I like benjamina, but I also like the look of lyrata. My benjamina are full sized trees, although I do have lots of seedlings coming up in all sorts of places. But you're right, nurseries seem to stock lots more lyrata.

I have several Ficus..., from the cold-hardy, edible fig (F. carica), lyrata, elastica, benjamina and macrophylla. I like lyrata have no problems with it but always wonder why there are SOOOO many postings on this site for the single species. I don't get it. Why?

Macrophylla should be used more than it is. Compared to the benjamina, it is much more resistant to dropping its leaves when there are environmental changes. My tropicals spend the season outside (from May through September).

I agree. This part of the forum seems to be clogged with Ficus Lyrata issues.

Funny thing is, every one has the same issues, but on this forum there are no “sticky” threads for others to read and not have to ask the same questions over and over.

I blame it on the website, but still, people probably should try searching before asking.

Beautiful, Dave! I always enjoy seeing this tree. :+)

There does seem to be a pervasive FLF fad afoot. I don't have room for that at all. If a person prefers that look, a benjamina wouldn't be much of a substitute, but for anyone who just wants a small tree in their home, it's definitely a winner!

I wonder how a plant fad gets traction? I wish I had enough stores close enough to visit to know what is "usually" for sale anymore... but not enough to move back to anywhere with tons of traffic.

Jurasico, I would love to see your trees! I have one started from a cutting (that is now 7-8 individuals from my continuing to prop more of it) that was passed along as F. microcarpa, but it looks so similar to benjamina. I guess the difference in the foliage is that there's no sharp point, less distinct middle groove, & these leaves are maybe a little more wide. Is that what others see too? Since it's never dropped any leaves, it must not be benjamina. LOL! I cut off all of the leaves a few months ago to see & "edit" its' trunk, which is being turned into what I hope will be one of the most unusual trunks of all time with curls, loops, knots, not very apparent in this pic behind so many leaves. This pic is a couple months old. This pot has since been moved to where it can get more even & dappled light since the top was not getting enough, falling into shadows after only about 30 mins after sunrise.

I don't care for the appearance of FLF - very coarse looking and without an attractive growth habit IMO. So I really don't understand the big attraction :-)

I had a gorgeous benjamina given to me by my mom as a tiny 1G plant many years ago. It did so well and got so big, I finally had to give it to my brother and his wife, as they had a house big enough to accommodate it. Although neither of them have particularly green thumbs, they have done very well by this tree and some 20 years later it is tall (~8') and wide (~10') and very full. Too large to even move out onto their shaded deck for summer! It looks outstanding!!

My only fig now is a variegated elastica....a colorful and small house-suitable selection :-)

Tiff, I'd agree yours in the photo is a microcarpa, I have a few of them. The leaves seem thicker and aren't as 'wavy' as benjamina. They're a banyan and produce a lot of aerial roots. And they fruit a lot more than benjamina, for me anyway. Often used as a hedging plant as they can be shaped quite readily.

TYVM! :+) I have been having fun manipulating its' shape, and the other, smaller ones that have come from its' trimmings.

Also, if anyone is wondering why it’s planted so deep into the pot, it’s because I can’t afford to add anymore height to this tree.

Lookwise, I’d love to have the soil line higher, but then I’d need to take a few more inches off the top.

Can you get a pot with dimensions more suited to what you need? Benjaminas don't need much soil around the roots, so you can go quite shallow (so long as it doesn't topple).

Not locally for a decent price. I’ve looked and looked.

Just switched from unglazed terra cotta to the cheap plastic one due to weight. Much easier to move now.

i think F. lyratas are much more impressive when well kept (which is not the case judging by the endless problem posts). But they are harder to keep, need more light then F.benjamina. And they are harder to prune to develop a good form. Whereas F. benjamina is quite easy - just keep tip pruning at least twice a year. A lot of people don't, however, and then they wind up with a very sparse foliage.

i happen to have both and also 2 F. alii which are ultra slow with growth.

F. benjamina are very easy to dwarf by growing in a small pot and they are not as temperamental as people think(at least in my experience). Mine have never dropped leaves en masse, unless it was severely dry. which happened a couple of times when i was away. but they regrow reliably unlike F. lyrata.

if i had to recommend one or another to inexperienced grower, i'd say go with F. alii or F . benjamina. NOT F. lyrata.

I too have an Alii. It was a 4” cutting with only a couple leaves when I took it three years back. It’s becoming its own tree now.

Also below I have a Benjamina cutting I took from my main tree a couple years back.

On both, Ive trimmed off side branches and worked them into more of a tree shape.

