Ginseng Ficus Bonsai in Ceramic 5"
Also known as Ficus retusa, these figs are popular as houseplants, and are often grown as bonsai, because of the unusual shapes of the trunks. They have an elegant form and dense, glossy dark foliage.
Light: Grow best in bright indirect or filtered sunlight. They will handle some direct sun if the humidity is high.
Water: Water throughly with lukewarm water and allow for top third of the soil to become dry between watering. During the winter and other times of slow growth, the top half of the soil can safely dry out.
Temperature: Prefer warm temperatures. Night temperatures of 18-21°C and day temperatures of 21-29°C are ideal.
Container: They can tolerate being slightly root bound. If the plants become too crowded, new leaves will be small and growth will slow.
Tips: Wash the leaves occasionally with plain warm water. This can help the leaves breathe and improves their appearance.
These plants can be pruned to shape as needed. They will even tolerate hard pruning to reduce their size if necessary. Reduce watering levels to severely pruned plants.
The most common problem of these is leaf drop. They seem to react to almost any stress by shedding leaves. Over-watering, under-watering, drafts, lack of nitrogen, and low light are all causes of leaf drop. They often shed leaves when moved to a new locatino or repotted. If growth conditions are adequate, it will adjust to its new location, stop dropping leaves, and healthy new growth will appear within a few weeks.