Attractive appearance, air purification in the house - all this provides ficus Abidjan. This unpretentious plant was very popular with our grandmothers. The plant got its name because of the village in Africa, where it comes from. Among all rubber species, it is precisely the ficus Abidjan that has long remained one of the most common. It is believed that ficus has magical properties. Different peoples of the world associate various signs and beliefs with him, and the first mention of a plant is found in the Bible.
Features
The birthplace of ficus Abidjan is West Africa, the city of Abidjan, which means “cut foliage” in local language.
This is a beautiful, luxurious tree of the genus rubber with dense glossy leaves of dark green color. It is characterized by oval leaves with a sharp point at the end and a smooth surface. Initially, they unfold in red. Gradually, only the burgundy vein remains.
The length of the leaves is 20-30 cm, the width is 15-20 cm. The stem of the tree is green, below it is grayish, tree-like.
In room conditions, the ficus grows to one and a half meters, not greatly expanding in breadth.
The plant belongs to centenarians - it can live up to 50 years. It will not bloom, but it will decorate the interior. Propagated by cuttings.
Care
Ficus Abidjan care is simple and consists in ensuring proper lighting, regular watering, a comfortable temperature, periodic transplants, top dressing.
First of all, the plant needs to provide proper lighting. The ficus is placed in such a place that it does not have to be moved frequently.
It is best to choose the east or southeast sides. Here is a soft, auspicious, diffused light. Although care for ficus Abidjan at home provides for the location of the pot with the plant in cool partial shade, but so that it is not deprived of sunlight. When placed in a dark corner, the tree will discard leaves, begin to wither.
Watering
Care for ficus Abidjan provides for proper watering. The tree cannot be overdried, transfused. It is enough to water twice a week to ensure the right amount of liquid. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced to once a week.
You can find out if a plant needs water treatments by the topsoil. If it dried out by 2-3 centimeters, then this indicates the need to water the ficus.
During the heating season, spray the tree. At the same time, it is recommended to use standing room temperature water. Water is drawn from the tap and the tree is immediately watered with it.
Unstated water contains a lot of lime, nitrates, which negatively affect the general condition of the foliage: they form a white coating, which is difficult to get rid of.
Temperature
Caring for ficus Abidjan at home provides for compliance with the temperature regime. The plant feels comfortable at a temperature of +18 to +24 degrees in the warm season, and in winter it needs to provide a temperature of 16-18 degrees.
If the room is hot (above +25 ° C), then the ficus needs additional hydration in the form of spraying. In the cold season, the pot is additionally insulated with a warm cloth. If the pot is standing on the floor, and the tree itself does not have time to grow, then it must be put on a raised platform, since hypothermia greatly damages the roots.
Propagation Features
If necessary, obtain new specimens carry out the reproduction of ficus Abidjan. This can be done in many ways: layering, cuttings, sheets.
The easiest way to get a new plant by cuttings is the most affordable method. For rooting, the top is cut off and placed in water. It is changed as often as possible, since juice flows from the cutoff site. A container with a handle is placed in a moderately lit place. Two weeks later, the stalk gives the first roots. As soon as they grow to 1.5-2 cm, the ficus can be transplanted into a permanent container. To improve rooting, the seedling is placed in a greenhouse for two weeks.
Breeding by layering is a more painstaking way to get new plants, although the process itself is much more interesting. For reproduction, the trunk is slightly incised, about one third. Sand is placed in the cut, because of which the cut will not overgrow. Then this place is covered with wet moss, a plastic film is applied on top. Moss is regularly moistened. After some time, roots appear through a layer of moss. When they grow up, the shoot is cut off from the trunk, planted in a separate container, where it will continue to take root.
It is difficult to reproduce with a leaf of ficus Abidjan. In order to get a new plant, it is necessary to cut the leaf with part of the trunk. The blank is planted in wet sand, covered with polyethylene. In a month, the roots will sprout. You can try to root the ficus with a leaf without a handle, but in this case the chances of success will be 50/50.
Transfer
To get ficus Abidjan as pictured, home care involves a periodic transplant.
After the purchase, the plant must be transplanted into another soil, since the transportation mixture is not suitable for further development, there are no nutrients in it. However, you should not transplant immediately, you need to wait a couple of weeks. This is necessary so that the ficus acclimatizes, gets used to a new place. Often, ficus plants are difficult to tolerate a change of scenery and can throw off foliage and even die. After two weeks, you can safely carry out a transplant. To do this, take a loose, nutritious soil mixture with a neutral pH level. You can make the composition yourself or transplant the plant into a ready-made composition for ficus. In self-production, they take in equal proportions turf land, peat, sheet land and sand.
