Each living room or office should have a plant. After all, they make our air cleaner. One of these plants, which also perform a decorative function, is lyre-shaped ficus. His homeland is West Africa. This species of ficus grows in the plain and tropical forests. It is worth noting that this plant is very easy to grow at home. After all, it does not require special care.
What should be the lighting?
Lyre-shaped ficus in autumn and winter goes into a state of stagnation. After all, it was at this time that the level of lighting, as well as the duration of daylight hours, were significantly reduced. Of course, this species does not have a pronounced resting period. In order for the plant crown to form evenly, it is necessary to rotate it around the axis by 90 ° at least once a week.
In this case, the ficus is lyre-shaped, the care of which is quite simple, requires special lighting:
- From the beginning of April to the end of September, the plant needs diffused light at 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The rest of the time - direct sunlight, not counting, of course, night time.
- From the beginning of October to the end of March, ficus also needs direct sunlight. Ideally, lighting should be present up to 8 hours a day.
Temperature is also important
In order for the lyre-shaped ficus to grow well, it is worth observing a certain temperature regime. So, during the day this indicator should be from 25 to 30 ° , and at night - from 16 to 18 ° . Such differences only contribute to the development of the plant. If the room temperature exceeds 35 ° C, then the vegetative development of ficus practically stops.
It is necessary to water
Watering lyre-shaped ficus is necessary only if the lump of soil is slightly dry. If raw water from the tap is used for these purposes, then it should stand for at least 24 hours. This will reduce the chlorine content in it. The roots of ficus lyre are very sensitive to this substance.
Soil and transplant
So that the lyre-shaped ficus, whose photo is impressive, grows well, it is necessary to prepare the ideal soil for it. To do this, you need to combine three parts of soddy soil, one part of peat and the same amount of perlite or coarse sand. Before use, this mixture should be sterilized.
As for the transplant of this plant, for this it is worth using a container that will be approximately 20% more than the previous one. When carrying out such a procedure, it is worth preparing a ficus lyre-shaped. Pruning is necessary when they begin to grow up. There is one rule. Trimming costs no more than a third of the roots. In addition, it is necessary to remove all damaged and decayed areas.
The plant should be transplanted once a year. The ideal time for this procedure is April or May. It is during this period that the active growth of ficus resumes. It is also worth choosing the right pot. It should be remembered that a large plant will simply turn over too small a capacity.
Is it worth it to fertilize?
Lyre-shaped ficus should be fed precisely at the time when the vegetative development begins. Similar processes begin in March and end in September. However, there are exceptions, for example, high temperature in the room or prolonged cloudy days. At such moments, you can’t feed the plant.
You also need to be careful when feeding. The plant is very sensitive to various chemicals. If the solution gets on the leaves, a burn may appear. Therefore, any, even insignificant droplets of fertilizer must be removed when it enters the green part of the plant.
If the plant is kept under optimal conditions, then it should be fed once every 14 days. If all the rules of cultivation are not respected, then fertilizer can be applied only once every 30 days.
Mineral mixtures and solutions that are suitable for foliage plants are ideal for top dressing. However, the concentration of fertilizer should be done 50% less than indicated in the instructions.
Leaflets also need care
Many housewives wipe home ficus with chemical polishes to remove dirt from it. In this case, this is not worth doing. Otherwise, a burn will appear on the leaves of the lyre-shaped ficus.
In summer and spring, you can arrange a shower of plants. Water should be warm. The procedure should be carried out every 30 days. After a shower, all the leaves need to be dried. To do this, you can use a regular napkin. If you do not remove moisture from the leaves, then they will remain ugly stains and the plant will lose its attractiveness.
In winter and autumn you can not do ficus souls. During this period, the leaves can simply be wiped with a damp cloth.
Can I put out?
When the real summer comes and the air temperature is as close as possible to the recommended one, the lyre-shaped ficus can be put outside. Do not immediately substitute a pot with lyre-shaped ficus in direct sunlight. It is very dangerous for him. The plant should gradually get used to the changes. Therefore, initially, the ficus should be put in the shade, and after a few weeks - under the diffused light.
How to cut ficus lyre?
Sometimes not only pruning is required. In fact, the plant grows fast enough. Therefore, it is sometimes important to trim the lyre-shaped ficus. Crown formation is another important condition. Usually, the aerial part is cut to limit growth, making slices over the internode.
As for the air horses, they can be removed if necessary. In this case, there are no restrictions.
When conducting pruning, you should be careful, as the plant secretes sticky white juice. If this liquid enters the skin, severe irritation appears. If the juice got on the leaves, then it should immediately be erased without harming the ficus. The liquid dries very quickly and it is very difficult to remove.
Ficus lyre-shaped: reproduction
This question, perhaps, worries many lovers of such plants. When propagating this species in a vegetative manner, it must be taken into account that roots will form on it for a very long time. There are exceptions in this case. The most hassle-free way to reproduce lyre-shaped ficus is using air layers.
In this case, the young growing shoot is the planting material. This can be both the central stem and the lateral lay. The main thing is that it develops. Planting material should be slightly lignified and green, but not soft. Of course, the worst option is to use a fully barked stem for breeding.
In diameter, planting material should not exceed 15 millimeters. The smaller the thickness of the stem, the more accurately you need to plant it.
So, first you need to choose a growing shoot, the length of which is from 15 to 25 centimeters. We leave on it one growth bud, as well as several leaves. Everything else must be removed by exposing a 10-centimeter plot. After that, you need to select one of the leaf nodes, which is located as close to the center as possible.
In this place you need to make an incision. Use only sterile instruments. A notch must be made under the knot. At the same time, the stem, whose diameter is 4 millimeters, needs to make an incision with a depth of 1 millimeter, and with a diameter of 15 millimeters - from 1 to 2 millimeters.
The place where the notch was made must be washed with clean boiled, but cold water. Then you need to apply a little agent to the incision, which stimulates the growth of roots.
Now you need to soak the sphagnum moss in water for 30 minutes . After the specified time, it should be wrung out. The place with the notch must be wrapped with wet moss and plastic wrap, and then firmly fixed with wire.
We grow from seeds
We decided to make a lycid ficus? Leaf propagation is not possible here, but there are still seeds. With this method, you should be patient, since germination can take from several weeks to 3 months. At the same time, for better germination, the seeds of this ficus need light. Therefore, they should not be buried. It is enough to press a little into the ground. Optimal lighting - partial shade or ambient light. But the temperature indicator should be 25 ° C.
Finally
Now you know how to care for ficus home. If you follow all the rules, the plant will grow very quickly. The main thing is to water and feed it in time. Do not forget that the lyre-shaped ficus loves light. In a dark place, this plant will simply die. As for pests, herbivorous mites, aphids, scutellum, and mealybugs are dangerous for lyre-shaped ficus .