Bonsai Ficus Benjamina: How To Grow And Care

Are you also fascinated by the aerial roots of bonsai ficus Benjamina? It is recognized not only due to its physical features but also its low maintenance.

Being an ideal pick for both new and experienced plant parents, it wins over everyone. Look no further if you plan on growing a Benjamina ficus bonsai tree.

In this blog, you will learn bonsai ficus Benjamina’s growing guide and caring instructions. But before that, we will walk you through the tree and its amazing facts.

Ficus Benjamina Bonsai

Ficus trees are evergreen, so their leaves never completely disappear. You can enjoy the greenery every time. Several Ficus species also produce luscious figs.

Bonsai ficus Benjamina features smooth, light grey bark branches. On the top, you can see pendant-like branches and lustrous, oval leaves form a canopy that looks attractive. The tree is known as a Weeping Fig because its leaves hang down.

However, they also do well in miniature form, creating a distinctive home plant. A style that depends on the visual appeal contained in a small area. Their rapid growth makes them simple to train as bonsai.

Ficus Benjamina is a good choice for beginner bonsai growers. They easily adjust to environmental changes. Their roots get stronger over time, and the tiny leaves are simple to prune. Their colorful leaves distinguish the bonsai and look like stunning living artwork.

Some Interesting Facts about Benjamina Ficus Bonsai

Ficus trees can grow to heights of up to 100 feet in the wild.
Its key characteristic is that it can adapt to its environment quickly, particularly in changing climates.
Plants of the Ficus Benjamina species grow more quickly than other bonsai species. As a result, this bonsai is easy to train them in any necessary bonsai styles.
In Vastu and feng shui, Ficus Benjamina bonsai trees are known for prosperity and success. There is evidence that ficus plants create more oxygen.
Studies have shown that these bonsai trees efficiently purify indoor air pollutants like gaseous formaldehyde and xylene.
Bonsai ficus Benjamina improves the exterior of homes and are excellent focal points for interior design.

Now when you know about the Benjamina ficus bonsai, your next question should be where to grow them. Will they adapt to outdoor settings? Or does the indoor environment suit bonsai the best?

Don’t worry; we will consider both environments and tell you which suits your ficus Benjamina bonsai best.

Bonsai Tree: Indoor VS Outdoor

Outdoor

The tree is known as a “weeping fig” because of how long its branches are when grown outside. You are good to go if you live in a hot climate where the bonsai tree will grow. Outdoors, you can raise a lovely tree that will likely reach a decent height and have a canopy the same width.

When it is young, the bonsai needs at least six hours of sunlight each day. In winters, bring them indoors.

Indoor

You should grow your bonsai ficus Benjamina indoors if you reside in a region where the temperature regularly goes below 15 degrees celsius for a long time. The plant must have constant moisture. You should plant your Benjamina ficus bonsai tree in a pot with appropriate room for growth.

Now, without further delay, Let’s get into the growing guide.

How to Grow Bonsai Ficus Benjamina

If you bought a bonsai from the nursery or online, you need to plant it in a pot.

Steps to plant your bonsai:

Step 1: You should pick a deep and large container with a drainage hole for your bonsai.

Step 2: Fill the pot with well-draining soil. Make sure to fill the medium two-thirds with soil.

Step 3: Place the ficus Benjamina bonsai tree in the container.

Step 4: You should find a place that receives bright indirect sunlight for your bonsai to thrive well.

Step 5: Now, water your ficus benjamina bonsai thoroughly. Don’t overwater the plant because it can decay.

Bonsai ficus Benjamina tree maintenance:

Depending upon the growth, you can repot your bonsai tree after 2-3 years.

You can prune the branches of your Ficus Benjamina plant when they become longer.

Wear gloves when handling a weeping fig since the sap might sting.

You can also grow your bonsai through cuttings. It is easy and won’t give you much trouble. But it may take longer than planting a tree itself.

Propagation Method

You can use stem cuttings to propagate Ficus Benjamina bonsai.

Take a stem cutting approximately 4 inches (10 cm) long. Make sure you are picking cuttings from the healthy mother plants.

The stem doesn’t need to be brand-new, but it also shouldn’t be very old. Look for a stem in the tree with healthy, green foliage and no damage.

Steps to propagate through cutting:

Step 1: Cut the cutting

Using garden shears or scissors, you should remove the bottom leaves from the cutting. To encourage the cutting to concentrate its energy on its roots, you can keep one top leaf while eliminating the others.

Note: If your cutting has a lot of leaves, it will dry up. It will die since the plant will use too much energy to maintain the leaves. Try to take off most of the leaves.

Step 2: Put the cutting in the water.

Fill the glass with fresh water halfway up. To cool the cutting, place the cutting’s stem in the glass that only covers the leaves with water.

While the cutting is submerged in water, roots will start to grow. Give your cutting lots of freshwater and light.

