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Sunlight/Temperatures Compromise 9 years 4 months ago #13454

  • alainleon1983
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Today as I was watering my ficus a question arose from my mind. You´ll see, we all know that when temps fall below 15ºC ficus should be kept indoors, but we also know that indoors conditions are usually bond to low humidity levels and a poor amount of sunlight. So, I was wondering...

Is there a compromise ratio in which low temperatures of the outdoors might be overlooked by appropriate sunlight levels? Or putting it in another words: Can we keep ficus in temps surrounding the 10ºC o lower threshold if they are supplied instead with great amounts of sunlight and acceptable humidity levels? Could they survive such conditions in the long term?

Thank you all in advance

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Sunlight/Temperatures Compromise 9 years 4 months ago #13457

  • leatherback
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Ficus just stops growing. Basically, each process in living tissue has an optimal operating temperature. For humans, all processes are 'finetuned' to be run at about 37 degrees celcius, our ody temperature. Ficus typically are found in area's with 20+ celcius temperatures, which is why they prefer higher temps: The proteins in their cells work best at temperatures of 20-30C. Lower temperatures have less of an effect then higher: At low temperatures the proteins still workl, ut slower. At higher temps, a lot of proteins may stop working.



biochemist01.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/aa.jpg

In concluding summary: no. Just giving more light will not help, as it is not just phiotosynthesis which slows down. Also root-growth (Which for all plants stops at about 10C in the rootballs) cell-divisions, repairs etc. slow down considerably with lower temperatures.

However, IF you just want to kep the plant alive, you may consider keeping it on the dry side outside for longer. Just keep in mind that for allmost all ficus species frost is dreadfully harmfull, even just a nights worth of it..

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Sunlight/Temperatures Compromise 9 years 4 months ago #13458

  • alainleon1983
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Great man. Magnificent reply and scientific approach. The matter is settled then. I will not leave my ficus outside, no matter how good the sunlight and humidity levels might be. Again... Seriously, thank you so much LB.

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Last edit: Post by alainleon1983.

Sunlight/Temperatures Compromise 9 years 4 months ago #13478

  • ironhorse
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Indoors, right next to the window in our bathroom (for humidity) works for mine

Dave

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Sunlight/Temperatures Compromise 9 years 4 months ago #13496

  • alainleon1983
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:) Well I´m keeping mine in the living room, in front of a big window facing east. I´m misting it (for humidity) every morning and I´m following a watering regime adjusted to the fall season and dry conditions of my house. So far, so good.

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Last edit: Post by alainleon1983.
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