Some trees can be successfully grown indoors, if you can meet their needs. Indoor-tree expert Dan DeShon recommends purchasing your indoor tree from a reputable nursery, a garden center or a florist rather than a mass merchandiser. Stores that specialize in plants often offer a guarantee on their merchandise, usually for at least 60 days, which is long enough to determine whether the tree will grow well in your home. Most trees need bright, indirect light and supplemental humidity to thrive inside, so before you buy, determine whether you can provide for an indoor tree's needs. Also consider how much space is available and how much you wish to spend. Growing Ficus Trees The most popular indoor tree is the ficus. Several species grow well indoors, including Ficus lyrata, or fiddle-leaf fig (figure A), and the popular F. benjamina, or weeping fig (figure B). Ficus trees are tropical plants that require bright, indirect light and have a reputation for being finicky. They drop leaves in response to any change in their environment, including a move to a new location, a draft or a change in temperature. Don't overreact to occasional leaf drops. Instead, mist the plant. Don't overwater a ficus: feel the soil before you water, and if it feels damp, wait a day. To ensure that a ficus stays healthy, - Provide a bright, indirect light source
- Allow the plant to dry out slightly between waterings
- Feed monthly with a balanced houseplant fertilizer and
- Provide as much humidity as possible. A saucer filled with gravel and water is a good source of extra humidity.
Growing Citrus Trees The citrus group includes oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruit and kumquats. Citrus trees are very popular because they produce not only fruit but also fragrant flowers (figure C). Experts recommend not eating the fruit until you produce your own crop: pesticides may have been used on the tree at the nursery. To care for citrus trees, - Provide 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day
- Maintain soil moisture
- Feed every 3 to 4 weeks with a blooming-plant fertilizer and
- Provide high humidity with a saucer filled with gravel.
Water the plants when the soil is dry 1" below the surface. Fertilizers labeled 0-10-10 or 15-30-15 are adequate for use with citrus trees. Even better is a dedicated citrus fertilizer, available at garden centers. Growing Dracaena If you have a low-light environment, Dracaena plants are a better choice than ficus or citrus. They're often used in offices, where constant care is not available and the only light source may be fluorescent bulbs. Dracaena marginata (figure D) has narrow green leaves that are edged in burgundy. Dracaena deremensis 'Massangeana' (figure E) has wide green leaves with a yellow stripe. To care for dracaena plants, - Provide indirect light
- Allow the soil to dry out between watering
- Feed monthly with half-strength indoor plant fertilizer and
- Provide high humidity.
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