Ficus Benjamina Midnight Braid

Enjoys bright indirect light.

Be sure to water when you receive them. Let soil dry between watering.

Enjoys some extra humidity. Spritz occasionally.

Keep this plant in rooms where the temperature is a comfortable 70°F-85°F and avoid cold drafts or air vents below 55°F.

Outside: Keep them in full shade on a patio out of direct sunlight to prevent leaf burn where nights are above 70°F.

Apply at half-strength a balanced, liquid fertilizer especially formulated for indoor plants every month during the growing season between early spring and fall.   A slow release fertilizer can be used as a top dressing instead of a liquid fertilizer. Stop feeding in the winter months.

When receiving the Weeping fig plant, do not repot immediately but wait at least 6-12 months or if the roots are beginning to get crowded and growing through the drainage holes. 

Repot in the spring, using a 2 inches bigger pot to keep the roots drier. (Too big of a pot could cause the soil to dry slower, which is not helpful.) 

Place a piece of screening at the bottom of the container over the drainage hole to secure the soil and allow to drain. Use a well-draining indoor potting mix with perlite to help with drainage. 

Water your plant in the old pot before transferring over and let sit an hour.

Add soil to the bottom to elevate the root ball. Lift the plant and release the roots against the existing planter. Use a clean knife or garden trowel to wedge between the pot and the soil to loosen. 

Inspect the root ball. Notice if there are any dead or rotting roots and trim off with sterile pruners. If the plant is rootbound, cut through the roots to alleviate continued encircling. 

Ensure the plant is sitting about 1 inch below the edge of the pot to avoid water spillage. Add more soil and backfill around the sides by tamping down. Fill up to the soil line but not over. 

Water thoroughly, leaving the soil damp but not soggy. If settling occurs, add more soil.   

Water well to dampen the soil and let drain.

Periodically remove any dead, damaged or diseased stems, leaves or branches with bypass pruners. Remember to wear a pair of gloves to prevent allergic reactions to the latex sap. If shaping is needed, prune when the leaves are starting to leaf out to better access the branches to cut. Cut at a 45° angle, 1/4-inch above where a leaf attaches to a limb. Do not remove more than one-third of the growth at any one time.

In the growing season, hydrate the plant the night before taking cuttings. Take a young stem cutting between 4-6 inches long with several sets of leaves attached. Make the cut 1/4-inch below one of the sets of leaves. 

Remove the lower leaves to expose the nodes (the spot where the leaves were attached) 

Trim the leaves on the upper part of the stem with clean scissors, cutting off half their leaves. This will help the cutting to retain moisture while they are rooting. 

Dip the end of the cuttings in water, then in a rooting hormone.

Use a pot with drainage. and place the stem 1-2 inches down into the damp, well-draining, moist potting soil mix amended with peat, perlite and coarse sand. Tamp down around the stem to secure. 

Place a clear plastic bag over the cutting to mimic a greenhouse and mist the bag. Set them in bright, indirect sunlight while they are rooting. 

Check the moisture and humidity each day and add misting to keep the soil moist while the roots establish. 

After 6-8 weeks, roots will begin to establish. You can tug onto the stem to ensure the roots are secure. Cut a slit in the plastic bag and continue to keep the plant's soil damp until rooting has developed. This will help acclimate the plant to normal humidity levels. 

Once the roots are secure, transplant to their new home and place them in bright, indirect sunlight and water them each week, providing them necessary temperatures and humidity.