Question From:
Abrar in Lahore Pakistan, Lahore INT
Nature of problem:
Roots of Ficus benjamina
Type of Plant (if known):
Ficus benjamina
Symptoms of Plant Illness (please try NOT to diagnose your problems yourself):
does not has an illness
Soil Type (e.g. sandy, clay or loam) OR Potting Mix Type:
Clay
How often do you water the plant:
once a week
How many hours of sunlight does the plant get each day:
10-14 hrs
What type of plant is it:
Ficus benjamina
How long since you planted it:
8-10 years
Have you fertilised? If so, with what and when:
no
Is the plant indoors or outdoors:
outdoors in soil
What other treatments have you given the plant:
its is cut at 17 feet like a square/triangle hedge
Upload photo if available:
Other Comments:
Hi greets from Pakistan. Well we planted 4 small Ficus plants out side our boundary wall , between road and house property, 8-10 years ago. At that time I was not aware that Ficus is a tropical plant and grows very large with large roots, I thought it was more like a hedge plant rather than a tree.Now they are large and we use them as privacy and cut them at 12-13 feet height in a rectangular shape, our boundary wall is 6 feet tall. Now doing some research on Ficus I am worried about water and sewerage lines, can you kindly tell if restricting the plant height to 12-13 feet has restricted the root size as well or the roots grow very far despite limiting the plant height. The water and sewerage pipes are 5-6 feet away and I dont think we would be able to afford new plumbing and pipes as that will be huge extra cost for our middle class family. The plants looks beautiful and it will be shame to remove them but if they posses any threat we rath er take them out.
Thanks in advance.
Answer: Hi Abrar, Ficus benjamina is a beautiful but nasty tree. Even if you trim it back, its roots will still cause trouble. In general Ficus benjamina doesn’t damage metal pressurised fresh water pipes. It also doesn’t do damage to plastic sewerage systems, unless they are already leaking. Having said that, Ficus benjamina roots can easily crimp and squash plastic pepes. Terra-cotta sewerage and drainage pipes are commonly destroyed by these roots too. Good luck. Don
