Super Easy, Low-maintenance Houseplant that provides a POP of green to your home YEAR ROUND!
Reason 1: THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!
Check out the BIG, BRIGHT, GREEN leaves on this beauty! Trust me, I was nervous when I saw how large the leaves were. Large leaves equal lots of water, dusting, and caressing (kind of kidding, HA!). You know what I mean, I was nervous. All sorts of thoughts and questions popped into my mind…”will I have time for this new child?”, “how much of my life will I need to take care of this thing?”, “how much water will it need?” The list goes on….Luckily, rest assured that this baby is still alive and kicking out gorgeous leaves daily.
Reason 2: EASY TO CARE FOR
This little lady is watered 1 time per week in the Summer time and maybe 1.5 weeks in the winter. The thing with plants is that you kind of need to be patient and learn about them…in other words, kind of be obsessed with them? I used to think I had a brown thumb but it turns out that my home was not enough light for certain plants, which is okay. It is about picking the right plants for your home. To start, this girl sits on the EAST side on my home, next to a window. It is important to know the direction of your windows. East facing windows receiving morning sun if you live in the Northern hemisphere is best for most sun loving plants. Ficus Audrey plants require bright sunlight but only in the mornings. They prefer to be in bright indirect light for the rest of the day. As for fertilizer, I give her a dose of Miracle Grow Organic Slow Release Plant Food once every other month as needed.
If the leaves are drooping, and if it is hot or dry in the home, the plant may need a good drink of water. Be sure to water thoroughly all the way through until water drips out from the bottom. If the top layer of the plant is still moist and the leaves are drooping, it may be water logged or a fungus issue. I have found that Neem Oil helps with getting rid of fungus gnats, which can kill your plant. Take the plant outside, thoroughly water, then give it a good neem oil drench. I have used several types/brands of Neem oils and so far, the only one I found that works as described is BLISS Neem Oil.
Reason 3: PRODUCES LEAVES YEAR ROUND!
To prove my fears wrong, this plant has provided so much joy and happiness to our home! The Ficus Audrey has been one of my favorite indoor plants and we currently own 3 of them throughout the house. The leaves produce a deep, dark green in the Summer when there is longer sunlight and paler green leaves in the Winter, but they are definitely green year round!
