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HELP, I have three different varieties of FICUS PLANTS, and every one… | Anything about plants | Planta-fællesskab

Lynda

HELP, I have three different varieties of FICUS PLANTS, and every one of them, no matter the size of their pot, wants to be watered every single day! I need some advice on how I can approach this problem differently. The soil I use is my mix of bark chips, clay balls, coir, pearlite, and premium organic potting soil, plus amendments. Is there another type of soil that would hold moisture better and is used more frequently for ficus plants? I sure hope so, because this every day watering is for the birds! TIA for your comments…🤗💚🪴

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  1. Adrian

    Perhaps the mixture has helped make it so well draining that the plant needs a few less amendments and chunky additions. Mine are currently in a mix of Espoma’s All-Purpose Potting Mix and about 10% of Espoma’s Cactus and Succulent mix to add some wood chips and perlite, and they seem to enjoy that mix just fine. The other option could be just keeping your current potting soil brand and only adding coco coir and perlite. Hope this helps! Love the ficus schrijveriana!

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    • Lynda

      Thanks for all the suggestions you’ve offered. I think I’ll keep it simple and use your last option. I’ll save my homemade soil for my tropical plants; they seem to like it. Do you have any idea why ficus plants drink so heavily? I have wondered that because I have so many plants that have very long periods between waterings. Any idea? 🤗💚🪴

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    • Adrian

      It could be partially because they’re epiphytic plants 🤔 as they’re more like trees, and don’t exactly need soil like other plants, that could possibly be a reason.

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    • Lynda

      “Epiphytic”… that’s a new word for my vocabulary. I just looked it up and that is a parasitic climber; how does that fit in with a rubber plant? TXS for enlarging my vocab; looking forward to your answer. I love learning from experienced plant members like you! 🤗💚🪴

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    • Adrian

      It means they grow like trees, and grow their stems and leaves from the surface of their plant rather than the usual root system of other plants. It also tends to mean they’re easy to propagate and that they don’t necessarily need to anchor their roots in soil, making them good candidates for leca and other hydroponics. Peperomia, bromeliads, orchids, and air plants are all epiphytic plants, as well as types of moss.

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    • Lynda

      If rubber plants are epiphytic, does that mean they can be grown in leca or some other hydroponic solution? I’m struggling a bit to understand all of this. I did go to Amazon and found a fiddle leaf plant soil from Leaves and Soil that was made of peat, sawdust, coarse sand, and pinebark; that sounds like it would be a very fast draining soil, not unlike my homemade soil that I’m using now; this company also advertises that their soil is fast draining. Using this soil seems like it would be defeating my purpose to help them stay dry longer??? So, I think I will take your suggestion and try using potting soil with pearlite added to it. I did wonder, though, what would you think of the Miracle Grow soil that has moisture beads in it. This particular soil is made to help outdoor plants retain moisture during the summer. I’m more than a little unsure about using it, because it’s not a premium indoor potting soil. If you wouldn’t mind, could you comment on the above? I would sincerely appreciate the effort. Thanks, again, for all of your help! 🤗💚🪴

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  2. YinDeezy

    Agreed with the other comment. Your soil mix is way too chunky for trees. I’d remove the bark chips and clay balls. I just use potting soil with a bit of extra perlite for my ficus plants.

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    • Lynda

      Thanks a ‘mil for that advice; I’m going to do just that! 🤗💚🪴

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    • Lynda

      I also didn’t realize that ficus plants were considered trees! Thanks for that info. 🤗💚🪴

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