A creepy-crawly in creeping figs

Published on: Sunday, April 30, 2023

By: Eskay Ong

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A whole embank ment fully covered with creeping fig.

GENERALLY, gardening is an interesting pastime for many people. For the business-minded, it is an opportunity to rake in fortunes if such business minds can be backed up by some relevant skills related to plants.

The proof is in the successful cases where operators have managed to rake in tens of millions of ringgit over the years, and are perhaps on the way to join the multi-millionaire bandwagon.

At one time, words such as twine, wind, cling, creep, crawl, climb, etc., were often bandied about regarding plants that do just that, that is, they get entangled with anything that crossed their path such as twisting around topiaries and other ornamentals, or clinging onto walls and lamp posts. Today, these tendencies are often easy to leverage on to create happy days that are filled with wonders of flora which may even be sold for some big bucks.

The downside with words such as creep or cling, if used inappropriately and applied on people, may have some negative connotations as it is often linked to the dim activities of naughty men and boys. That is why such kinds of people are also sometimes known as creeps.

While creeps may be frowned upon, the upside with creeping, twining or clinging plants is that they, just like other high value ornamental plants, may potentially be used as a tool to uplift the abject poor Sabahans. Such tools are right in front of their eyes, which, if capitalised on, may be more beneficial rather than doling out cash handouts, dedak, dough and other freebies.

In this respect, some say even the blind can feel that this is one hassle-free avenue to sooth momentary needs only but are helpless to eradicate or reduce the incidences of the poverty-struck local folks over the long term. As usual, the story of the fish and fishing… yawn.

There are many instances where countries have lifted massive proportions of their population out of poverty. In a giant neighbouring country, many of the projects linked to poverty alleviation and eradication are based on horticulture and agriculture, the success of which is known the world over.

Locally, some multi-billion ringgit projects by foreign investors are welcome, and hopefully, taking off the ground successfully. These are much appreciated, and hopefully too, without all kinds of disputes including late payment or short change of salaries, or variation of terms and agreements, or other foot-dragging events.

While massive projects can do wonders to benefit the rakyat, many started off with a bang, and sadly ended up not even in a whimper. These are common occurrences, and sadly again, the rakyat gains nothing from that.

With horticulture and agriculture, it is easier and faster to commence with the basic brick and mortar approach via the immediate utilisation of local manpower, the available inputs and plantable land. It is said that the clean and grease-free road to poverty alleviation is paved with gold, which is true once poverty is alleviated or eradicated, more so if it involves locally available plants.

Don’t believe? Sprinkle the roadsides with honey or sweeteners and the flies will come. Lace the roadsides with rejected grains and the rats will come. Plant up the same stretch with attractive flowering ornamentals and visitors will come.

Make them colourful and captivating enough and they will take a break while opening up their wallets and even emptying them at the shops, warungs, handicraft centres, and other SMEs that will naturally crop up to meet the needs of the endless flow of visitors. For the hardworking and smart operators, the rewards come naturally in the form of substantial wealth and success. These phenomenal changes and successes are visible in many countries in East Asia.

One way is to harness the strengths of twining, winding or creeping plants to create wonders for all to enjoy. While the first two are strong winders and climbers, the latter is superb at creeping and clinging. This means that the creeper is a patient plant as it slowly creeps around sensing and feeling for the right spot to hang on to.

A creepy, crawly clinger

One such wonderful creeper is known as Ficus pumila. It is also known by numerous common names such as Creeping Ficus, Climbing Fig, Creeping Fig, Creeping Rubber Plant etc.

Belonging to the family of plants that is known as Moraceae, it is native to East Asia. Over the past decades, it has spread to many countries as its ornamental characteristics are much appreciated. Although the plant is essentially a clinging creeper, with some simple skills it is easy to cultivate it as a shrub, regardless of whether it is potted or grown on the ground.

In fact, creeping figs look good when set in nice pots and then placed indoors to decorate table tops or cabinets.

