Luxurious ficus, belonging to the Tutov family, has always been grown in their homes by lovers of indoor plants in our country. True, there was also a dark streak in the history of this flower: after the 1917 revolution, it was called the "symbol of philistinism" and it simply disappeared from many houses.
Fortunately, today we can again admire the large and stately ficus. Home care (photo - in the article) for him is completely uncomplicated. Even beginner growers will cope with this task. There are several varieties of ficus, which differ in size, color and shape of the foliage. Of the indoor species, the most popular ficus is Benjamin, on the example of which we will consider the intricacies of caring for indoor ficus at home.
Features of Ficus
This amazing plant decorates any interior, in addition, it has a beneficial effect on the health of people living in the house. Especially important is the cultivation of this flower, which produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide, in a big city, where the ecological situation is often not happy.
Many beginner growers are interested in whether it is possible to keep ficus in the house. It would seem a strange question, can anyone really harm a plant known to our great-grandmothers? It turns out that sometimes it can be harmful.
We talked about the fact that there are several varieties of this plant. The following species are most often grown:
- Benjamin.
- Rubber bearing.
- Bengal.
- Dwarf.
- Lyre-shaped.
- Triangular.
- Binnedy.
- Retuza.
- Ginseng.
If you decide to have ficus in your home, home care for which is simple even for beginner gardeners, it is necessary to exclude the occurrence of allergic reactions to it in households. In addition, you need to know that some types of ficus exacerbate the condition of asthmatics. Rubber-bearing varieties secrete milky juice, which is toxic, therefore, it must not be allowed to get on the skin. Keep away from these plants children and pets. In families with small children, it is better to grow safer varieties.
Flowering ficus
Many gardeners are interested in how to properly care for ficus at home (photo below), so that the flower blooms. I must say that this question is of interest not only to beginners in indoor floriculture, but also to experienced plant lovers. I would not want to upset you, but you will not be able to achieve this. Ficus blooms only in vivo.
Ficus inflorescences are not very attractive: these are small balls, hollow from the inside, which are called siconia. In each of these balls there is a tiny hole in which the proboscis insect pollinator inserts. After pollination, siconium turns into a drupe fruit. An example of such a process can be a fig, beloved by many, who is a close relative of the ficus.
Ficus cultivation
No doubt ficus is one of the easiest indoor plants to care for. With minimal care at home, Benjamin's ficus, for example, needs only regular watering and crown formation. For this reason, it is suitable for beginners in floriculture or busy people.
Seat selection
This is a fast-growing plant (with proper care). It grows by about 20 cm per year, and can grow up to three meters in height, of course, if you can afford to have such a giant in your house. It is necessary to choose a place for the plant where direct sunlight will not fall on it, away from drafts and heating appliances. The room should have average humidity.
Ficus: home care, photo
Despite the unpretentiousness of this plant, you should follow some rules, observing which you can grow a luxurious tropical plant.
Today in specialized stores you can buy ready-made soil for ficus. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase it, make the mixture yourself. The soil should be loose, fertile, slightly acidic or neutral. Drainage is mandatory, for which crushed stone or expanded clay is used in the lower layer, and coarse river sand is used for the upper layer.
When caring for ficus at home, it is very important to maintain a comfortable air temperature for the plant. Do not forget that your new pet comes from the tropics, but because he loves warmth, he has a negative attitude to drafts and hypothermia. In the summer, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of about +28 ° C.
Caring for ficus at home in the winter is slightly different. Do not place the pot on the floor too cold. The most comfortable temperature for this plant in winter should not be lower than +16 ° C. The minimum, although undesirable temperature is +12 ° C. A plant in a cool room is less often watered. And you also need to know that varieties with variegated foliage tolerate a much lower temperature drop than green ones.
Ficuses are photophilous, while they should be protected from direct sunlight. In winter, care at home for ficus involves the use of additional lighting so that the plant receives a "portion" of light for twelve hours. Often, when the ficus drops foliage, the reason lies in the lack of light. Periodically, it is necessary to turn the pot with ficus to the window so that the crown develops evenly.
