You’ve probably seen Ficus in living rooms, lobbies, or maybe even grown one yourself, but how much do you really know about these iconic houseplants? Check out this week’s Good Growing Podcast as we explore the surprisingly diverse world of Ficus. From weeping figs and rubber trees to creeping figs and giant banyans, we dive into their history, care, different species, and more!

Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2hx5VXZrJmg

Skip to what you want to know:

00:41 – There are a lot of ficus species!

02:12 – Ficus species native to the United States, and what are strangler figs.

07:08 – What are Ficus?

12:25 – General care of Ficus houseplants.

22:23 – Common Ficus houseplants

23:38 – Ficus benjamina (weeping fig)

27:14 – Ficus elastica (rubber tree)

33:15 – Ficus lyrata (fiddle leaf fig)

36:03 – Ficus benghalensis (banyan, Ficus Audrey)

42:35 – Ficus maclellandii (banana/long leaf fig, Ficus Alli)

45:31 – Ficus microcarpa (Ginseng ficus, Chinese banyan, Indian laurel)

49:09 – Ficus pumila (creeping fig)

53:08 – Ficus propagation

56:37 – Less commonly encountered ficus houseplants

59:12 – Wrap-up, what’s up next week, and goodbye!

More information:

National Garden Bureau

Ficus: Trees and Vine of Florida (University of Florida)

Gods and Monsters: The Genus Ficus (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)

Contact us!

Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu

Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk

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You can find us on most podcast platforms.

iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377

Tunein - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR

Vurbl - https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/

Listen notes - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/

Ivy - https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902

Castbox - https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us