Ficus trees are a common plant in the home and office, mainly because they look like a typical tree with a single trunk and a spreading canopy. But for all of their popularity, ficus plants are finicky. However, if you know how to care for a ficus tree, you’ll be better equipped with keeping it healthy and happy in your home for years.

Most ficus trees enjoy bright indirect or filtered light with variegated varieties happily able to take medium light. Bright, direct light may result in scalding of the leaves and leaf loss.  It requires a moderate amount of watering in summer, and only enough to keep it from drying out in the winter. It does not need to be misted. Ficus trees also cannot tolerate low temperatures or droughts. Feed with slow-release pellets in the beginning of the growing season. Regular misting or setting the ficus tree on a pebble tray filled with water is a great way to increase their humidity, but keep in mind that while they like high humidity, they don’t like overly wet roots. Therefore, when watering, always check the top of the soil first. If the top of the soil is wet, don’t water as this means they have enough moisture. If the top of the soil feels dry to the touch, this indicates that they need water.