafless is okay, branches will stay flexible, showing they are alive and dormant. In spring, once weather warms up, back outside into full sun for nice, compact growth.
So your wood heated home doesn't need to be a problem, just put the ficus where it is cool, but above freezing, and keep it relatively dry. Cool and wet encourages various rot diseases. I once, by accident, left a willow leaf ficus bone dry for 5 months. It was completely leafless and fine twigs had started to die back a little. Watered it, set it outside and it exploded with new growth. The physically larger the tree, the better it will handle this type of abuse. Small trees without fat roots won't have enough stored water.
So consider this unconventional option. it might be an easy fix.
Welcome to crazy. I read your avatar, love it. My 30 year old niece works as a raft guide on the New and Gally Rivers in West Virginia every summer. She is only 5 ft 2 inches tall and less than 100 pounds. Yet she wrangles a 12 man raft as well as the biggest of "da Boyz", drunk tourists and all. Last January she kayaked the Grand Canyon for 10 days. So I love your avatar, it is true.
I keep my Ficus as an outdoor in summer, indoors and as dormant as possible for winter. The fat roots of ginseng ficus are an adaptation to a wet-dry monsoon climate. They grow like crazy when warm (over 70 F) sunny and wet. Kept cool, below 65F, they store enough water to go 3 or 4 months without rain (dry monsoon).
I find it difficult to give my Ficus the sun and heat it needs for good compact growth. So I leave mine out until nights get cool, upper 40s, then I bring it inside, bright shade, cool location (60's F) and let it dry until leaves begin to wilt, then give a light surface misting with water, then keep letting it dry until it wilts a little. It will drop most of it's leaves, and growth will pretty much stop. It will take longer each time for the few remaining leaves to wilt. Towards February it might get water once a month. Leafless is okay, branches will stay flexible, showing they are alive and dormant. In spring, once weather warms up, back outside into full sun for nice, compact growth.
So your wood heated home doesn't need to be a problem, just put the ficus where it is cool, but above freezing, and keep it relatively dry. Cool and wet encourages various rot diseases. I once, by accident, left a willow leaf ficus bone dry for 5 months. It was completely leafless and fine twigs had started to die back a little. Watered it, set it outside and it exploded with new growth. The physically larger the tree, the better it will handle this type of abuse. Small trees without fat roots won't have enough stored water.
So consider this unconventional option. it might be an easy fix.
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