I’m looking for some guidance on a few aspects of my new ...
So I’ve been wanting a larger plant for a while now, and this type has been recommended to me for various different reasons, but now that I have it, and it’s doing really well, I don’t want to get ahead of myself lol. My goal is to have a large tree, all I’ve done since getting it from the nursery was wipe it down and water it once, would it be the right time now to move it up in pot size? Should I separate some of the smaller ones? It feels kind of crowded? I always have trouble figuring out how to repot or prune plants when I haven’t seen them grow yet 😅 but he’s got the most beautiful leaves and colours lol. #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #RubberPlant #Ficus #TheWateringHole
2ft to light, direct
6” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 weeks ago
9
Ohhh you’ve got a beauty there! I have one as well but it’s got a little browning on it. But I’m hopeful mine will grow like yours. I can’t give you advice on a repot but I will say this…I’ll repot in a nanosecond. However my plants are not as large as yours so that might make a difference. But from the looks of it, it looks like a repot may be warranted. I’m by far no expert so let others with experience give you advice.
Hi there, @SoothingCacto90 @Sonja I would hold off on repotting until after you know you can give your beautiful 🤩 tree the conditions that it needs. 🤍
They, and all ficus, need a lot of light, and I mean a LOT. Mine is directly under a large Sansi grow bulb (~12” below).
Right now yours still has a backup store of energy and nutrients it got from living in [usually] ideal nursery conditions, and will need to adjust to your home. Plants move at a much slower pace than we do, and they can generally seem happy for a couple months after coming to your house, but that’s because they have those backup energy stores. For a plant that large already, adjusting to your home might mean losing leaves and, after a month or two, drastically slowing down its photosynthesis processes unless you can keep up with the good light (food).
A good time to repot, is in a strong growth cycle, with good conditions, like our wonderful springtime that is fast approaching.
Repotting is quite stressful for all plants, and they are much more likely to ‘bounce back,’ if they have good resources and are eating enough light. 💡 ☀️ 🍴
They, and all ficus, need a lot of light, and I mean a LOT. Mine is directly under a large Sansi grow bulb (~12” below).
Right now yours still has a backup store of energy and nutrients it got from living in [usually] ideal nursery conditions, and will need to adjust to your home. Plants move at a much slower pace than we do, and they can generally seem happy for a couple months after coming to your house, but that’s because they have those backup energy stores. For a plant that large already, adjusting to your home might mean losing leaves and, after a month or two, drastically slowing down its photosynthesis processes unless you can keep up with the good light (food).
A good time to repot, is in a strong growth cycle, with good conditions, like our wonderful springtime that is fast approaching.
Repotting is quite stressful for all plants, and they are much more likely to ‘bounce back,’ if they have good resources and are eating enough light. 💡 ☀️ 🍴
@DreamMachine This baby is in the best spot in the house, in front of a west facing double window, growing season is just about to start, it gets strong direct sun from 4pm to sunset right now, but that’s only going up now. you think I should wait until next year then, or just a few months? I’m learning about growing trees for bonsai, and they seem to always need bigger pots for bigger trees. Will it stunt the growth if I don’t repot? (Im not planning on bonsai-ing this one though this genus? Is popular for indoor growers) there’s tiny baby plants under the canopy, should I remove those to their own pots before they die or will the leaves that don’t get light do ok? I’m willing to supplement with grow lights if need be, (maybe in the morning?) this is the first plant I’ve purchased with any intentionality lol. @sonja I just fell in love when I saw it lol. It doesn’t have one spec out of place lol, and I hope I can keep it in somewhat similar conditions lol,
@SoothingCacto90 Nice! I’m a big fan of the “full pot,” But that is up to you if you want to separate.
Have you read “The Hidden Life of Trees,” by Peter Wohlleben? It’s a fantastic book. The author used to work in the lumber industry in Germany, and then he got REALLY into trees, and the way it’s written is just enchanting. Even more so if you listen to the audiobook, the narrator sounds like an old wizard and it’s quite charming. In the book, the author discusses how trees are aware of their babies, and actually send water and nutrients through their roots to their children, and they even prioritize the children that might be struggling. Scientists have confirmed this with testing! So I think if they have enough light, water, and nutrients, they will be fine.
