Ficus Bonsai in 6″ Pot

A broadleaf evergreen tree that in the wild reaches 15–30 m (50–100 ft) with a wide, rounded crown 12–30 m across and a smooth grey trunk that often develops buttresses and dangling aerial roots that can become secondary trunks (banyan habit). In cultivation and as a houseplant it’s kept 0.3–2 m (1–6 ft); the ‘Ginseng’ form is a grafted bonsai with a swollen, tuberous root base (caudex) that looks like ginseng roots, topped with a dense canopy of smaller-leaved branches. Leaves are alternate, simple, elliptic to obovate, 4–10 cm × 2–5 cm, glossy dark green, leathery, with entire margins and a short acuminate tip (less drawn-out than F. benjamina); petioles 0.5–2 cm. Milky latex present in stems. Flowers are enclosed in the syconium (fig); figs are sessile, in pairs in leaf axils, 5–10 mm diameter, green turning yellow-pink to dark purple when ripe; each contains many tiny florets (pollinated by fig wasps). Indoors fruiting is rare.

Quick care: bright indirect light to some direct morning sun (east/south window filtered); tolerates moderate light but gets leggy; avoid harsh midday sun that scorches leaves. Warm 18–27 °C (65–80 °F); minimum ∼15 °C (59 °F) (leaf drop below 10 °C/50 °F). Soil: rich, well-drained mix (potting soil 50% + perlite or coarse sand 30% + cocopeat/compost 20%); pH 6.0–7.5. Keep evenly moist but not soggy—water when top 2–3 cm dry; reduce in winter. High humidity (50–70%) encourages aerial roots and prevents brown tips; mist, use a pebble tray, or humidifier. Feed every 4–6 weeks in spring–summer with balanced fertilizer at half strength. Prune to shape after new growth (spring–early summer); tolerates hard pruning; wipe latex from cuts. Repot every 2–3 years (bonsai forms every 2–3 years, root prune lightly). Propagate by stem cuttings, air-layering, or seeds. Watch for scale, mealybugs, thrips, spider mites, and leaf drop from drafts or sudden light changes. Milky sap can irritate skin; ingestion mildly toxic. Popular as bonsai, hedge, container tree (USDA 9–11) and as an indoor sculptural plant.