Ficus is one of the few domestic plants that are found in almost every living room. Such popularity is associated with its attractive appearance, as well as its unpretentiousness in care. In addition, there is a belief that ficus contributes to family well-being, as well as the appearance of children in the family. If you saw Benjamin ’s chic ficus while visiting someone, you will definitely want to grow this at home, which is why you need to know how to plant a ficus shoot.
Rules to help you choose a healthy shoot
If you want to separate the shoot from the ficus on your own, then you need to choose only strong and healthy plants, for example, the stalk can be taken when cutting the crown of an adult ficus. However, before this you need to make sure that there are leaves on the selected branch. The length of the process should be at least 10-15 centimeters. All actions must be performed with a sharp knife or blade. An incision must be made at an oblique angle. And in no case can you use scissors and even more so break a twig, so you only injure the plant, resulting in a delay in rooting and further development.
If you chose a large-leaved species for growing, then in order to grow a flower at home, it is enough that there are 3-4 leaflets on the cuttings. At the same time, it is desirable to trim the lower one, since a large number of leaves will contribute to excessive evaporation of moisture. When growing small-leaved ficus, the lower leaves also need to be trimmed, but their number can be more than 3-4.
After the procedure of pruning the leaves and the shoot itself, the plant can let out white juice. If it is not washed with water, it dries very quickly. This must not be allowed. Therefore, after the shoot is cut off, the juice must be washed off with warm water or put in a container of water for several hours. It is also recommended to treat the cut with charcoal.
Before planting a ficus shoot, it needs to be dried or just change the water several times. There are two ways of planting: a shank with roots and without it.
List of required materials
In order to plant a ficus a shoot, it must be equipped with a root, and for this, the following materials are needed:
- rooted shoot of ficus;
- a pot of any shape, however, the diameter should be about 10 centimeters;
- pebbles, chipped bricks, pieces of polystyrene foam or special material for drainage;
- ready-mixed earthenware mix for ficus, which should be as follows: sheet earth, peat, sand in equal amounts;
- water.
How to root the shoot
It was previously said how to properly separate the shoot from an adult plant in order for the ficus to grow healthy. But this is not enough. It is still necessary to properly root the prepared cuttings into the ground. However, there are ways that will tell you how to plant a sprout of a ficus without roots.
Planting the cuttings should be done immediately after it is separated from the adult plant. To do this, you need to prepare a mini-greenhouse, which should have good lighting, as well as acquire some fertilizer. Plant the stalk in the prepared soil, and then cover it with a glass jar or a cut plastic bottle. During the rooting period, the plant must be looked after. Leaving consists in regular watering and airing of a plant. After 2-3 weeks, the first leaf will appear, which is direct evidence that the stalk is rooted. Then you can not transplant it.
How to choose a pot for a plant
The choice of a pot is one of the important factors, because if the wrong choice, in particular, shape and volume, the ficus will not be able to fully develop. Therefore, before planting a ficus shoot, it is recommended to make a choice based on the size and degree of root development. The capacity should not be too large, for planting the shoot it is better to take a pot with a diameter of not more than 10 centimeters, while it is necessary to ensure that drainage holes are mandatory at the bottom. If there are none, then you need to do them yourself. The height of the pot should not be small, the roots should be at least 2 centimeters higher from the walls and bottom of the vessel.
Step-by-step instruction
The best time for planting a sprout of a ficus is spring, summer sunny weather is better for rooting and subsequent adaptation of the plant. In the event that the shoot is planted in the fall, the young plant does not have time to prepare for winter frosts and may simply die.
Before planting a Benjamin sprout ficus, you need to select a 10-centimeter-long stalk that was previously rooted to the ground. Further, all actions take place in several stages:
- Prepare all the necessary materials described previously.
- Pour drainage at the bottom of the pot in order to avoid an excess of moisture in the soil, since a large amount of water can lead to rotting of the roots.
- Fill the pot with prepared earthen mixture, then in the center make a small depression, about one and a half to two centimeters high.
- In this recess, place the rooted stem and sprinkle with a little mixture, then pour plenty of water.
Now the ficus can be put on a windowsill or a special flower shelf, and you also need special care for the plant to make it healthy.
Ways to stimulate rapid growth and root formation
After planting the rooted shoot in a pot, root nucleation occurs in the callus tissue of plants. This happens through mechanical damage to the stem, as a result of which the root system of the ficus is formed. To speed up this process, you can independently make several small cuts on the stem before planting the process.
The use of special chemical fertilizers contributes to the best growth of ficus. They will improve the formation of the root system of the ficus. The treatment with growth stimulants is carried out as follows: the shoots are soaked in the prepared solution before planting, or the cut of the stem is treated with a preparation that is available in powder form.
Features of care of the cuttings
After it was succeeded to plant a ficus, the plant will require careful care, in particular, it needs to be sprayed daily with room temperature water, especially if the apartment is heated. It is better to put the pot with the plant in a bright place, since the leaves in this case will be better colored, however, the light should be indirect.
Knowing how to plant a ficus shoot properly is not enough without knowledge of care. Twice a week, watering with soft, warm water is required. Before each subsequent watering, you need to make sure that the soil is slightly dry, because excess moisture can cause rotting of the roots, and also because the leaves will fall off. The roots themselves should not be allowed to be in water, but there should also not be a lack of moisture, since in this case a complete response to the leaves will be a protective reaction.
If three shoots of ficus are planted in a pot, then, as they grow, you can give them a fairly attractive shape, for example, braid several young plants at once in pigtails. You can make the ficus branch in the direction you need, for this it is enough to use a soft wire and tie the stem to it.
When growing, remember that the ficus of Benjamin can be affected by a mealybug, scale insects. However, leaf decay remains the biggest problem, which can occur due to lack and humidity, and also as a natural process as one grows older.
If you give ficus proper attention, then literally in a few years Benjamin's ficus will grow on your windowsill, to which you can give any shape.