Weeping Fig

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Near a window but shy of direct sun, its canopy stays thick and glossy. It tolerates shade by shedding: expect yellow leaves on the floor and a sparser crown while it adjusts.

An east window, or a spot just back from one, may suit it, since morning sun is the gentlest direct sun a room gets. In a south or west room, a sheer curtain or a place across from the glass softens the afternoon.

NC State calls it intolerant of cold and says to keep it away from drafts, so winter glass and outside doors are worth a little distance.

Rather than trying it in one window after another, pick the spot before it comes home. Choose somewhere warm and well lit that you won’t want to change.

About every 7-10 days in summer, stretching to 10-14 in winter: often enough that the soil never dries out completely. Let it go bone-dry and it may answer with falling leaves.

Its weeping canopy hangs over the pot and hides the soil, so slip a long-spouted can under the branches to get water to the roots instead of the leaves; a saucer catches what comes through.

NC State calls for a soil-based mix, and a heavy one also gives a tall, top-laden tree a steadier base to stand on.

Feed it lightly once new shoots form and once more at summer’s end (NC State).

Gone for a while? Ten days is fine if it’s watered well the day you leave; any longer and it may drop some leaves, then grow them back.

A pale trunk, often braided, under a dense cone of glossy leaves on drooping branches, up to about 10 feet tall indoors. It likes one spot for keeps; trim in late fall or winter to hold its shape.

That braided trunk is several flexible stems twisted together while young (NC State).

It takes shearing well, though heavy pruning shortens its life (NC State). Indoors, a light trim does the job.

Short on height? Smaller cultivars suit pots better (NC State). 'Danielle' grows slowly and fits tight spaces, 'Pandora' tops out around 6 feet as a houseplant, and 'Too Little' is a dwarf and a bonsai favorite.

Those weeping branches spill outward from high on the trunk, so most of the space it claims is overhead: a corner behind an armchair, the end of a sofa, a stair landing.

A chewed leaf may bring drooling or an upset stomach in a dog or cat, and the milky sap can irritate skin. The Pet Poison Helpline rates it mild; it usually passes with a little watching at home.

The milky sap from cut or broken branches can irritate skin, more so in sunlight (NC State), so gloves at pruning time are a kindness to your hands.

Two compounds do the work, per the ASPCA: ficin, an enzyme that breaks down protein, and ficusin, a psoralen. Beyond drooling or vomiting, a pet may have some diarrhea or a dip in appetite (Pet Poison Helpline). For children, the RHS says only that it’s harmful if eaten and names no specific effects.

An upset stomach like this usually settles at home. If symptoms don’t settle, or anything worries you, the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center can help (a fee may apply), and Poison Control can help with a child.

Gloves at pruning time and a quick hand wash afterward keep the sap off your skin.

A tree this size lives on the floor, so if you like, sweep up fallen leaves before a puppy or a crawling baby finds them, and if a cat in the house chews greenery, give the tree a room the cat rarely visits.

1. ASPCA: mild for dogs (rates the whole genus).
2. Merck Veterinary Manual: mild for dogs (rates the whole genus).
3. Pet Poison Helpline: mild for dogs.
4. ASPCA: mild for cats.
5. Merck Veterinary Manual: mild for cats (rates the whole genus).
6. Pet Poison Helpline: mild for cats.
7. UC ANR: mild for kids.

Cats and dogs: Most of the leading sources agree.

Kids: No poison-centre listing; rated from university extension sources.

Happiest at 65-80°F, and it shouldn’t sit below 60°F. Keep it away from cold glass in winter. Humidity can drop to 30% without trouble.

Temperature

65-80°F

Spider mites hide on leaf undersides, and scale clings to stems and along the veins beneath the leaves. Mealybugs, aphids, and thrips are less frequent: try leaf joints, new shoot tips, and rolled young leaves.

• Spider mites
• Scale
• Mealybugs
• Aphids
• Thrips

Spider mites and scale are its frequent pests (Clemson), with mealybugs, aphids and thrips now and then. Diseases are rare indoors.

Scale looks like small brown bumps stuck to the stems and the undersides of the leaves, sometimes with sticky spots below. Lift them off with a fingernail or a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, then check again next week.

Spider mites leave pale, speckled leaves and fine webbing, worst in warm, dry winter air. Rinse the plant in the shower, undersides included, and repeat; if they persist, spray with insecticidal soap. Mealybugs (tufts of white cotton) and aphids come off with an alcohol swab too.

Its one common disorder is leaf drop; see Troubleshooting for what sets it off.

Feed with liquid fertilizer every month or two in spring and summer. Prune lightly in late autumn or winter, and wash the leaves with warm water twice a year. Repot every few years once roots crowd.

• Feed4× a year
• Prune1× a year
• Clean leaves2× a year

A heavy pot with a drainage hole and an ordinary, general-purpose potting mix that drains fast.

Repot when the roots crowd the pot, in late winter or early spring (Clemson). It’s happy a little root-bound, and repotting can itself set off some leaf drop, so don’t rush it.

Feed it a liquid houseplant fertilizer every month or two during spring and summer (Clemson), and none in winter. Too little nitrogen is one of the causes of leaf drop.

Each pointed leaf is one plain green with a waxy gloss, hanging in weeping layers from arching branches over a pale trunk. The foliage is full but leaves a little soil showing.