Hi, I am Ficus
I am Ficus Elastica, also known as the rubber plant, a popular houseplant belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae). My leaves can grow up to 30 cm long and are usually oval-shaped.In the right conditions, I can grow quite large, up to 2-3 metres tall.
I am known for my air-purifying properties; I can help remove certain pollutants from the air. However, I am toxic to pets and humans when ingesting my leaves, so make sure pets and children stay a little away from me :)
Looking for a plant that can thrive in a darker spot in the house? Choose me! I do not need direct sunlight to grow. I do like natural light, thought, so please don’t put me in a room without any windows or any natural light. Turn me around every now and then so all my leaves can get a bit of light, otherwise I might grow crooked. I have a strong tendency to grow towards the light.
I like to receive regular sips of lukewarm water. Beware of overwatering, I hate that! Before watering me, always check if I am thirsty or not. You can check by lifting me up. Am I heavy? Skip the watering. Am I light? Give me a sip. You can also stick your finger in my soil. Finger comes out with soil sticking to it? I don’t need water just yet. Finger comes out dry? Then I’d like some water. I also prefer to be watered from the bottom, by putting water in my saucer. This way, I can drink how much I need. After 15 minutes I am done drinking and you can use the remaining water to water other plants.
Please fertilize me during the growing season, which runs from March to September, twice a month. I need the fertilizer to grow big and with lots of leaves with holes in them! Always stick to the recommended amount of fertilizer as stated on the packaging to avoid overfertilizing. Outside the growing season, I don’t need to be fertilized as I live off of my reserves.
I like to remain in my original pot for a few months after you bring me home from the garden centre. This way, I can put all my energy into getting used to my new living space. After adjusting, I can use a new pot every year in spring! After a year of being in the same pot, I also need fresh potting soil full of nutrients. To grow even more, please always put me in a pot that is at least 20% bigger than my previous pot. Am I growing too fast? You can also repot me outside of spring. When repotting, you can also add a moss pole in the pot for me to climb up on, I like that!
It is very important to plant me in an inner pot first before putting me in a decorative pot. Thus, you can check if you’ve overwatered me by checking if there is water on the bottom of the decorative pot. You can also easily water me from the bottom.
You don’t have to prune me, but if my stems get too long, feel free to cut them off. Do you like to multiply your plants? Then cut off a stem a few centimetres below an aerial root, so the aerial root stays on the cutting. Put this in water. After a few weeks the cutting might have grown roots and you can put it in moist potting soil. This way you don’t have to throw away anything , and you have grown your own plant, woohoo! You can also cut off my long aerial roots, but I’d prefer you put them back in my soil or leave them hanging. Sticking them in the ground makes me stronger, and letting them hang provides extra oxygen. If my aerial roots are still small and next to a moss pole, I might even climb the pole with my roots!
When I am big and mature, my biggest leaves get wrinkles under the leaf of the stem. These are my muscles! They allow me to twist my leaf to catch the most light in order to get even bigger leaves. Speaking of my big leaves, they also purify the air in the house. I am also a real climber. Give me a moss pole in my pot and watch the magic unfold – literally! Those are some superpowers!
I like higher humidity? Sprinkling my leaves occasionally or using a humidifier can be helpful, especially in dry winters.
No, I am not edible.
Looking for a plant that can thrive in a darker spot in the house? Choose me! I do not need direct sunlight to grow. I do like natural light, thought, so please don’t put me in a room without any windows or any natural light. Turn me around every now and then so all my leaves can get a bit of light, otherwise I might grow crooked. I have a strong tendency to grow towards the light.
I like to receive regular sips of lukewarm water. Beware of overwatering, I hate that! Before watering me, always check if I am thirsty or not. You can check by lifting me up. Am I heavy? Skip the watering. Am I light? Give me a sip. You can also stick your finger in my soil. Finger comes out with soil sticking to it? I don’t need water just yet. Finger comes out dry? Then I’d like some water. I also prefer to be watered from the bottom, by putting water in my saucer. This way, I can drink how much I need. After 15 minutes I am done drinking and you can use the remaining water to water other plants.
Please fertilize me during the growing season, which runs from March to September, twice a month. I need the fertilizer to grow big and with lots of leaves with holes in them! Always stick to the recommended amount of fertilizer as stated on the packaging to avoid overfertilizing. Outside the growing season, I don’t need to be fertilized as I live off of my reserves.
I like to remain in my original pot for a few months after you bring me home from the garden centre. This way, I can put all my energy into getting used to my new living space. After adjusting, I can use a new pot every year in spring! After a year of being in the same pot, I also need fresh potting soil full of nutrients. To grow even more, please always put me in a pot that is at least 20% bigger than my previous pot. Am I growing too fast? You can also repot me outside of spring. When repotting, you can also add a moss pole in the pot for me to climb up on, I like that!
It is very important to plant me in an inner pot first before putting me in a decorative pot. Thus, you can check if you’ve overwatered me by checking if there is water on the bottom of the decorative pot. You can also easily water me from the bottom.
You don’t have to prune me, but if my stems get too long, feel free to cut them off. Do you like to multiply your plants? Then cut off a stem a few centimetres below an aerial root, so the aerial root stays on the cutting. Put this in water. After a few weeks the cutting might have grown roots and you can put it in moist potting soil. This way you don’t have to throw away anything , and you have grown your own plant, woohoo! You can also cut off my long aerial roots, but I’d prefer you put them back in my soil or leave them hanging. Sticking them in the ground makes me stronger, and letting them hang provides extra oxygen. If my aerial roots are still small and next to a moss pole, I might even climb the pole with my roots!
When I am big and mature, my biggest leaves get wrinkles under the leaf of the stem. These are my muscles! They allow me to twist my leaf to catch the most light in order to get even bigger leaves. Speaking of my big leaves, they also purify the air in the house. I am also a real climber. Give me a moss pole in my pot and watch the magic unfold – literally! Those are some superpowers!
I like higher humidity? Sprinkling my leaves occasionally or using a humidifier can be helpful, especially in dry winters.
No, I am not edible.
Where should you place me?
I am an easy green friend. I love a bright spot, but will also grow in a darker spot. Always make sure you have some natural light though!
What do I like?
A regular sip of lukewarm water is nice, but I hate too much water! I'd like to get some fertilizer twice a month during the growing season.
Plantanious works together with the Work with Nature foundation. Our tropical rainforests are disappearing at a rapid pace and an enormous biodiversity is being lost along with the trees. If it were up to us, the jaguar would soon walk around again in the rainforest in Costa Rica protected by 'Adopt Rainforest'! The place where many of our special plants originate. In order to make an important contribution to the goal of the foundation - to protect 2,000 hectares of rainforest in the next ten years - we donate part of our turnover to protect part of the tropical rainforest. To achieve their goal, the foundation puts money into protection, conservation, reforestation, education and research.
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