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Species library › Ficus › Ficus balete
Other Partly documented

Ficus balete

A Philippine fig described by Merrill in 1921 from Luzon, Mindoro and Panay. Little is published on it beyond the original description; the measured sites are warm, humid lowlands with a wet season from June to December, and as a tree-sized fig it suits a bright conservatory or a large container.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Lowland forest in the central and northern Philippines, going by the recorded sites. The sources reached give no detail on forest type or whether it starts as a hemi-epiphyte, as the figs Filipinos call balete often do.

Most records have no elevation; the measured sites lie near sea level to 80 m, with one outlier at about 1300 m on Mindanao.

Philippines

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.