What the Ficus? How to Grow Ficus Aspera at Home

What is the Ficus Aspera Variegata?

Ficus aspera, Ficus aspera variegated (variegata, if fashioning a wineglass), and clown fig all ultimately refer to the same plant—a tropical plant that’s notable in many modern western societies for its unique foliage, a deep green splashed with shades of green, white, and a bit of rose. However, in its home of Vanuatu, the rough texture of its leaves made this particular fig tree allegedly valuable as an abrasive dish scrub; likewise, its fruits, like many other fruits in the Moraceae family (Take figs and mulberries, for example), are not only unique for its own pink-white variegations, but for being anecdotally edible. Both of these uses, of course, have become obsolete in most areas because there hasn’t been much study on widespread reaction (allergies and intolerance) to the plant. Yet, it adds a layer of nuance to a houseplant people tend to enjoy in their homes.

How to Care for Ficus Aspera

Many members of the fig family are notably easy to care for, making them popular houseplants. Though some may disagree on the difficulty of satiating certain plants like fiddle-leaf fig (ficus lyrata), plants like the rubber-tree plant, ficus benjaminus, and in some cases even the edible fig plant made their way into staple houseplant society. A grown ficus aspera is similarly easy-going, as long as its conditions are considerate of its original tropical environment, with higher humidity and warmth (this is different to a younger ficus aspera, which dislikes drying out nearly as much as an established plant; this is important to note, as the clown figs you can buy in western countries are often sold as small cuttings or seedlings). For this plant, there are just a few things to note.

Pot size 

Although a lot of people are excited to give their plants the best in the world, bigger isn’t always better. In fact, although many people know an overly small plant can cause a plant’s roots to bound together (become root-bound) and stunt its growth, but an overly large container can also cause a plant to stunt and struggle in its growth (there are many theories as to why, though our favourite is the idea that the plant gets overly excited and allocates too much energy on growing outward. More likely, it’s because the soil takes longer to dry out and other organisms are given more space to thrive). Thus, before picking out the right soil, it’s important to find the right pot for the plant—one that will allow its conditions to stay balanced and healthy. 

Soil

Ficus aspera can be prone to rotting around its stems and roots when overwatered, especially when the plant is fully established, with a woody stem. However, it also isn’t entirely drought tolerant, and can dramatically drop its leaves if it’s left to dry out for some period of time, especially as a juvenile seedling or propagation. A good way to find a balance between these two fates is to move the plant into a well-fitted pot of well-draining soil and then water thoroughly.

Water

So, what does watering thoroughly mean for this plant? Essentially, this means watering it enough for water to leak out of the drainage holes of the pot. Thus, it’s important not to overcrowd (have the roots crawling out the bottom of the pot) or overwhelm (have the pot be twice as large as the plant itself) the plant as well. When the plant is younger, it’s helpful to water the plant whenever the top layer of soil (up to 1 cm) dries out, giving it enough water to keep the soil moist but not drenched. Following these instructions, we usually end up watering this plant once every four or five days in a 4” pot. As the plant grows older, you can pull back on the watering schedule quite a bit, letting the tree dry out a bit more between watering sessions.  

Light

This plant does love its light. That being said, the white portions of its leaves, meant for the dappled or shaded environments below the forest canopy, can burn in the sun, especially without the proper moisture. Thus, in regular room humidity, we recommend strong indirect light or dappled light

Humidity

While this is a tropical plant that’s used to humid environment, it’s quite possible to grow this plant in regular room environments; we grow our own figs around 40% (sometimes slightly lower) humidity without much issue. That being said, it’s important to keep the conditions of the plant consistent (out of drafts).

Common pests

While spider mites are the most common pests that tend toward this plant, it can also be susceptible to other pest infestations (like thrips and mealybugs). In the face of an infestation, we recommend an immediate quarantine and a daily spray of insecticidal soap, especially around the stems and under-leaves of the plant. 

How to Propagate a Ficus Aspera

Though woody cuttings are significantly more difficult to propagate than green stems (especially those of the philodendron family, which already have aerial roots on their nodes), members of the ficus family generally don’t cause too much grief in propagation. We recommend taking a 6” cutting at a 45 degree angle (which allegedly allows the cutting to take up more water), stripping all but the top two leaves, dipping the cut end into rooting hormone, and then propping this propagation in a well-draining soilless mixture. It’s important to keep the leaves humid but well-aerated (to prevent mold), and to keep the soil moist (but not waterlogged). It also helps to keep the propagation in a warmer location to promote growth.

How to Gift the Ficus Aspera

Though the concept of symbolism has been thoroughly ravaged by grade school English classes around the globe, we actually take a page out of Victorian England (for all the things they got wrong) when it comes to gifting plants. Just as people used to gift flowers based on underlying meanings to convey an emotional message that’s difficult to express through words (like the concept of love through the red rose), we think the general conception of plants can help convey the meaning of plants that make their way into people’s houses. And in the case of this ficus, we think it’s interesting to note that figs in general are associated with prosperity and divinity, with its luxuriously sweet fruits and abundance of seeds. On top of this, their unique foliage gives the sense of people, events, and things that are out of this world, and this plant can help to signify this.

If you’re looking to bring home a plant that’s equal parts conversation piece and tropical charm, this might be the one. The mix of science, story and foliage makes the ficus aspera a thoughtful addition to any home or a gift that says more than a card ever could.