Getting creeping fig to stick!

[JayDee]

Hi All. I just put some creeping fig on my stucco balcony by gluing the little plastic hooks to my balcony and typing the creeping fig. The hooks are anywhere from 4 inches to 8 inches away from each other and between then the creeping fig is not really against the stucco - there's up to an inch to inch and a half. I'm wondering it I should do something to press the creeping fig against the stucco so it will begin to stick? Like use some kind of tape or something or get a slab of board and sandwich the creeping fig between it and the wall? I'd imagine that wouldn't be very healthy for it long term, but would it help it begin adhering to the balcony any easier without harming it?

Thanks for your advise...

- JayDee

[David E. Ross]

Be very careful! Creeping fig (Ficus pumila, also known as F. repens) will indeed very quickly attach itself ("barnacle fashion" according to Sunset) to stucco, brick, concrete, metal, stone, wood, and even the glass in a window. It will also damage to whatever it attaches itself. Sunset also says: "In time, stems will envelop a three- or four-story building . . . "

Small leaves indicate juvenile growth. When larger leaves appear on stubby branches (indicating mature growth), cut the entire plant almost to the ground and let it regrow with new juvenile growth. Otherwise, the mature growth will start sending rootlets into any crack they can find, tearing apart your home.

[JayDee]

Does that mean it will "reach out" looking for the stucco? I just don't understand how it attaches to something it's an inch away from.

I find it hard to believe that a single 12" potted creeping fig will envelop an entire building if I don't repot it. :)

- JayDee

[David E. Ross]

Aha! It's in a pot. No, with its roots confined, it will not grow big enough to envelop or damage a building. Even if growing in a pot, creeping fig mar the surface of the stucco; but it is unlikely to cause serious damage.

Yes, it will eventually send out little rootlets along its branches. The rootlets will hold fast to whatever they touch -- not immediately but as they grow. Just be patient. This is a woody plant -- a liana -- which does not grow as fast as a vine.

By the way, if you are in an area that gets freezing temperatures in the winter, be sure your creeping fig is trying to climb a south-facing wall (or maybe a west-facing wall). Otherwise, it will not survive. It is a tropical plant. Only because it clings to walls that absorb some heat from the sun in winter does it survive outside of the tropics. Where I live (see my signature), this is not a problem.

[JayDee]

I live in LA as well. :)

I've been dripping in some Miracle Grow to help it along... that shouldn't hurt it though, right?

I'm going to email you some pictures so you can see what I've done!

Thanks for the replies...

- JayDee

[Billy]

Your creeping fig will be happier with fish emulsion or a seaweed based fertilizer. Miracle Grow is a salt. Bad for the soil. Bad for the plant.