Like so many houseplants, the ficus is really a summer plant. Native to tropical and subtropical regions, ficus might be able to handle a little nip in the air, but no ficus can withstand true winter. Leaf-drop is common throughout the winter months, but the wrong thing to do is respond with a deluge of water. Here are tips for keeping your ficus healthy throughout the long, cold season:
- Start out healthy. Of course it seems obvious, but going into winter healthy will greatly increase the plant's chances of making it through alive. A well-fed, vibrant plant has a much greater chance of surviving. If the plant is outside, this means making sure it's bug free before moving it back inside.
- Situate it with as much light as possible. If you're moving a plant from a patio or deck, give it the best light you can. Ficus are full-sun trees in their native habitats, so give it good, strong winter sun.
- Don't overreact. You're going to lose some leaves as the temperature drops. Just sweep them up and don't react with torrents of water.
- Less water, more humidity. Many ficus come from areas with distinct seasons, but instead of hot and cold, they are used to rainy and dry seasons. So don't worry about cutting back water during the winter — biweekly is probably plenty, if not less. However, even in the "dry" season, the tropics are still humid. If you have a humidifier, great. Your ficus will love it. If not, mist the plant two or three mornings a week.
- Rotate it. Make sure you give it a quarter turn weekly or so to allow as much light onto the plant as possible.
- Don't expose to drafts. This includes cold drafts from windows as well as hot, dry air from radiator vents. The bone-dry air will surely cause more leaves to fall.
The idea with wintering a ficus isn't growth as much as it is survival. Ideally, you can minimize leaf loss and send the plant into a kind of suspended animation throughout the winter. When it starts to warm back up, and the daylight hours increase, don't hesitate to spoil your ficus again as a reward: feed it, repot if necessary, and increase watering. Remember, a healthy winter begins in the summer.
