If you want to add a nice green plant to the outdoors in your home, consider getting a Ficus Benjamina plant, also known as a Weeping Fig or Ficus Tree.
These plants are not only pretty but can also help keep the air clean. To make sure you get a healthy plant, here are some important things to know when you buy ficus Benjamina.
1. Do Some Research
Before you go to the store, learn a bit about Ficus Benjamina. Find out how to take care of it, like how much light it needs and how often to water it. This will help you choose the right plant for your home.
2. Find a Good Store
Look for a store that's known for selling good plants and has helpful staff. You can ask friends or look online for reviews to find a reliable store near you.
3. Check the Leaves
Make sure the plant you pick has nice green leaves that look healthy. Avoid plants with yellow leaves or leaves that are drooping or damaged.
4. Look for Bugs
Inspect the plant carefully for any small bugs or webs, especially under the leaves and on the stems. A healthy plant should be bug-free.
5. Check the Soil and Roots
Make sure the soil is not too dry but drains well. If you can, gently lift the plant out of the pot to check the roots. Healthy roots should be light-coloured and firm, not soft or rotting. Dark, mushy roots point to the problem covered in our guide to understanding root rot, and a plant in that state rarely recovers on a windowsill.
6. Think About the Size
Ficus Benjamina comes in different sizes, so choose one that fits your space. Keep in mind that it can grow tall with the right care.
7. Ask relevant Questions
Don't hesitate to ask the store staff questions about taking care of the plant. They can give you helpful advice on watering, light, and growth.
8. Consider Where You'll Put It
Think about where you'll place the plant in your home. Ficus Benjamina likes bright, indirect light. Make sure the room isn't too hot or dry, as it prefers a bit of humidity.
9. Choose a Good Pot
If you have a choice, select a pot that matches your home decor and has drainage holes at the bottom. Size matters as much as style, and our guide to choosing the right size pot explains why going too large is as risky as going too small. This helps prevent overwatering.
10. Be Ready to Re-pot
If the plant is in a small pot or looks crowded, plan to move it to a bigger one with fresh soil when you get home, following the method in our guide on how to repot your plants like a pro. This will help it grow better.
11. Expect Some Changes
After bringing your Ficus Benjamina home, don't worry if it drops some leaves. It's normal when the plant adjusts to its new place. Just take good care of it, and it should get better.
12. Learn How to Care for It
Keep learning about how to take care of your Ficus Benjamina. Water it regularly, find the right amount of light, and keep the leaves clean. If the leaf drop continues past the settling-in period, our guide to why plant leaves turn brown will help you work out which condition is off. With a little effort, it can become a beautiful and healthy addition to your home.
Summing Up
To sum up, selecting and nurturing a Ficus Benjamina plant can be a rewarding journey. By following these guidelines and choosing a healthy specimen, you can appreciate the aesthetic and air-purifying advantages it brings to your indoor environment. With diligent care, your Ficus Benjamina will thrive and enrich your living space.
Weeping fig in Australia: indoors and out
Ficus benjamina is sold as an indoor plant almost everywhere, but across the warm half of Australia it is also a large outdoor tree - and those are very different propositions.
| Location | Indoors | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane and the subtropics | Excellent | Yes - becomes a very large tree |
| Darwin and tropical QLD | Excellent | Yes, and vigorous |
| Sydney and coastal NSW | Excellent | Sheltered positions |
| Perth | Good; watch dry air | Sheltered, with water |
| Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra | Good with bright light | No - frost tender |
Do not plant it in a suburban garden
Worth stating bluntly. Weeping fig has the aggressive surface root system typical of figs, and mature specimens in Brisbane and Sydney have lifted driveways, cracked slabs, and broken sewer and stormwater lines. It reaches ten to fifteen metres or more in the ground.
Many Australian councils will not plant them near infrastructure for exactly this reason, and the repair costs are substantial. If you want the look outdoors, grow it in a large planter box where the roots are contained, or choose a better-behaved tree - tuckeroo, blueberry ash or a lilly pilly.
Leaf drop indoors, which is the universal complaint
Weeping fig drops leaves in response to almost any change - being moved, a shift in light, a draught, a change in watering. This is normal behaviour rather than a fault, and the plant usually recovers if conditions are then left stable.
The fix is consistency. Choose a position and leave it there. Do not rotate it, move it seasonally, or relocate it because it looks unhappy - moving a stressed ficus makes it worse.
The two Australian-specific traps
Air conditioning. A weeping fig in the airflow from a split system in a Brisbane or Perth summer will drop leaves continuously and never settle. Ducted heating does the same in a Melbourne winter. Move it out of the airstream - this resolves more leaf drop than any watering adjustment.
Unshaded glass. Australian sun through a north or west-facing window scorches the foliage. Bright indirect light near an east-facing window is the target, not "as much light as possible" as overseas guides often suggest.
Watering
Let the top three to five centimetres dry before watering, then water thoroughly and let it drain completely. Empty the saucer. Reduce noticeably in winter. Overwatering causes root rot and, confusingly, produces yellowing and leaf drop that looks exactly like underwatering - always check the soil by hand before adding more.
Care summary
- Bright indirect light, and a position it stays in.
- Away from vents, draughts and unshaded glass.
- Water only when the top few centimetres are dry.
- Feed in spring and midsummer, not winter.
- Wipe the leaves occasionally so dust does not reduce light capture.
- Prune in spring to shape, wearing gloves - the milky sap irritates skin and can trigger reactions in people with latex allergy.
Ready to plant?
A weeping fig is one of the easiest ways to bring real presence indoors, and it will happily live in the same pot for years once it settles. Browse our indoor plants collection for the full range, and if you would rather grow a ficus outdoors as a clipped feature, our guide to Ficus hillii topiary covers the hedged and shaped forms.
