If you have reached this article, it is because you have just acquired a ficus and like many French people you have literally fallen in love with its beautiful and large leaves.
It must be said that it is this argument that succeeds in convincing more and more French people to choose it at a time when we find more and more plants indoors at the same time. that we discover their benefits.
But like any plant, the Abidjan ficus needs certain particular care and if you do not know the ficus, you will discover that this type of plant has needs which are quite specific.
In addition, if these are not respected, you will generally run straight to disaster. So, to avoid these troubles, we advise you to take a look at our advice in terms of maintenance.
Elastica ficus trees - General information
There are a whole bunch of different ficus trees on the market, each with characteristics that will look better on some people than on others. But here it is Elastica ficus that we will talk about in more detail.
A ficus from Abidjan needs light
The first thing to know if you have just bought an Abidjan ficus is that you have in your hands a plant that loves to have light, worse than that, it is downright vital for her!
Therefore, if you have a dark apartment, with small windows where light struggles to enter, we can already tell you that you may have a lot of problems with your Abidjan ficus!
Indeed, if it does not have the right amount of light, its leaves will simply start to turn brown and fall off. Therefore, you absolutely need to put it in a bright place.
But as ficuses are capricious, your Abidjan ficus must not end up in a place where it is directly exposed to too strong light rays! If so, that won't be good either.
The light will literally burn your leaves, causing brown spots. If this is the case, move it slightly away from the area while leaving it in a place that is still quite bathed in light!
Remember to water it, but not too much
Like any plant, the Abidjan ficus needs water, but as it is part of the ficus family, these needs are special and must be followed at the risk of having unpleasant surprises.
What we can tell you in terms of general advice is that you will have to water your plant on average every week, and every 10 days when it is winter.
But this is not an exact science and the best way to check your plant's water requirements is to look at the condition of the soil it is in yourself. Do not water until the surface dries.
Don't wait for it to get too dry either, but when you feel it's no longer wet, you can pour the equivalent of a full glass of water. However, be careful that this water does not stagnate.
This is why it is totally forbidden to put a dome under your pot at the risk of this water remaining in the ground, which will cause rotting of the roots and therefore the death of your ficus.
In addition, you can also install clay balls in the bottom of your port which will have the effect of absorbing humidity and allowing the soil of your ficus to never remain too wet.
When to prune an Abidjan ficus?
As for the size of the Abidjan ficus, know that this is not obligatory although it is recommended, as is the case with many ficus treesbecause it improves the foliage.
By cutting the ends of the new stems, she will replace one leaf with two new ones which will help your plant to have a much denser foliage, which is the effect sought by a lot of people.
Regarding the frequency of this size, we recommend once a year. No need to do more to get a good result, all without tiring your plant too much. Finally, for the period, prefer the end of winter.
With spring coming, this will give your plant all the good season to remake leaves and especially to restore health after cutting. This will normally prevent you from any unpleasant surprises.
Our advice for pruning your Abidjan ficus
Pruning a ficus is always scary, but if you have the right advice and the right tools, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for you.
Watch out for drafts!
Finally, the last advice that we can give you for the maintenance of your Abidjan ficus is to guide you on where to put it from your home and for that, you must make sure to avoid window edges or passage areas.
Indeed, even if these areas are sunny, the ficus hates gusts of wind and putting it in these places is to run the risk of suddenly seeing your plant start to lose its leaves.
