Indoor Bonsai Homepage

Question: How do i take care of my ficus indoor bonsai?

(Posted by: Jen D on 2007-04-01 00:26:54)

I'd like to know when I need to water it and prune it and how long it may live? Oh and I pruned a leaf off and a white substance came out, what is that?

Posted by: Bill Choat on 2007-04-01, 11:51:28

WATER? Don't set up a schedule, water it when the top 1/ 2 " of soil is dry. It likes to be moist, but not soaking wet. PRUNE? When new growth comes out where you don't want it, and you can trim the tips of new growth to make it fill-in more. HOW LONG WILL IT LIVE? Long enough to pass to your grandchildren, and their children. WHITE SUBSTANCE? It's the sap, and a "self-healer. " Wash it off your skin before it dries. It won't hurt you, but will get dark and may be slightly irritating. If you send email to me at: wchoat@american-bonsai.com , I'll send you more care information for ficus. Also, you may want to check the Bonsai Care page of my website: american-bonsai.com

Posted by: Cactusflinthead on 2007-04-01, 00:40:22

The major limiting factor on ficus is light. Miracle-gro, Peter's or some other fertilizer is fine. Pick the sunniest window in your house and put it IN the window. Not on a table on the other side of the room. If it is a bonsai, then you will be trying to keep it in a preferred shape and will be trimming it regularly. That white stuff is its sap. Guess what, it turns black on your clothes and hands so be forewarned when it comes time to trim it. If you are seeing a constant leaf drop, particularly from the interior of the plant, but you have been keeping it evenly moist, then it is probably light. Ficus are notorious for dropping leaves. More often than not it is because their new home has less quantity and intensity of light. If the light is not strong enough or equal to the light it grew under, it will drop leaves. Period. Essentially the light cannot penetrate far enough into the leaf to activate the parts of the cells that actually make carbohydrates/ food. So it kicks that leaf off after taking its nitrogen and then regrows a new leaf that is thin enough for the light to be effective. Shade leaf vs. sun leaf. There are a lot of growers who take this into account and will grow ficus under shade cloth to grow leaves that will be more on par with the light that is available in a normal home window.