By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County

The ficus plants that many people grow indoors are actually tropical trees. They are a different species from Ficus carica, the edible fig. The ficus we eat is from temperate areas of the world and does well outdoors in Napa Valley.  

Ficus benjamina, the weeping fig, needs different growing conditions because of its tropical origins. Worldwide there are about 850 species of ficus. Banyan, those huge trees that grow in Hawaii, are in the ficus family.

Since they are tropical trees, they need humidity but do not like wet soil. When you water, check to see how damp the top of the soil is. They also like their leaves misted.

Ficus benjamina turn up often in office settings, although sometimes as plastic impostors. The other day I rubbed a leaf on a potted plant to check if it it was real or plastic. It was plastic.

Many years ago, while shopping in a Sebastopol nursery, I purchased a bonsai ficus about 15 inches tall. It had been imported from China. It is still doing well and it launched my passion for bonsai.

Figs are easy to start from pruned branches so my collection continues to grow. Some years ago I was given a braided fig, and it is now about four feet tall. Last year I lopped a branch off the top and rooted it in water. It has been in a pot for several months now and has mini figs all over it.Birds are enjoying the fruits but it does not taste like the edible figs we know. I have never tried reproducing ficus from seed.

Over the years I have propagated several figs as bonsai. Some are narrow-leaved types with roots that spread over stones. Some cascade bonsai-style. Others are in one-or two-gallon containers and I'm hoping they will grow. I once wired two small trees together hoping they would fuse and they have.

Several years ago I was given a small banyan tree by a friend. She had brought it back from a visit to Hawaii. It is still growing well and is about 12 inches tall. Ficus do so well as bonsai because even a little tree will develop a massive root system, giving it the look of age quickly. And they are very easy to care for.

During the cold months, I put my ficus in my passive solar hothouse. In summer, they are outside in sunlight. Because of their tropical origins they need water daily most of the year. The only fertilizer I use is worm castings, which I harvest from my worm bins and sprinkle on twice a year.

One day, while shopping at a local nursery, I saw a small banyan root with leaves growing on it.   I brought it home and took every branch off and created new branching. The root is the main focus, however. The leaves are rather like the hair on our head, or top dressing. These potted trees need root pruning and new soil every few years.

Edible figs grow well in large tubs. A friend of mine grows two in half wine barrels, and she gets more fruit than she can use. They are on a drip system so they get regular water.  

Gophers and other underground critters chew on ficus roots. If you want to plant ficus in your garden, be sure to put them in a wire basket or in a bed lined with gopher wire.

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