When you receive your weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' you have several options:

• Stand it in an attractive planter with holes in the base. Cover the holes with a layer of gravel or potsherds and stand the plant, complete with nursery pot on top. The planter will need to be stood in a dish to collect drained off water.
• Pot it up into an attractive planter with holes in the base. Cover the holes with a layer of gravel or potsherds and add potting compost. Stand the root ball at the correct depth and fill the pot with compost around the roots. Press firmly in, leaving a space of about 3 cm from the top edge of the pot. Stand the planter in a saucer to collect drained off water.
• Stand it in an attractive planter without holes but do layer the bottom of the pot with gravel so the plant's pot is off the bottom. A wide planter is best as then you can see whether or not the bottom of the nursery pot is standing in water or not.
• Just stand the plant, nursery pot and all, on a dish - on a layer of gravel, or just directly on the dish.

The ideal spot for your large house plant

The ideal spot for your weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' is:

1. Somewhere with plenty of light but also protected from the full strength of the midday sun. Mornings and evenings are not a problem and will even be appreciated! The ideal place is about 3 metres from the window. This plant tolerates quite a bit of shade and even 6 metres from a window should not cause problems.
2. Somewhere warm - between 18 and 23 degrees centigrade. If you have underfloor heating, so much the better. Standing your Weeping Fig above or next to a radiator is not a good idea as the warm air flow from the heating will dry the plant out much quicker which could result in the loss of leaves or them turning brown.

Keep your weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' growing well with a twice weekly watering in the summer and weekly in the winter. Keep the roots moist but do not allow the plant to stand in water for too long at a time. Add plant food for leafy house plants to the water every fortnight. 

The weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' is fairly resistant to the dry indoor air of our homes.

You can easily prune this plant, removing bare branches when necessary. When it’s at home in the right spot, this plant will definitely grow more branches and produce new leaves.

Extra tips

Although a fairly large house plant, your weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' will appreciate being stood outdoors on a warm but rainy day. It will really perk up after a shower.

As in its natural habitat, it will regularly lose its lower leaves - do not worry if they turn yellow and drop off, as long as it continues to make new ones. Remember all of the above and you can keep your weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' healthy and looking fresh for a long time.

Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' is a strong house plant that is easy to grow.
The ficus benjamina 'Exotica is native to South East Asia and Australia where the trees (many metres tall) can be found in parks and lining streets. In temperate climes, the weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) 'Exotica' makes a very popular house plant, reaching up to 3 metres - pruning will help and can be done any time.
Ficus is classified under Moraceae.