Hi, I am

Alii

WHO'S

THIS

Guy?

Hi! My name is Alii.

My Latin name is Ficus Binnendijkii Alii. I am part of the large, well-known Ficus family. You will recognise me by my hundreds of leaves, which purify the air inside your house. I am an easy green friend, and I can shine like no other!

Originally, I come from many different places, all far, far away from the Netherlands. My roots are in parts of Asia, South America, Australia and Africa. Back in the day, I was an important player in the production of rubber. Nowadays, I have switched careers from producing rubber to being an indoor air-purifier.

Quick guide

meetlint
Height: 90 CM
plantenpot
Diameter: 21 CM
zon
Placement: semi-sun
water
Water: frequent, lukewarm water
air cleaning
Air purifying
do not eat
Toxic, not for consumption
schaar
Shake plant to drop old leaves. Cut away branches that are too long.
voeding
fertilize once a month, not during winter
Monstera blad

MORE INFO

  • Where should you place me?
  • I like to stand in a place with lots of light, but not in bright direct sunlight for too long. For example, place me near a west or east facing window, or two metres from a south facing window. Turn me around a bit every now and then so all my leaves can catch a ray of sunshine. Also, you should know that I hate draft winds, brrr! Once I have found my place, please leave me be. I do not like change.

  • How much water do I drink?
  • I like my soil to be slightly moist. Be careful with too much water! A regular sip of lukewarm water is enough for me. This does vary per season: I drink less in winter than summer, because the warmth and light in summer dries me out quicker. Therefore, the lighter the location, the more I drink. Give me water from the bottom of the pot by pouring water in my saucer. This allows me to absorb the amount of water I need and reduces the chance of critters and pests. After 15 minutes of bottom watering, you can use the remaining amount of water for other plants. Want to know when to water me? Stick your finger in the soil. Does soil stick to your finger after putting it in my soil? Please wait with watering for a bit. Is your finger clean and dry after putting it in the soil? Give me some water, please. You can also lift me up. Am I heavy? Then I am not thirsty. Am I easy to lift? Then I’d like a sip.

  • How much fertilizer do I need?
  • I only need fertilizer during growing season, which runs from March to September. During this period, you should fertilize me once a month as stated on the packaging. Don’t overfertilize, my roots hate that! I don’t need fertilizer outside of growing season, because this is my resting period.

  • When do I need to be repotted?
  • If you have just bought me, you don’t need to repot me for the first few months. I need all the energy I have to adjust to my new environment. You can, of course, put me in a decorative pot. After the first repotting session, I’d like a new pot every two years that is 20% bigger than my previous pot. Please repot me in Spring, this is when I’m at my strongest. I also like fresh potting soil, because this is filled with nutrients that I need to grow. Sometimes, it happens that I go through a major growth spurt and need a new pot sooner. You can check if I need a new pot by checking my roots. Do they grow out of the bottom of the pot? Then you can repot me sooner.

    It is very important to plant me in an inner pot first before putting me in a decorative pot. Thus, you can check if you’ve overwatered me by checking if there is water on the bottom of the decorative pot. You can also easily water me from the bottom.

  • When do I need to be pruned?
  • You don’t need to cut off my old leaves. Just give me a little shake and my old leaves will fall down. Sometimes I grow very fast and get long shoots. Do you want to keep me nice and bushy? Feel free to cut those off in autumn.

  • What is my superpower?
  • With my many long leaves, I am a star at purifying the air! I make sure that the space I’m in is provided with clean air. I do this by converting the CO2 in the air into oxygen. This gives you a boost of energy, focus and creativity.

  • Did you know that...
  • You can take me outside during a rainy day in summer! I may not like change that much, but I’m always in for a refreshing shower in the heat! It also gives my leaves a nice rinse, so I’m as good as new, inside and out. Win-win! 

  • Am I edible?
  • No, I am not edible.

I like to stand in a place with lots of light, but not in bright direct sunlight for too long. For example, place me near a west or east facing window, or two metres from a south facing window. Turn me around a bit every now and then so all my leaves can catch a ray of sunshine. Also, you should know that I hate draft winds, brrr! Once I have found my place, please leave me be. I do not like change.

I like my soil to be slightly moist. Be careful with too much water! A regular sip of lukewarm water is enough for me. This does vary per season: I drink less in winter than summer, because the warmth and light in summer dries me out quicker. Therefore, the lighter the location, the more I drink. Give me water from the bottom of the pot by pouring water in my saucer. This allows me to absorb the amount of water I need and reduces the chance of critters and pests. After 15 minutes of bottom watering, you can use the remaining amount of water for other plants. Want to know when to water me? Stick your finger in the soil. Does soil stick to your finger after putting it in my soil? Please wait with watering for a bit. Is your finger clean and dry after putting it in the soil? Give me some water, please. You can also lift me up. Am I heavy? Then I am not thirsty. Am I easy to lift? Then I’d like a sip.

I only need fertilizer during growing season, which runs from March to September. During this period, you should fertilize me once a month as stated on the packaging. Don’t overfertilize, my roots hate that! I don’t need fertilizer outside of growing season, because this is my resting period.

If you have just bought me, you don’t need to repot me for the first few months. I need all the energy I have to adjust to my new environment. You can, of course, put me in a decorative pot. After the first repotting session, I’d like a new pot every two years that is 20% bigger than my previous pot. Please repot me in Spring, this is when I’m at my strongest. I also like fresh potting soil, because this is filled with nutrients that I need to grow. Sometimes, it happens that I go through a major growth spurt and need a new pot sooner. You can check if I need a new pot by checking my roots. Do they grow out of the bottom of the pot? Then you can repot me sooner.

It is very important to plant me in an inner pot first before putting me in a decorative pot. Thus, you can check if you’ve overwatered me by checking if there is water on the bottom of the decorative pot. You can also easily water me from the bottom.

You don’t need to cut off my old leaves. Just give me a little shake and my old leaves will fall down. Sometimes I grow very fast and get long shoots. Do you want to keep me nice and bushy? Feel free to cut those off in autumn.

With my many long leaves, I am a star at purifying the air! I make sure that the space I’m in is provided with clean air. I do this by converting the CO2 in the air into oxygen. This gives you a boost of energy, focus and creativity.

You can take me outside during a rainy day in summer! I may not like change that much, but I’m always in for a refreshing shower in the heat! It also gives my leaves a nice rinse, so I’m as good as new, inside and out. Win-win! 

No, I am not edible.

Fave spot

Where should you place me?

Put me in a bright place where I won't be bothered by draughts, that's where I feel most at home.

Plant care

Medic heart

What do I like?

I like a regular sip of lukewarm water, and I also like to get fertilizer once a month during the growing season.

Adopt Rainforest

Plantanious works together with the Work with Nature foundation. Our tropical rainforests are disappearing at a rapid pace and an enormous biodiversity is being lost along with the trees. If it were up to us, the jaguar would soon walk around again in the rainforest in Costa Rica protected by 'Adopt Rainforest'! The place where many of our special plants originate. In order to make an important contribution to the goal of the foundation - to protect 2,000 hectares of rainforest in the next ten years - we donate part of our turnover to protect part of the tropical rainforest. To achieve their goal, the foundation puts money into protection, conservation, reforestation, education and research.