Identify My Plant: Can Ficus Live Outside in Winter

Hi Michele,

Your plant is a Ficus benjamina and it definitely cannot survive outside for the winter. Ficus trees prefer temperatures between 65-85°F (18.3°29.4°C). Here  are some houseplant tips to help you care for your ficus tree.

Light: Ficus Trees, especially the Benjamina and Wintergreen varieties, need very bright indirect light. New varieties called Ficus of the Future can survive in medium and even low light. Examples of Ficus of the Future are the Monique Ficus with ruffled green leaves, the Midnight Ficus with green/black leavers, and the Ficus Alli with elongated leaves. Direct sun burns the leaves of all ficus trees.

Water: Allow the top 25% of the soil to dry out before watering. Under-watering causes the leaves to turn yellow. Green leaves fall off and new growth turns black when a ficus is over-watered. A ficus tree does best when you try to follow a consistent watering schedule.

Feeding:  Feed monthly in the spring and summer when the plant is actively growing with a balanced houseplant food diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength.

You can read all my care tips in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/ficus-benjamina-tree-how-to-grow-care-weeping-fig-tree