But those roots do look like they’re getting close to repot time! I think you’d be fine to repot in the next few months. ☺️ I personally would wait until I see a good amount of new growth after you believe it has acclimated. 🤍🌿
Have you read “The Hidden Life of Trees,” by Peter Wohlleben? It’s a fantastic book. The author used to work in the lumber industry in Germany, and then he got REALLY into trees, and the way it’s written is just enchanting. Even more so if you listen to the audiobook, the narrator sounds like an old wizard and it’s quite charming. In the book, the author discusses how trees are aware of their babies, and actually send water and nutrients through their roots to their children, and they even prioritize the children that might be struggling. Scientists have confirmed this with testing! So I think if they have enough light, water, and nutrients, they will be fine.
But those roots do look like they’re getting close to repot time! I think you’d be fine to repot in the next few months. ☺️ I personally would wait until I see a good amount of new growth after you believe it has acclimated. 🤍🌿
@DreamMachine that is the cutest fricking thing I’ve ever heard. My dad is basically a lumberjack, forestry is huge where I am so I definitely am interested in that book thank you! It’s been putting out new leaves already, but like you said it could be leftover from the nursery.
@SoothingCacto90 RIGHT 🥰🥰 It’s a great audiobook to fall asleep to, as well. It’s like a true fairy tale!
@DreamMachine I had to move my Ficus because I don’t think she was getting enough light. She’s been moved now for about two weeks and look at what she’s pushing out 😁!
And I’m on a mission to repot all of my plants because I have beautiful pots for them. And I’ve learned a critical skill to only repot if they’re healthy just as you said. The only time I’ve repotted when they were not healthy is of some pests like mealy bugs.
And I’m on a mission to repot all of my plants because I have beautiful pots for them. And I’ve learned a critical skill to only repot if they’re healthy just as you said. The only time I’ve repotted when they were not healthy is of some pests like mealy bugs.
@Sonja a new leaf!! 🥳 woohoo! And good job for noticing that it’s been a couple weeks!! 👍 👍 too often we humans expect our plants to react or respond to our care as fast as we would. But we are lightning fast compared to them. 😅 Thats why it’s also good, if you’re ever trouble shooting, to pick one thing you think might be the cause and make one small change and nothing else. Then you observe your plant in 2-3 weeks for any reactions, and only then you decide to make another small change, if applicable.
Too often I see people worried about their plant—but they’ve made a million changes in one week and moved their plant 12 times, and it’s impossible in that situation to tell what’s going on. 😖
I only ever repot if:
-my plant is literally busting out of their pot
-I notice I’ve been watering MUCH more frequently ie the pot is drying out very fast because it’s grown too many roots to how much soil it has, OR flip side: the soil is taking forever to dry. To put it simply: when it’s in a substrate that doesn’t align with my watering needs
-it is in a substrate that is detrimental to its health (ie a succulent in 100% peat from HD)
I hope your ficus tineke continues to show you it’s happy with new leaves 🥰 They really love so much Light, and are so rewarding when they do. In fact, I often test if a new grow light is strong enough if the ficus’s like it. If my ficus’s like the grow light, then ANY of my plants will be happy with that grow light 😅 ♥️🤍
Too often I see people worried about their plant—but they’ve made a million changes in one week and moved their plant 12 times, and it’s impossible in that situation to tell what’s going on. 😖
I only ever repot if:
-my plant is literally busting out of their pot
-I notice I’ve been watering MUCH more frequently ie the pot is drying out very fast because it’s grown too many roots to how much soil it has, OR flip side: the soil is taking forever to dry. To put it simply: when it’s in a substrate that doesn’t align with my watering needs
-it is in a substrate that is detrimental to its health (ie a succulent in 100% peat from HD)
I hope your ficus tineke continues to show you it’s happy with new leaves 🥰 They really love so much Light, and are so rewarding when they do. In fact, I often test if a new grow light is strong enough if the ficus’s like it. If my ficus’s like the grow light, then ANY of my plants will be happy with that grow light 😅 ♥️🤍