The plant is a close cousin to fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyarata), weeping fig (Ficus benjamina), and even the edible fig (Ficus carica). This self-clinging vine adheres effortlessly to most surfaces, quickly scrambling upwards as far as it can be supported. Cooperative Extension prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and veteran status. There are a number of creeping fig varieties available (see them below at the bottom of the page), including types with extra-textured or variegated foliage. It’s also one of the smallest members of the ficus family. Creepin g Fig. Read our Commitment to Diversity | Read our Privacy Statement. It is sometimes confused with Ficus microcarpa, which is actually less weepy and more upright. It does not like direct, full sun. Rarely flowers when grown indoors. The creeping fig does like to be pot bound to a certain degree. The plant can become invasive. © 2020 Costa Farms, LLC. They are frequently listed as inedible but in fact the figs can be processed into a gel that is canned and sold in Asian markets as grass jelly or ai-yu jelly. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.This woody vine will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. Weeping fig is one of the best plants for improving air qu… Sign up now to get our newsletter, too. Our articles, blogs, tips, and photos help you use plants to beautify your living spaces and enhance your life. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens. You can use a masonry bit and drill to make holes in the concrete and place an eye hook at either end of the area. Fertilize for faster growth. Watch for scale, aphids, mealybugs, thrips and spider mites. Creeping Fig. It’s hardy, it gives nice coverage and texture to an otherwise frightfully boring wall and you can simply rip it off the wall if it gets to be too much. Creeping Fig is an outstanding evergreen that is routinely used to cover stark, barren walls with curtains of dense, deep-green foliage. We’re your online gardening resource for plant info and inspiration. This tiny leafed plant, native to Japan, Vietnam, and China, is an excellent table plant, hanging plant, or climbing plant. Both natural and artificial light are fine. And it's highly unlikely your indoor plant will ever bloom or yield fruit. It does produce a milky sap that can cause skin irritation if you have sensitive skin. Don't forget about your houseplants during the holiday season. Flowers and fruits rarely appear on indoor plants. The creeping fig is an excellent choice for any gardener that has an eyesore of a wall, fence, or structure that’s in need of concealing. Creeping fig does well under a wide range of light conditions, even low and artificial light, but there’s one exception. The ficus species contains over 1,000 different types of plants. Hailing from warm, tropical climates, creeping fig appreciates average to above-average relative humidity levels. This type of product slowly releases nutrients to the plant every day for months. Not usually grown for edible fruit, but properly prepared it is popular in Asian countries. The juvenile form is usually maintained in interior environments and characterized by small, heart-shaped, alternate leaves on the vine with adventious roots. Ficus pumila, or Climbing fig, is a vigorous, fast-growing evergreen vine that can climb to 15 feet or more when grown outdoors. When grown outdoors, pear-shaped to cylindrical fig, mostly solitary, may appear throughout the year. Best known for its low to average maintenance and fast growth, this climber will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green-colored leaves. They are green with white flecks maturing to purple, densely hairy, and 2.5 inches long by 1.5 inches wide. As a houseplant, it doesn’t tolerate drying out as well as other figs (including fiddle leaf fig). Curly creeping fig has a medium growth rate and wavy green leaves variegated with lighter, lime-green centers. When grown outdoors, the adult form displays minute, axillary, unisexual flowers enclosed in fleshy receptacle (fig), entered by apical orifice and pollinated by fig wasps. Often called a climbing fig vine, they're low maintenance, easy to propagate and deer and rabbit resistant but poisonous to indoor pets. Full to partial sun. Creeping fig is a delightful little houseplant. Since the fast growing vines of a Creeping Fig easily cling to just about anything, it’s also a great plant for topiaries. Water creeping fig as the top inch or so of the potting mix dries to the touch. No matter which creeping fig variety you grow, it makes an excellent choice for indoor hanging baskets. However, it's worth noting that even very healthy and well-cared-for plants will likely only last a few years in their potsultimately their root structures are designed for aggressive and spreading growth. Phonetic Spelling FY-kus PEW-mih-lah Description. The plant can cement itself to porous surfaces and will cover moist surfaces quickly. The oldest wild fig tree I myself found was an about 90 years old tree growing under extreme conditions in the european alps, with winter temperatures about -20° C (-4 °F) and no protection by snow. Once it reaches the uppermost boundary of its support, it will continue branching outward, eventually creating… You typically don’t need to worry about pruning creeping fig, but you can prune or pinch it back at any time of the year without worrying about harming your plant. Create 3 rows of this wire horizontally across the area. N.C. The adult form has larger, more elliptic, more leathery and reticulte leaves. Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) is a fast growing, small leafed vine that will stick and climb up stucco and concrete. It is best to check the top of the soil before watering. This evergreen plant averages 40 feet at maturity, but three and four story heights are not unheard of. form a strategic partnership called N.C. Creeping fig is a delightful little houseplant. 