Ficus petiolaris

rock fig
Cut back this tree hard each year to develop the characteristic caudex. Heart shaped leaves are bluish with red veins. Gritty mix. More water in summer. Winter/drought deciduous.
height 10–40ft
width 15–50ft
tolerates Drought, Heat, Pots
water
needs		 Moderate
water
info		 This ficus is from a habitat that experiences prolonged drought. That doesn’t mean that the fig needs drought, but it will tolerate drying out longer and survive it better than other ficus. Often once it goes bone dry it will dropping its leaves to conserve moisture; don’t worry if all the leaves fall off! Restoring consistent watering will help your ficus leaf back out.

This plant wants the top two thirds of its soil to dry out between waterings, while always having some moisture left deep in the pot. Generally the plant will want water every one to three weeks.
hardy
to		 25F
exposure Part Shade – Full Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix
fertilizing All Purpose
origin Mexico
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 13, 21–24

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

OUTDOOR EXPOSURE GUIDE

Full Sun
Six or more hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Shade
Three to five hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Sun
One to two hours of sun beams directly landing on the plants leaves.

Full Shade
The plant is never fully lit by sun beams, but is in a bright spot or has dappled sunbeams playing over the leaves throughout the day.

Deep Shade
The plant never has dappled light on the leaves, and is in a place that feels dim, even on a nice sunny day.

SUNSET ZONES MAP

Growing Notes

All ficus respond well to pruning, allowing even very large ficus to be maintained at a modest size. They do exude white sap, often containing latex, so if you have a latex allergy avoid the sap.
If exposed to cold winter weather black spotting on leaves is common.

Special Interest

Great for root-over-rock bonsai or sumo style bonsia.

Ficus make figs, which at first don’t seem to be flowers. The trick is that the flowers are on the inside of the fig, which is why many figs are hollow and so unusual inside.

More Info

This plant was grown for an outdoor environment, so we do not recommend moving it inside. In general we do not recommend moving plants raised for an outdoor environment indoors.
This plant would make a good houseplant if it had been grown in a controlled greenhouse with houseplant soil. This ‘greenhousing’ ensures that plants who come home with you are well acclimated to indoor life, and also that they don’t have any pests. It is common for outdoor plants to have other passengers as well, such as earthworms or centipides that don’t necessarily hurt the plant, but aren’t welcome indoors.
If you consider yourself an expert gardener, you can of course attempt to transition this plant indoors. In that case you’ll want to strip all the soil from the rootball, wash the roots clean and then spray the entire plant (leaves, undersides of the leaves, all the cracks and roots) with a mix of one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol in a cup of water. Repot the plant in the appropriate sterile soil/pot and take extra care as it transitions to the indoors, especially looking for pests and treating at the first sign of problems. Always consider the risk that any bugs could also affect other houseplants you have nearby.
For some plants, we sell two versions: outdoor-grown and greenhouse-grown. If you’re looking to grow this plant indoors, feel free to ask our staff if we have a greenhouse-grown version in stock!