Indoor ficus and its features

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Ficus is a tropical plant from the mulberry family. Where did it come from? In the wild, it is found in the Solomon Islands, the southeast of the Asian continent, in New Guinea. Some ficuses are native to Africa. At home, the flower has been grown for many decades. Caring for a plant has its own rules and characteristics, but there are no particular difficulties.

Ficus

Description of the species

Ficuses are a whole group of plants from the mulberry family. They can grow like vines, shrubs, or trees. Many varieties have aerial roots, the so-called epiphytes. The roots, which have sunk to the ground, form additional trunks. Such a ficus is called a banyan tree. If aerial roots grow into the bark of another tree, the ficus is called a "strangler." Ficus in the wild can grow up to 30 m, at home its height does not exceed 3-4 m.

Leaves are serrated or lobed, opposite or alternating.

How does ficus bloom? The flowers of the plant form inflorescences of different shapes. The fruits are nuts surrounded by a juicy false fruit. The root system of wild ficus, like other parts of the tree, when damaged, secretes milky white juice, in many species it is poisonous.

Types of ficuses

The native land of the plant is tropical zones, less often the subtropical zone. Ornamental ficuses began to be grown more than a hundred years ago; in warm countries, this is a street bush.

Here are the most famous species that grow at home, the characteristics and the difference between them:

• Elastic, or elastic rubbery ficus, large, tree-like, able to grow in the shade.
• Benjamin, balsamic, balsamic, balsam - a small tree that tolerates crown formation well, is used for banzai.
• Lyre-shaped - a small ficus with green leaves, shaped like a treble clef.
• The variegated, or deltoid, is a plant with leaves that look like small droplets.
• Ficus of the species Dwarf, Sunny or Anuk - this ficus is very tiny, often weaving ampelous or ground cover.
• Benedyka, ficus Ali, Benedict, willow - the tree looks almost like a willow or birch tree, with pointed green leaves.
• The ficus of the Karika species (fig, sycamore or fig) is a fruit tree with large sweet berries, the closest relative of the ornamental.
• Bengali, Krishna, or Indian, is a huge epiphyte, which in natural conditions forms the crowns of banyan trees, broad-leaved.
• Rusty - a tree from Australia, its leaves are painted yellow-red underneath, like rust.
• Ginseng, Retuha, or ginseng, has a thick root size and is used in folk and traditional medicine.
• Dull, Retuza or Chinese pubescent, is a tree with bright green leaves, has the varieties Panda and Albomarginata.
• Reed - African narrow-leaved species, the leaves resemble reeds.
• Formosa, or formosan, is a tall tree with elongated, light green leaves and brown stipules.
• Triangular or three-leafed - a bush with triangular leaves.
• Palmera is an American bushy species with a thick, branching, yellow-tinted trunk.
• Natalsky - in nature, a tree has a height of 30 m, at home it grows up to 1 m.
• Cherry, or Cape, is a short tree with fruits that look like cherries.
• Bottle - a Mexican species with a thickened trunk, in which the plant accumulates moisture.
• Petiolaris is a thick-leaved species from Mexico with large leaves, the surface has a gloss and a pink pattern of veins.
• Globular - Taiwanese bushy species with a thick brown trunk.
• Eden is a plant with heart-shaped leaves and gray bark.
• Silicifolia, or Salicifolia, is an African alpine species with large thin leaves.
• Oak-leaved, or Montana, is a creeping or weaving ampelous species with small leaves.
• Aspera is a species with small rough leaves, which are sometimes curled.
• Mokleim, Maclama or MacLaine are an East Asian epiphytic and small-leaved species with small fruits.
• Crateroliferous grows in West Africa, the leaves are expanded at the tips, have notches.
• The boxwood shrub is small in size and has box-like leaves.
• Ivy, or weeping, is an ampelous species with small leaves.

Ficus varieties

Many varieties have been bred on the basis of these species. Most of them have indoor ficus Benjamin: large-leaved, small-leaved, with medium leaves. Here's a short list:

• Large-leaved: Anastasia, Boucle variety, King Bushes and Golden, ficus de Dumbbell, or De Gantel, Golden Monique, Daniel, Denilight, Midnight ficus, Lady, Irene or Irene, Samantha, large-leaved Charlie, Exotic.
• Medium-leaved: Baft, Baileys spotted, Curly or Curley, Green Kinky, Naomi and Gold Naomi, Dunetti, Ilicina, Reginald, Regidan or Regina, Starlight ficus, Fantasy or Fantasy, variegated Twilight or Twilight, variegated Eister or Neversifolia.
• Small-leaved, or dwarf, mini-ficuses: Baorok, Viandi, Curly or Curly, Mix, Lovely, Nitida, Natasha or Natalie, Nicole, Pandora, Safari, Nina, Eldorado.