A solitary fruit.

A young shoot with pinkish leaves at the tip.

Being evergreen woody perennials, they are able to sustain themselves for a great number of years either in prostrate crawling mode, or else as climbers. The climbing activity is much supported by the ability of the aerial roots to release a sticking agent that aids the climbing stems and branches to have a strong hold onto the structure. The latter can be concrete, brick or tiled walls, concrete or timber columns, timber or metal gauze screens, etc.

Once a colony of creeping figs has established itself and clung onto any surface, any attempt to remove them may require quite a lot of work. Moreover the stains left by the aerial roots do not usually look good, and may require a lot cleaning and scrubbing or even repainting to remove them.

Fortunately, gardening enthusiasts normally apply some thoughtful planning when dealing with the creeper and they do not just peel them off or regrow them on the spur of the moment.

Beneficial uses of creeping figs

Although creeping figs are very tough and hardy perennial foliage ornamentals, unfortunately, they are hardly used on a widespread basis on the landscape. Most of them that are seen are within or around dwelling houses, apartments or condominiums where they can be found both indoors and outdoors.

It is puzzling why they are not used in the open spaces considering that they are tough, hardy, resistant to pests and suffers negligible disease attacks. Just these issues alone may be able to save the local authorities huge sums in their annual capital outlay. That they are not reveals a selection process that defies understanding.

In simple ways, the plant may be pre-grown in large slabs or carpet and then attached at the site to wherever coverage is needed, such as vertical walls. Make sure these are securely fixed by using cable or twist ties, at least for the first several months until the roots have secured permanency to the structure.

If the slabs are too big and heavy, it may be necessary to secure them with G.I. gauzes until the aerial roots have firmly clung onto the contraption. After that, it is all about reaping happiness and enjoyment and going whistling down the wind.

Root grip on soil is slow unless the roots are well developed.

The spread of the creeper is visible in multi-directions. In this case, it is in three directions.

Alternatively, creeping figs may be also used to protect unused, vacant walls against graffiti by pseudo artists or vagrants who have not yet been commissioned to do some constructive assignments. The sight of a wall of thick foliage is likely to be a sure turn-off for any mischief maker.

With blank walls, a more beneficial approach may be to grow 2-D letterings using creeping figs instead of paint. Such common letterings may include I Love Kk, I Love Bucks, or something like that. The job is as easy as taking a swig of your favourite beverage. Don’t believe? Try it… not the swig-lah.

Creeping figs can also be used to grow and cover 3-D structures such as a heart, a star, a water buffalo, a triceratops, or something like that that are made of concrete. Such topiaries are visible in most major cities around the world, and without doubt, they are crowd-pullers and money-spinners.

It is possible to create them at popular grounds such as KK city park, Taman Botani/Tropika or even along the esplanade by utilising the above ideas and suggestions, but it is not known how many decades more Sabahans have to wait to see their very own triceratops or tyrannosaurus.

Hopefully, folks in Sabah don’t have to continue dreaming about the chance to ogle at or take selfies with incredible topiaries. Least of all, they don’t have to spend to drive to Tenom-Sipitang Road to see the plant dinosaurs.

Cultivating creeping figs

Growing and multiplying creeping figs is an easy job as it is not a very demanding plant. The weather in Sabah is perfect for the plant, and it can be grown under full sun or partially shaded conditions.

It is not necessary to provide a rich soil as it can survive on even the marginal, light or heavy soils. However, it is necessary to ensure that the root environment is not kept dry for too long.

A light application of water once in a couple of days is able to meet the water requirement of the plant unless there is a drought.

The common methods of propagating creeping figs are by the use of seeds, tip cuttings or marcotts. The use of seeds may take months to see sizeable seedlings but marcotts provide larger plants within the short time possible.

So folks, what are you waiting for?

Go cultivate some creeping figs for a change.

- The writer can be reached at: [email protected]