1). The growth rate of this beautiful plant is impressive, as it reaches up to a maximum length of 3-4 feet and can be utilized in hanging baskets. Tiny and tough, Ficus pumila is a dwarf member of the Ficus family. Most ficus plants have rubbery limbs and do not require much attention to thrive. It is drought tolerant, a good climber, resistant to damage by deer and moderately salt tolerant. The best time to prune creeping fig is the spring and summer season. Check to see if any need water or other care. The Creeping Fig, otherwise known as the Ficus Pumila or Climbing Fig, Creeping Rubber Plant, Ok-Gue, Ficus repens, is a well-known climber plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world. Questions about Creeping Ficus? Creeping fig couldn't be any less fig-like. Note: This houseplant is not intended for human or animal consumption. On fruit bearing stems, adult leaves are more ovate-elliptic, slightly acute to obtuse, rotund to subcordate, very dark green above, pale below, reticulate, coriaceous, to 4 inches long. Climbing fig (Ficus pumila) is a woody, evergreen vine that can be used outdoors to cover a wall or fence, or as an indoor ornamental, where it is allowed to either cascade down from a hanging basket, or trained to cover a trellis, hoop or pole.Typically, only the juvenile foliage of climbing fig is present, which is small (1-inch long and ½- to ¾- inch wide), light green and slightly pleated. Creeping Fig: A Field Guide. The fig family (Ficus spp.) Once these peds attach themselves, they are next to impossible to remove, even if you pull down the plants. I’ve experimenting with creeping fig (Ficus pumila) as an indoor wall cover for about 35 years. It is also found in cultivation as a houseplant.The Latin specific epithet pumila means "dwarf", and refers to the very small leaves of the plant. Variegated forms are available. Pruning the plant during the growing season prevents it from having a large bunch of dark leaves in winter and fall. Creeping Fig Growth Rate. Well-known for its fast growth rate, creeping fig (Ficus pumila) is an effective ground cover and vine for walls and fences. If you have a ficus plant, it … Use a fertilizer formulated for use on indoor plants. We have many standard shop drawings and models that we follow but prefer … They are elegant and grow dense, glossy dark foliage, although, when stressed, it will shed its leaves easily. It grows best in a spot with medium to bright light -- enough light that it casts a shadow much of the day. Ficus pumila, or Climbing fig, is a vigorous, fast-growing evergreen vine that can climb to 15 feet or more when grown outdoors.It is not winter hardy in most of North Carolina and severe cold will kill the vine back to the ground, thus it is often grown as an annual groundcover or as a houseplant or in a greenhouse. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.This woody vine will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. On climbing stems, juvenile leaves are alternate, simple, heart-shaped, acute, cordate, entire, medium to dark green, glabrous and bumpy above, pubescent below, to 1 inch long with a short petiole. Creeping fig doesn’t mind the light source, as long as it gets enough. It’s also one of the smallest members of the ficus family. Ficus vaccinioides is a rare relative of creeping fig that has darker green, textural leaves. Creeping Fig is a multi-stemmed evergreen woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. You're going to love all the tips and ideas we share. Fast grower 25 to 30 feet long. Costa Farms is a wholesale grower that discovers, develops, and grows plants for your home and life -- indoors and out. If it’s exposed to airflow that’s considerably warmer or cooler than the ambient air, the leaves could go yellow or brown and drop off. Creeping fig is somewhat tolerant of being rootbound, but it grows best when it’s repotted as the roots fill the pot. Get tips for repotting! If allowed to grow up a … It conducts its coverage rather efficiently – if you’re tending to its needs, it will cover your average wall within two to three years. Similar to Curly, this medium-growing creeping fig has wavy, textured leaves and creamy-yellow variegation in the centers of the leaves. You would never recognize it as being related to the Benjamin ficus (Ficus benjamina) or the fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) that we use as tall upright houseplants. Variegated Creeping Fig is a multi-stemmed evergreen woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Fact Sheet FPS-212 October, 1999 Ficus pumila1 Edward F. Gilman2 Introduction The dense, rapid growth of small, dark green, overlapping leaves on slender stems makes Creeping Fig a favorite vine to grow on walls where it lends a lacy pattern in its early stages of growth (Fig. Creeping fig plants grown outside and allowed to produce mature foliage will often yield fruit in the form of 3-inch pale green bells that ripen to a dark purple color. It needs no support to adhere to a wall. Creeping Fig Is Drying Out. Unless growing outside, creeping figs don’t get flowers. If the top of the soil is dry, it needs to be watered. The creeping fig (Ficus pumila) is an aggressive climber that produces delicate green leaves, commonly used in topiaries, hanging baskets and ground covers. It takes well to growing on a moss form, allowing you to easily add a touch of whimsey to your indoor spaces. You can use a water-soluble fertilizer in spring and summer (don’t exceed recommendation instructions on the product packaging) or by using a time-release granular fertilizer once a year in spring. When grown outdoors, the plant prefers partial shade but will tolerate full sun in a moist, well-drained soil. No matter which creeping fig variety you grow, the right care is important to keep it looking lush, happy, and healthy. Juvenile and adult forms exist for this plant and the habit differences closely parallel those for Hedera helix. Attach stainless steel wire through each eye hook and pull tightly. It’s also an excellent choice for terrariums, where it thrives in moist, humid conditions. Avoid growing creeping fig in drafty areas, too. I could estimate the age because the trees main trunk sadly was cut during construction work (fortunately the fig started to cast out again). So are we! Vigorous-growing, clinging, dense branches will adhere to any surface. 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