The rubbery ficus has the following varieties:

• Belize;
• Silvia;
• Velutina;
• Doshery;
• Sriveriana;
• ficus Black Prince;
• Abidjan;
• Tineke;
• Orever;
• Rubber Tricolor, or tricolor marble variety Varietis.

The dwarf ficus has 2 varieties: variegated Variegata and tiny Minima. Bengal ficus has varieties:

• Audrey;
• Ficus Andrew, or Andre;
• Parcel.

The Rusty Australian species has 3 varieties:

• Irwin variety;
• El Toro, or bull;
• Florida.

The lyre species has 2 varieties: Bambino and Compact ficus. Ivolistny has 3 Amstel varieties: King, Queen and Gold. Ficus varieties Formozon:

• Viandy;
• Ficus Esther;
• Daniel.

The triangular view also has 3 varieties:

• Variegatis, or Variegata;
• Trinov's color variety;
• Orver.

Care features

Let's talk about how to grow ficus at home, how watering, spraying, cutting, planting, etc. is carried out.

Before buying a ficus in a pot, you should immediately determine its permanent place. This species doesn't like to be rearranged. Otherwise, it is quite easy to grow ficus at home. This is an unpretentious plant, home care for it is simple. To avoid problems, care must be correct.

Lighting

The flower of tropical origin is photophilous, variegated varieties tolerate well even direct sunlight. A southwestern or southeastern window sill is suitable for a tree, where the sun shines well. In winter, the ficus should have additional lighting. Artificial light is provided for 12 hours. On the window, the bush must be turned from time to time so that it is equally lush on all sides. With a lack of light, homemade ficus sheds its leaves.

Humidity

In the homeland of ficuses, high humidity, the same atmosphere should be maintained at home. The plant is sprayed with water from a spray bottle.A growing flower should be sprayed 2-3 times a week. Can indoor ficus be bathed in water? They arrange a shower for him once a month, more often it is harmful to do it. Varieties with large leaves should be wiped with a cloth.

Temperature

The plant lives in the tropics, therefore it loves warmth, as well as good lighting. In summer - 25-30 ° С, in winter - 16-20 ° С. At lower temperatures, the foliage flies around, the bush may die. It should not be taken outside in summer so that the night does not freeze it. Green-leaved bushes tolerate cold better than variegated ones. The deciduous type of ficus adapts well to the cold, but the evergreen is more thermophilic.

Watering

Moistening the soil should be regular, but moderate. In summer, the bush is watered 2-3 times a week, and in winter the need for water is less - the tree is watered once a week. It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil so that it dries well, the root system of indoor ficus breathes. Watering the plant too abundantly can cause the roots to rot. With a lack of moisture, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. Creeping ficus, or ampelous, loves moisture more than tree-like.

Top dressing

Growing decorative ficus at home is impossible without top dressing. Fertilizer is applied every 2 weeks. Beforehand, it is imperative to water the bush. It is best to use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. The plant should be fed from March to October, when flowering and active vegetation are in progress. If the tree is additionally illuminated in winter, fertilizers must also be applied, but not more often than once a month. How to feed a flower? Top dressing is used for indoor ficus Humisol, Palma, Ideal, Bona Forte, BG, Agricola. How much money to deposit, the instructions will tell you.

Ficus transplant

When we grow ficus at home, we must periodically transplant it. Plants up to 4 years old should be transferred to a new pot annually. Then the procedure can be repeated every 2 years, periodically replacing the top layer of soil in the pot. A sign that it is time to carry out a planned transplant is too rapid drying out of the earth and bulging out of the root plexuses.

For transplanting, you should take a new ficus pot, the diameter of which is 2-3 cm larger than that of the old one. In larger containers, roots and stems grow slowly. A pots are suitable for an ampel variety.

Before planting a tree, you should prepare the soil. You can buy ready-made ficus soil in the store or make it yourself.

Before planting a bush, drainage must be placed on the bottom of the pot. If the plant is healthy, you can plant it in a new container using the transshipment method, without freeing it from the old earthen coma. When pests start in the soil, it is better to remove the lumps. When the bush is too large, you can branch it out into several trunks. The bush is pre-watered. After transplanting from pot to pot (if the soil is wet), watering is not needed, you can fertilize the plant and put it into the light.

