Ficus Tree

Ficus Nitida Care Guide

 

Ficus nitida, commonly referred to as Indian Laurel is an extremely versatile tree that has many uses. These can be grown in tree form providing an abundance of cooling shade, or they can be column style and planted together to form a green wall of privacy. No matter how you grow your ficus, these trees are sure to be one of the best trees on your property. Easy to grow and care for, these trees can be planted in nearly any landscape style. Here are some tips and tricks to care for your new trees.

How to Water Your Ficus nitida.

The Ficus nitida (Indian Laurel) trees are extremely hardy trees. These trees prefer to be deep soaked all around the root ball. You want to soak the tree to a depth of at least 2-3’ each time you water. This will encourage deep strong root growth. Allow these trees to dry out between waterings as, like any tree, they do not like to be sitting in water. If you have your trees set on a drip irrigation system, be sure that the emitters are at the edge of the canopy, this is called the drip line. If you are using flood irrigation technique with a hose. Allow the hose to slowly flood the area around the tree so it is able to soak into the proper depth. After the water has soaked in, you should be able to easily dig deep around the root zone, this means the water has penetrated deep enough.

How to Fertilize Your Ficus nitida

If you want your new or existing trees to look as good and green as the day you brought them home, you need to be sure and feed them regularly. With regular applications of our Moon Dust fertilizer you too can keep your tree healthy and growing strong. It is recommended that you fertilize March-October, once per month. It is also recommended that year round you use Super Charged Moon Juice on your trees so the roots will stay strong and help resist stress and damage that may occur. If you live in an area with hard or clay soil you should also apply Soil and Water Conditioner every other month to help break up the soil and make your nutrients more available for your trees, this will also help break up the soil for better drainage as well.

How to Trim Your Ficus nitida

Ficus are great because they can be trimmed and shaped in many different ways. It is always recommended that you have a professional trees service do any major pruning or cutting back, contact Moon Valley Tree Service Division for more help regarding this. If you do take on the task of pruning your trees be sure you have the proper equipment and safety gear. Only trim back in the cool season typically early spring is best. Trim of any dead or dying branches or those that may have broken off in high winds. Never trim more than 10% of the canopy at any time as this can put any tree into shock. Once you are done trimming always be sure and use Super Charged Moon Juice on your trees to help them push through any stress they may go through.

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