Ficus Audrey care guide

Ficus Audrey is a banyan fig with oval, velvety leaves and pale green veins on a smooth, light trunk. It looks like a softer fiddle leaf fig, and many people find it easier. It still wants bright light and a spot it can keep.

Light

Give it bright, indirect light, near a large east, south, or west window. A few hours of gentle sun helps it grow full.

In low light, it drops lower leaves and grows thin. Turn the pot a quarter turn every week or two so it grows straight.

Water

Water when the top 5 cm (2 in) of soil is dry. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer.

It handles a little drying out better than a fiddle leaf fig. Soggy soil still rots the roots. Read how to tell if a houseplant is overwatered or underwatered.

Soil and potting

Use a well-draining houseplant mix with some bark or perlite.

Repot every two years in spring, one size up. Use a heavy pot for a tall tree. See how to repot a houseplant step by step.

Humidity and temperature

Average room air is fine. Keep it between 16 and 27°C (60 and 80°F). Keep it away from heat vents and cold drafts.

Feeding

Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength. Skip fall and winter.

Pruning

Cut the top or a branch tip in spring to make it branch. Cut just above a leaf. Wear gloves. The milky sap irritates skin.

New leaves open soft and velvety, with a pale, fuzzy coating. They firm up as they grow.

Moving it

Like all figs, ficus Audrey may drop a few leaves after a move to a new light level. Each leaf grows to suit the light it grew in. Pick a bright spot and leave it there. See the fiddle leaf fig care guide for why.

Propagation

Cut a stem 15 cm (6 in) long with a few leaves. Let the sap stop running. Set it in water in bright light. Roots grow in four to eight weeks. Air layering works on bigger branches.

Problems

What you see	Most likely cause
Lower leaves drop	Low light, or a recent move
Yellow leaves, wet soil	Too much water
Droopy leaves, dry soil	Too dry
Brown, crispy edges	Dry soil or a heat vent
Thin, leaning tree	Not enough light, or not turned

Pests

Scale, mealybugs, and spider mites can show up. Check under leaves and along stems.

Pet safety

Ficus Audrey is a fig. The ASPCA lists figs as toxic to cats and dogs. The milky sap irritates the mouth, stomach, and skin. Keep it out of reach of pets that chew.

Ficus Audrey or fiddle leaf fig?

	Ficus Audrey	Fiddle leaf fig
Leaves	Oval, velvety, pale veins	Large, violin-shaped, glossy
Trunk	Pale and smooth	Brown
Temper	Forgives more	Drops leaves at small changes
Light	Bright, some sun	Bright, some sun

Varieties

Ficus Audrey is a selected form of the banyan fig, Ficus benghalensis. It is sold as a tree form or a bush form.