You can change the glass water once or twice a week to care for ficus Benjamina bonsai.

Step 3: Place the glass in the right place.

Place the glass in a cozy, bright room that is just a little bit humid. For the ficus Benjamina bonsai to spread, you should provide filtered light.

Note: For at least three weeks, leave it alone.

Step 4: Take a container.

Choose a container with a drainage hole. Fill it halfway with a premium, well-draining potting mix made of soil.

Step 5: Place cutting in the container

Now, take the cutting out and place it in a new container. Plant your cutting so that it develops strong roots. Make sure to hold the ficus Benjamina bonsai straight after cutting.

Note:

You can add more soil to the stem’s base and the roots.
Lightly tap the container against a flat surface a few times after adding the soil. It will assist in settling around the roots.

Step 6: Water your cutting

You should thoroughly water your cutting. Make sure not to overwater it. Until the newly transplanted ficus has established itself, place it in a warm, sunny area. It should be away from direct sunlight.

After a while, you will notice the growth of Benjamina ficus bonsai.

Now we will cover the caring instructions for bonsai ficus Benjamina. Although they are low in maintenance, you must follow some basic rules.

Care Instructions for Ficus Benjamina Bonsai

1) Placement

Benjamina ficus bonsai trees grow in well-lit areas. You should shield them from the midday sun. You can place the tree in a kitchen or another location that receives a lot of moisture.

Growing in dry regions of the house, they typically grow fewer leaves and appear less vibrant. Make sure the place is free from cool draughts that will affect the tree’s health.

2) Ficus Benjamina bonsai Sunlight

The Ficus Benjamina bonsai can adapt to shade but grows best in bright, sunny conditions. Keep your bonsai ficus Benjamina tree near a window, particularly when it is in the initial stage.

If you have a window, keep your plant near it. A south-facing one is ideal, but east or west-facing window can be an alternative pick.

Ficus Benjamina bonsai may tolerate some shade as it becomes older. But, it thrives in direct sunlight. So if your tree is exposed to low light for an extended period, its leaves may start to fall off.

If you don’t have a place that receives plenty of sunlight, don’t worry! We got a solution for you. An indoor grow lamp! It can keep your bonsai beautiful and healthy even if you lack sunlight.

3) Temperature and Humidity

Benjamina ficus bonsai tree does best in 30 to 17 degrees Celsius. It needs frequent protection from draughts because it is cold-sensitive. Move the plant indoors once it gets colder than 16 °C. It may lose its leaves if exposed to harsh winters.

You should provide your ficus benjamina bonsai with high humidity to keep it healthy. It should range from 50% to 70%.

By misting water on the foliage or using a humidifier, you can enhance the humidity in the air.

4) Ficus Benjamina bonsai Watering

As Ficus Benjamina bonsai demands sunlight, it needs more watering than other bonsai. It requires only a little watering in the winter and only moderate watering in the summer. Your bonsai needs watering in winter only to prevent drying out.

But how can you check when your bonsai requires watering?

You can do that easily by examining the plant’s weight. Lifting a plant with little water will feel light, whereas a plant with adequate water will feel weighty.

If you don’t have a moisture meter, you can use your finger to feel how dry the soil is.

5) Best Soil for Ficus Benjamina bonsai

You should choose a soil with sand and perlite to ensure good drainage. You won’t need to replace your bonsai for at least two years.

It is preferable to use a substrate that can support it because of its strong, thick roots. You should also make sure that it is adequately saturated for proper drainage.

6) Ficus Benjamina bonsai Fertilizer

The nutrients in your fertilizer are essential to your Benjamina Ficus bonsai. You must refill the nutrients with a quality fertilizer. Otherwise, they will quickly wash away.

During the spring and summer, when they grow the best, you should add fertilizer every week. You can add fertilizer every two months in the fall.

Note: Don’t bother about fertilizing the bonsai in the winter season. Bonsai ficus Benjamina tree experiences a periodic hibernation period.

7) Shaping and Wiring

Formal upright, casual upright, cascade, semi-cascade, and broom are excellent picks for ficus Benjamina bonsai styles. Bonsai enthusiasts love them due to plantings gripped to rocks and rock over roots.

You can shape the bonsai as you desire, and they will act accordingly. For wiring, you can choose copper or aluminum wires for your Ficus Benjamina bonsai. You should gently bend the wire around the branch and trunk to achieve the desired ficus Benjamina bonsai styles. When wiring the plant, take care not to injure the bonsai tree.

8) Pruning Ficus Benjamina bonsai

Regular pruning of the Benjamina ficus bonsai fosters the growth of new branches. You can easily maintain the plant’s size and shape.

Steps to prune Ficus Benjamina bonsai:

Step 1: Take the plant and roughly prune one-third of the roots. For pruning tasks, use a sharp knife or pair of shears.

