Ficus are a common genus of plants, and if you’re a houseplant lover, chances are you have some variety of ficus in your home right now! The common name for ficus is simply the fig. The varieties you’ll see at Moonfire most often are ficus lyrata, benjamina, elastica, audrey, ginseng, triangularis, moclame and the fiddle-leaf. These are popular houseplant varieties and, while all carry their own cool characteristics, generally all have waxy green leaves and woody stems. Fiddle leaves and lyratas have big, wrinkly paddle leaves and tend to express signs of stress at any environmental change. Audreys and elasticas have smooth, round leaves and are generally more tolerant. Benjaminas, moclames, triangularis and ginseng have many small leaves and are often used as office plants because they’re way less dramatic.

One common issue with little leaf ficus varieties is leaf drop. Whether they’re being moved to a new space in your house, being repotted, get a cool breeze, a hot breeze, there is the possibility that your fig will, all of a sudden, drop a few or nearly all of its leaves. While this is unsightly, it’s not a death sentence. It just means your fig is stressed and needs to adjust. One of the best characteristics of the little leaf ficus varieties is that they are very adaptable. They are commonly dropping old leaves to make room for new leaves that are more suitable for their new conditions. So if you see leaves dropping and start to worry, just look for the tiny new leaves coming in at the end of each branch for immediate reassurance.

Now let’s talk about the fiddles and lyratas…they can be….how do you say….fickle. There are people who can keep everything but a a fiddle alive and then there are those who can keep a fiddle alive yet nothing else. Our observations have led us to the conclusion that the plant parent who does not over tend, never over waters and does not overly admire their plants does the best with the big leaf ficus. When you get a fiddle leaf here at the nursery we typically strongly advise you not to never touch them, tell them how pretty they are in front of company or dog forbid up pot them right away. Especially when you buy a large leaf fiddle fairly mature in a 10″ pot you can typically leave them in it for a good long while. We always recommend simply nesting the pot inside a more decorative ceramic pot if you would like for it to look like it’s in a nice big pot. Ficus in general would rather be in a smaller pot relative to their size for the best chance at sparing them from root rot. Too much soil means too much water retention. Thus often leading to root rot.

While all the ficus varieties look different, the care instructions tend to be similar. Once you find a placement and watering schedule that works, stick to it, or your ficus will throw a fit. They don’t like change! Bright, indirect light will keep those leaves nice and green and growing. Not enough light and they will not grow. Too much, and their leaves will form brown or white patches in the middle. Watering every 10-14 days should put you at a point where the soil dries out nicely between waterings. Figs love humidity and you’ll see them crisping on the edges of their leaves if your humidity is too low. Think about misting once a week or getting an indoor fountain to increase water evaporation in the air.