Fall 2015:

Today:

Summer 2016:

Today:

Thanks for all the replies. I like seeing a Ficus Benjamina thread in this forum.

Its so clogged with Fiddle Lead Fig posts these days.

Dave!

your F. benjamina are in admirable shape - the best i 've ever seen anywhere, except straight from nursery :). you're taking great care of them!

i've had mine since roughly '94-95. it was a small bushy plant in 6" pot. mixed plain and variegated forms. i continued to grow them together, but plain is much stronger and overwhelms the variegated branches. it's sev branches together originally.

it's always indoors in part-sun. you can see that the top is all green.

i've been fusing weak variegated branches together slowly to lift them up, they are very spindly otherwise. so it's like a variegated 'skirt' under the plain green :).

it's currently in my biggest 13" pot sunk into a ceramic pot for stability (with proper hole of course). i've started doing a serious work on it: chopped to main trunks all the plain branches after air-layering several to start a new pot. it's now 1/3 of it's size - all green on top gone.

the air-layered trunks (3 fused ones, air-layered separately) have been planted. a little droopy, but ok for now. i expect some leaf loss :O..

pruned variegated branches too and in a couple of weeks am going to split the pot up, pulling out all plain trunks .

all the roots are mixed up of course. hopefully there will be some roots left after butchery and i will plant them separately finally. pics to follow ...

Thank you!

Ive kept them trimmed since I got them/ started them so it’s easy to keep them in shape.

Your tree looks great. I like the variegated lower section!

There has to be more lurkers in here with F. Benjamina or Alii.

I love my little Ficus benjamina "Little Gold Angel", which is a yellow-cream variegated dwarf cultivar. It's currently on the front porch getting full southeast morning sun and a little full evening sun. Prior to that, it lived in a southeast window getting sun through open blinds with 2 6500K supplemental lights shining on it. In the year-plus that I've had it, it has always been 12 inches tall. It doesn't get taller, its trunks and roots just keep getting fatter.

It's on the front porch now, taking the 100+ heat and 110+ heat indices like a champ and gradually filling in its poor naked middle where it lost so many leaves to scale (I think) and thrip damage. I've never pruned it, apart from pinching off some dead bits and blasting it with a water hose to clear out the dead and weak leaves. I probably will end up pinching more tips to force back-budding. I just wanted to see how much it would do on its own first.

I think the Ficus lyrata craze is due to just about every interior design magazine jumping on the bandwagon, combined with some misleading marketing claiming fiddle leaf figs are easier than they are. It's annoying. I know some people really hate how benjaminas drop leaves (toddler & cat grief, choking robot vacuums, the mess), but microcarpa and alii are both lovely alternatives. I'm curious, now that pilea peperomides has reached full saturation, which way the home decor mags will jump next.

Sage,

Nice tree!

And you’re absolutely right. FLF seem to be stuffed in every dark corner these days in every interior design photo.

Also, this site is really annoying to post on. I keep trying to start a thread and it stalls out here.

I also don’t like the whole picking to cross post. It just clogs up the forum.

Ugh this site used to be a lot better.

I’ve tried to start a thread three times today with no luck. I give up.

that's a hilarious root !

I sawed for HOURS with that little hand saw. I got it split in half to go in two pots, and then one single trunk in a small pot. I'll have to borrow a chainsaw next year. I couldn't uncurl my fingers by the end of the repot. Ficus: 1/ Amy: 0

Wow. Looks like that tree wasn’t repotted in many years.

Did you keep the roots wet while working on them?

ouch! and i was thinking about doing the same, but i don't even have a hand-saw! just a big serrated knife...perhaps, i should postpone the procedure! imagine doing it on the kitchen floor...

What a cool pattern found inside that root ball!

Tiffany, I thought so too! There was almost no dirt, only woody roots.

Dave, yes, roots were kept wet. I had it setting in a bin lid with the hose trickling on it. When I would take it out to work on it, my dog was under the impression that it was a kiddie pool just for him. Comic relief while i killed my forearm muscles. All three sections are doing well in full sun outdoors.

So no one else has any F. Benjamina around here?

I haven't even seen any at the big box stores lately. Only Alii. Makes me wonder what will be shipping once the weather cools off.

I have several of several varieties of ficus. In benjamina category I do not have the original weeping variety but others. Here is a pic of F. benjamina "Too little" with a small dwarf variegated "Nina".

The "Too little" went through a massive haircut and this is what resulted:

I prefer short and stout plants as you can see. If I get a chance I can post some of the other plants.