The balcony is not exclusively reserved for summer flowering plants. With its evergreen foliage, the Benjamini makes a decorative contribution to the creative appearance. As a rainforest plant, a Ficus benjamina freezes quickly and has an ambivalent relationship to the sun. You can find out here how to display your birch fig undamaged on the balcony.
The Ficus Benjamini likes to spend the summer on the balcony
Time window opens after the Ice Saints
At temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius, your Benjamini reacts indignantly by dropping their green leaves. If the mercury column falls to freezing point for a single night, the tropical rain forest plant is usually irretrievably lost. The following criteria guarantee a carefree stay on the balcony for Ficus benjamina:
- Temperatures between 18 and 30 degrees Celsius
- A sunny, partially shaded location
- Ideally with sun in the morning or early evening
- Green-leaved species also in light shade
- Bonsai additionally protected from the pelting rain
Experience has shown that in the Central European climate, the temperatures settle down to a tolerable level after the ice saints. Nevertheless, nightly ground frosts threaten in rough areas until after the sheep cold at the beginning/middle of June. So keep an eye on the weather forecast so that you can put your birch figs in the evening if necessary.
Hardening prevents sunburn
Before your birch fig takes up its final location on the summer balcony, it should acclimate. If your Benjamini suddenly moves from a window seat into unfiltered sunlight, leaf damage is inevitable. To prevent this from happening, the plant is placed in a shady to semi-shady place for 8 to 10 days.
Sunburn can be recognized by yellowish spots with a dark edge. These only occur where the sun's rays hit the leaf tissue and do not spread further. In this way, they are easy to distinguish from symptoms of illness.
tips
Please only place your birch fig on the balcony if your cat cannot nibble on the leaves there. The plant contains toxic ingredients that can cause significant to life-threatening damage to your house cat's health. In the case of free-living cats, the natural instinct usually warns of the toxins.