Drain from broken crumbs or expanded clay is laid at the bottom of the pot. You can add a couple of pieces of charcoal. Before transplanting, the plant is spilled abundantly, then carefully removed from the pot, transplanted into a new container. It should be 2-3 cm larger than the previous one. After planting, the ficus is watered.
To grow beautiful ficus Abidjan (see photo in the article), it is necessary to transplant the plant into a larger container annually. Three years later, transshipment is carried out every 2 years. Large trees replace the topsoil.
Top dressing
Care for ficus Abidjan at home involves fertilizing the plant with fertilizers. They begin to do this in the spring and continue until the fall. Fertilizers are applied twice a month, alternating mineral and organic. Fertilizer is applied strictly according to the instructions.
Formation
Abidjan differs from other varieties by the growth rate - it quickly grows upward, almost without forming side branches. With good lighting, the main stem will grow rapidly, giving an increase of about half a meter per year. Because of this, the plant is limited in growth by conducting formation. It helps form a beautiful tree.
The first pruning is carried out at the height that is necessary, measuring about 30 cm from the top. Side shoots are nipped at a distance of 10 cm from the top. With this method, new branches begin to form on the upper kidney.
Usually, only one point is activated during formation. Therefore, in the photo there are often several bushes planted in one container. This method of growing allows you to get a lush shrub, to give it decorativeness.
The tree is formed in summer or spring.
Diseases, pests
Ficuses are moody plants. They can suffer from a variety of diseases, they are affected by pests.
- Yellowed leaves. With a lack or excess of moisture in the plant, the leaves begin to turn yellow. Therefore, it is recommended that the first changes immediately pay attention to the level of soil moisture. If it is too wet, then it is dried, reducing watering, and if dry - increase watering.
- The foliage falls. With a lack of nutrients, acclimatization, the plant discards foliage.
- Darkening of the tips of the leaves. Too high temperature, lack of moisture lead to darkening of the ends of the leaves.
- Powdery Mildew If white plaque appears on the leaves, and then droplets, the tree should be treated immediately with fungicides. It is carried out strictly according to the instructions on the packaging.
- Spider mite. Of the pests, ficuses are most often affected by spider mites. Pests occur due to low humidity. First, small yellow spots form on the leaves, then they increase in size, the leaves turn yellow. For prevention, foliage should be sprayed with soapy water and humidify the air.
- Shield. Often ficuses are affected by a scab. Brown spots on the leaves indicate the presence of the pest. Gradually, they begin to fade, fall off. You can get rid of the pest by treating the tree with special preparations, wiping the leaves with Actellik solution and other preparations.
- Centipede. If a centipede is wound up in the ground, then the plant should be transplanted, having previously decontaminated the container, a new substrate. Old soil is completely washed out from the roots. If the plant is small, rooting can be accelerated by creating greenhouse conditions.
Signs and beliefs
Different peoples have their own beliefs, signs associated with the tree. According to Slavic signs, ficus Abidjan gives rise to discord in the house, negative emotions, and Thais believe that the plant is able to cast out evil spirits and clean the house.
In ancient times, even before the revolution, every aristocratic family had a ficus. It was believed that the plant brings good luck, prosperity. It helps to move up the career ladder, to establish relationships in the family.
In Soviet times, people began to get rid of trees, considering them a relic of the revolutionary era. After the war, when many men died, ficuses began to be considered negative, accusing them of all troubles. It was noticed that in those houses where ficus grew, the men did not return from the front.
There is a mention of ficus in the Bible. It says that the plant gave the first clothes before Eve and Adam, after they were expelled from Eden. A close relative of ficus figs was the first food for the exiled. Since then, the plant has become a symbol of family well-being.
Since biblical times, a sign has been born that if a girl runs around a plant, then she will soon become pregnant.
If the couple wants to have children, according to signs, you should place a ficus in the western part of the bedroom. As soon as the plant has a new shoot, soon expect to be added to the family. This shoot is planted in a separate pot.
Conclusion
Ficus is a plant that loves female energy. Because of this, care for him should be performed by a woman. If a man takes care of the plant, he will leave home.
Abidjan is a great choice for gardeners with any experience. He has a luxurious appearance, high growth rate, it is easy to care for him. When creating excellent conditions, the plant can bloom in spherical flowers. However, a tree blossoms in room conditions is extremely rare, these are isolated cases. It is mainly used to decorate the interior. Unusual designs are created with it, used to fill large spaces, empty corners.