Step 2: Use new potting soil to plant the bonsai after trimming the roots. Don’t remove every leaf from the branch because doing so could kill the plant.

Step 3: The bonsai ficus Benjamina tree displays excessive growth and may need severe pruning.

9) Repotting Ficus Benjamina bonsai

You should repot your Benjamina ficus bonsai tree annually for the first few years to give it the possible support for growth.

When should you repot your bonsai?

When the bonsai outgrows the existing container or pot.
Or when the roots start to encircle themselves.
Or when you witness the growth of roots at the drainage holes.

Note: In the evening, ideally in the first few weeks of spring, you can repot the ficus Benjamina bonsai tree.

Steps to repot your bonsai tree:

Step 1: Take the bonsai out of the existing container.

Step 2: Remove the old soil and clean the roots.

Step 3: Removing up to 30% of the surface roots during repotting is crucial to encourage new development.

Step 4: Transfer the plant to its original bonsai pot.

Step 5: Fill the pot with well-draining soil.

Step 6: Keep the plant in the shade for 15 days after repotting. When the topsoil feels dry after repotting, water the plant.

Note: Don’t wait till the medium is completely dry before watering it.

10) Pests and Diseases

Benjamina ficus bonsai trees are susceptible to common human errors, bug infestations, and parasites in terms of diseases and damage. You should regularly check your bonsai for bug infestations and hold them under control before they spread.

1) Loss of leaves

If the loss is gradual and not unexpected, it could seem relatively typical. However, if many leaves disappear all at once, you need to examine the watering needs of the bonsai ficus benjamina plant.

It may also experience leaf loss during a transplant shock when the plant is moved from one container to another. Make sure the plant doesn’t get little light and provide more hydration.

As we have mentioned earlier, cold draughts bother these plants. Keep a check on these situations. If you take these steps, the Benjamina ficus bonsai tree will recover with healthy leaves.

2) Yellow leaf

The plant may experience yellow leaves as a result of a mite infestation. You can use an organic mite killer to tackle this situation. Strictly avoid using any chemical remedies to solve the condition of yellowing of leaves.

3) White Spots

You can blame mealybugs or scale insects for developing white spots on bonsai ficus benjamina leaves. These white, gooey messes on the plant’s leaves are sticky.

You can remove the diseased branches for treatment. You can destroy the mealybugs’ shells by cleaning the leaves with a rag drenched in beer. You can also apply an organic scale insect spray to end the pests.

4) Whiteflies

The plant’s leaves may develop whiteflies. Just sprinkle water on the leaves to treat them and destroy the flies.

Now, we will answer some of your most asked questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques 1: What is the growth pattern of the bonsai ficus benjamina?

Ans: It grows rapidly in the spring and summer, and you’ll notice lots of new shoots and leaves over a few months. A portion of the roots will thicken like the branches if exposed to sunshine. Over time, you can witness lush foliage. The indoor bonsai tree will undoubtedly bloom in the correct environment.

Ques 2: Does Benjamina ficus bonsai require direct sunlight?

Ans: The species prefers early to midday sunshine due to the risk of burning the leaves or bark. It can survive in both direct and shady sunlight so you can provide both. But if you want to preserve the gorgeous, deep color of the leaves, we suggest you place it in full light.

Ques 3: How long can ficus benjamina bonsai trees survive indoors?

Ans: This tree is resilient. A Weeping Fig can survive for up to twenty years indoors under ideal circumstances. It will require regular care if you want it to flourish well. Don’t forget to repot it every two years as well.

Ques 4: Why are the leaves on my indoor benjamina ficus bonsai tree falling?

Ans: There might be several causes. Some of them are moving to a new place, pests, a change in temperature, less light or humidity, or a chilly draught.

Ques 5: Which are some of the best ficus benjamina bonsai styles?

Ans: Bonsai Ficus Benjamina can be used in any style because it is adaptable and forgiving. Root-over-rock is a widespread technique among bonsai lovers because of root thickening. Other favorites are cascading and formal uprights.

While most styles are functional, groups and woods are not. It’s relatively hard to make this form appealing because of the dense, quickly expanding foliage and branches.

Ques 6: How much time does it take to grow a bonsai ficus benjamina?

Ans: Ficus plants grow pretty quickly. Healthy ficus will show new growth within 3–4 weeks of cutting. Contrarily, the Ficus benjamina bonsai grows more slowly than other Ficus species. If you frequently repot and prune the bonsai, it can take them ten years to fully develop.

Conclusion

Ficus Benjamina bonsai is an ideal pick for plant parents with no green rule of thumb. It won’t give you much trouble. The physical features of the bonsai captivate the attention quickly.

It blends well with the decor and cleanses the pollutants from the air. So, what’s stopping you from bringing home a Benjamina ficus bonsai?