How To Take Care Of Your Ficus Midnight Bonsai Tree
Ficus Benjamina "Midnight" Bonsai Care
About The Ficus Midnight Bonsai Tree
The "Midnight" ficus is a relatively new hybrid, resulting from a multigenerational selection process.
It's a cultivar of the Ficus Benjamina, and it shares most of the same physical properties, but the midnight is hardier and easier to grow.
The leaves are smaller, and have an extremely dark green with a glossy black tint.
Occasionally the leaves will have a striking two-tone color with light and dark green.
It has an upright growth pattern, showing lots of wood and a great canopy.
Placement
The Ficus Midnight is a tropical tree that can thrive indoors or out, as long as there is adequate lighting. While indoors, a south facing windowsill is best, with east or west being second.
It is happiest outdoors when the temperature is above 45 degrees.
Watering
The Ficus Midnight, like most bonsai trees, will die if it dries out. It enjoys plenty of water in well draining soil. Never let it dry out completely.
Humidity
The Ficus Midnight is a tropical tree that thrives in high humidity. If you add enough, it will grow lovely and exotic air roots. A suitable humidity drip tray can provide that.
Fertilizing
Since your Ficus Midnight bonsai is in a small pot, and not the ground, it needs nutrients. A slow release (pellet based) fertilizer is perfect for this, and can be added sparingly every 1-2 months during the growing season.
Pruning & Trimming
Trim back the new growth to the farthest safe point that looks good to you — but never remove all of the new growth.
A regular trim will help keep your Ficus Midnight bonsai tree short, while helping the trunk grow thicker.
Repotting
Repotting must be performed periodically on your bonsai, Ficus Midnight included, when its root system has filled the pot. If you can clearly see the roots coming out of the bottom of the pot, it’s time to repot your bonsai.
Generally, this means every 2-3 years for a deciduous tree and every 4-5 years for an evergreen. Ficus Midnight, being a tropical evergreen, will need to be repotted around every 3-5 years depending on its environment.
Repotting should be done in mid-summer, when the tree is at it’s least fragile state.
Your Ficus Midnight bonsai, along with all of its soil, should be removed from the pot. From there, you can trim away no more than 1/3rd of the root mass (1/4th is preferred.)
Then you can repot the tree in the same pot, or give it a newer / bigger pot to thrive in.
After repotting, your bonsai Ficus Midnight should be thoroughly watered.
Diseases, Insects & Other Pests
Your Ficus Midnight bonsai can be treated for pests like a normal Ficus Midnight tree. Just remember, your tree is miniature and will need a much smaller and more gentile dose of treatment.
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