This plant needs high humidity, therefore, irrigation of the crown from the spray gun will be useful to ficus. Leaving leaves at home comes down to regularly wiping the plates with a damp sponge or napkin: the plant will not only look much more attractive, as large leaves collect dust, but also feel much better.
Between watering, the soil should dry slightly, but not dry out. In a ficus flower, home care involves the use of well-maintained clean water at room temperature. In the summer, ficus needs more frequent and plentiful watering than in winter. But do not over-moisten the soil - this can cause rotting of the roots and stems. In summer, ficus is watered two to three times a week, but with the onset of autumn, water volumes gradually decrease. With the onset of winter, watering is done no more than once a week.
Top dressing
Many gardeners dream of growing a healthy and beautiful indoor ficus. Home care should include fertilizing with natural fertilizers twice a month, starting from the first of March and ending with the last of September, during the period of active flower growth. As fertilizers, nitrogen-containing compounds are used, as well as natural ones - nettle infusion, wood ash. In a specialized store you can buy complex compositions of trace elements that are intended for ficus.
Ficus transplant and home care
Another important condition for the proper care of this plant is a timely transplant. As soon as you find that roots have appeared from the holes in the pot, or after watering the soil has dried too quickly, this may indicate that the plant needs a more spacious pot. Until the age of four, ficus is transplanted annually. Then this procedure is carried out no more than once every two years. You can always add new nutrient soil to the container, if circumstances so require.
When should ficus be transplanted?
Experienced flower growers recommend doing this work in summer or spring, so that the plant tolerates a transplant easier and takes root more quickly in a new place. Do not worry if, after this procedure, the growth of the ficus slows down somewhat, sometimes the flower can even discard the foliage. This is completely normal, since the plant is undergoing a period of adaptation, the roots grow much more slowly in a more spacious pot. The larger and wider the capacity, the more the root system grows more slowly.
Each new pot should be five centimeters larger than the previous one in diameter. Very large varieties of ficuses change only the topsoil, replenishing its volume. The transplant is performed as follows:
- moisten the soil well so that you can extract the plant from the pot without injuring it;
- remove the topsoil very carefully;
- place drainage on the bottom of a new pot and sprinkle it with soil;
- remove the ficus, free the roots from the soil and move it to a new container;
- add soil mixture, maintaining the former deepening of the plant.
If you do not want the ficus to grow to its natural size, then it should not be transplanted at all. It will be enough to form a crown every three years and remove shoots. When transplanting, you can trim the roots a little and put the flower in a tight pot.
Pruning
Pruning ficus during home care is extremely important. First of all, it is necessary to regularly remove dry branches and leaves (sanitary pruning). To rejuvenate the plant or give it the desired shape, thin out the crown and shorten the shoots, both inside and out. The main stem is cut once a year by 20 cm. When the plant reaches the required height, pinching is performed. When shortening the branches, at least five leaves should remain on each of them. Photos of ficus pruning when leaving at home are often published by special editions on indoor floriculture.
How to crop ficus correctly
It is better to start pruning in early April. Use a garden pruner for this, which must first be treated with alcohol. In addition, shredded activated or charcoal should be prepared in advance for slicing. To form the crown, it is necessary to trim the upper part of the ficus stem - this will cause active growth of the side shoots.
In order to give the flower an elongated silhouette, it is necessary to cut the side shoots by 4-6 cm and pinch off the leaves from them. Juice that appears at the cut site should be removed immediately with a damp cloth. The slice is treated with activated carbon. After pruning, the plant is fertilized after two weeks.
In order to make the plant denser and stimulate the growth of new buds, the crown of the plant is thinned and pruned annually.
Breeding
Sooner or later, each grower is interested in how ficus is cared for and propagated at home. Two methods of propagation of these plants are most popular among gardeners - aerial layering and cuttings. The simplest of them is the cuttings, the second method is more suitable for experienced flower growers.
Propagation by cuttings
During the active growth of the plant (in spring or summer) cut from the bush cuttings 15 cm long from the apical shoots. At least three leaves should remain on the stalk of the stem shoot. So that the cuttings do not lose moisture, their leaves are folded into tight tubes and tied with a soft elastic band. Often use balloons for this, which are cut into strips.
Milky juice is secreted on the cut. To remove it, slightly hold the cuttings in water at room temperature, to which you can add the drug "Kornevin." Prepare the tanks and the soil mixture in advance: mix the earth with sand or perlite, add peat. Plant the cuttings in it, dipping one and a half centimeters, and then cover them with cling film, creating a mini-greenhouse. Place the container with the cuttings in a warm room. A temperature of about + 25 ° C is optimal for rooting cuttings.
The greenhouse should be regularly ventilated so that the cuttings do not rot. Rooting occurs within a month. Then the seedlings can be planted in pots.
Propagation by layering
For this method, you need to choose a healthy straight growing shoot, remove the leaves in the place where it is planned to make an incision. With a thin and sharp knife or blade, make two cuts at a distance of 3 cm. In the place between the cuts, remove the bark, you can additionally sprinkle this place with “Kornevin”. Apply moist sphagnum moss about five centimeters thick to the prepared surface. Tightly wrap cling film to the sphagnum shoot and secure it well. It must be constantly wet. After some time, roots will appear in this place and braid the moss.
When the roots are probed through the film or even break through it, the ficus stem is cut a little lower than the roots that appeared. After this, the cuttings are planted in a separate container. Both described methods show good results.
Ficus Diseases
It would seem that all the rules for growing ficus were observed. Why does home care (photo below) sometimes do not give the desired result and plants affect various diseases that can be divided into two categories - parasitic and fungal? How to deal with them and is it possible to protect a flower from them?
Fungal diseases include:
- gray rot;
- black fungus on the leaves;
- root rot.
Spider mite, mealybug, aphid, nematodes, thrips, scabies can be attributed to parasitic diseases of ficus when leaving at home. If the ficus is attacked by parasites, then it should be started as early as possible, although it must be recognized that it is extremely rare to save the flower. As soon as you see traces of parasite activity on the ficus, take action immediately.
One of the best drugs in the fight against them for ficus is "Aktara", you can use "Confidor" or "Actellik". It must be recognized that diseases of fungal origin most often arise due to the lack of proper care for the plant. Excessive watering, high temperature and dry air in the room provoke gray rot (botritis). This disease is treated by removing the affected fragments and further treatment with copper-containing drugs.
If the plant is affected by the fungus, the affected parts should be removed as soon as possible, and then the flower should be treated with an antifungal drug (Fitosporin-M or Gamair). Unfortunately, root rot is not treated, the plant must be thrown out with the pot in which it grew.
Inadequate lighting, sudden changes in temperature, excessive or insufficient watering, abuse of fertilizing - all these factors can trigger the development of diseases. Even a poorly chosen place for a plant can contribute to the manifestation of diseases. To protect the plant, it is necessary to provide competent care, which in reality is completely uncomplicated. Preventive treatments are carried out using fungicides, which provide reliable protection to the plant and reduce the risk of diseases.
Many gardeners are interested in why ficus leaves fall. Home care is not always the reason for this. For example, a plant may discard foliage during the seasonal fall of lower leaves in late autumn. If this happens in summer or spring, then most likely the plant does not have enough lighting or it is watered incorrectly. Even the frequent movement of a flower from place to place, sudden changes in temperature or a lack of fertilizing can also cause leaves to fall. And, of course, you should not discount the disease and parasites, which also cause loss of foliage.
Quarantine for new plants
When purchasing ficus in a flower shop, carefully inspect the plant to identify possible diseases and pests. The same can be said of plants donated by familiar flower growers. It is advisable to place the new flower separately from other plants for about a week. If during this time no pathologies and parasites are detected, the flower can be put to other indoor plants. Subject to these rules, ficus will decorate your home for many years.