Ficus pruning

How to properly care for a ficus at home and what activities should be foreseen, in addition to those listed above? Is it possible to trim a ficus tree? Pruning is mandatory, this procedure allows you to form the crown of the ficus, grow it in width, fight diseases and rejuvenate the tree.

Pruning is divided into several types:

• standard;
• sanitary;
• anti-aging;
• pinching or pinching.

Standard pruning is done in spring or late fall, or simply cut off the top. It helps to form the crown, stop the growth of the tree up, and stimulate the appearance of lateral shoots. With sanitary pruning, dried and damaged branches and leaves are removed. Rejuvenating pruning is carried out when the flower is frozen and has lost its leaves. The flown bush is cut off completely, leaving only 3-4 cm of the trunk. Rejuvenation helps to grow even an almost dead tree.

Pinching, pinching or pinching ficus is a method of gentle pruning, in which only the upper buds need to be renewed and removed. Before pinching or diving a bush, they carefully examine it, determine which places should be removed.

You can pinch the bush at any time of the year. In addition, the formation of the crown involves the use of various devices that can make the branches grow where they should. You can also tie up the branches with ordinary laces. They are also advised to weave them in braids, to cut curly. It is quite possible to weave a ball, a cone, figures of birds, cats, etc. from the branches.

Reproduction of ficuses

Plant breeding is possible in two ways:

• cuttings;
• layering without cuttings.

Even a flowering decorative ficus cannot be propagated by seeds at home. If he has given fruit, the seeds will still not ripen, the berries will fall off. We have to plant the bush in other ways.

Propagation by cuttings

Propagation by cuttings of a ficus plant is the most popular technique. You can cut a bush during pruning. You can even take a small twig 4-5 cm long with a leaf. Shoots are cut at an angle, stepping back 1 cm. Often, leaf cuttings with a short shoot up to 1 cm in length are used for propagation of ficuses.

How to root and grow a ficus from a small cutting? First of all, it is dipped into a stimulant, Kornevin or Epin. Then the cutting is placed in water or in bowls with a substrate to germinate. To root, put the stalk in a warm place where there is good lighting. Rooting occurs quickly, lasting approximately 2 weeks. After the stalk has started up the first roots, you can hold the branch in water for another week. 7-10 days after that, planting is carried out in a permanent pot.

Reproduction by layering

How to grow a ficus from a shoot? The process consists of several stages:

• all leaves are removed from the strongest shoot;
• make an incision in the bark in a circle;
• moss must be applied to the cut and tied with cling film;
• the shoot takes root after 2 weeks, after which it can be cut off and planted into the substrate.

Another method can be used. Kerbovka (incision) is carried out, then the twig is fixed on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with earth on top. When the graft takes root, it is cut off and transplanted into flower pots. Such a shoot gives roots in 10-14 days. Before planting, you can also shorten it by cutting off the top in a straight line.

Ficus diseases

When growing indoor ficus at home, problems sometimes come out. They are often associated with improper care. Sometimes pests or other harmfulness become the cause of the disease. Here are the problems most often faced by the owners of a tropical plant:

• Dropping leaves. For deciduous varieties, this means a natural process in winter: evergreen ficuses lose their foliage only in case of health problems. The reason that the bush is crumbling can be improper watering, poor lighting, draft, change of place.
• The leaves turn yellow, the stems dry. The problem arises when the room is too dry, watering is insufficient, there is a deficiency of trace elements.
• Anthracnose. With a fungal infection, black bloom and dots appear on the leaves, after which they fall off.
• Gray rot. Mold of a gray tint appears on trunks and foliage from dampness, causing its fungus.
• Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that manifests itself as a white fluffy bloom on the leaves, can affect the stems.
• Root rot. The plant withers, dries up, an unpleasant odor appears. To reanimate, revive and save the ficus, it should be transplanted and all diseased roots removed.
• Aphid. The leaves turn yellow, it is clear that green or brown midges have started up on them.
• Garden thrips. Brown specks appear on the leaves.
• Shield. It manifests itself as convex growths of a brown hue, a harmful insect often affects both leaves and shoots.
• Mealybug.The plant is covered with white cotton-like balls.
• Nematodes. The roots are striking, they look like small peas.
• Spider mite. The parasite leaves gray spots and plaque on the trunks and leaves. Spider mites are easily washed off with soap.

Problems arise with figs most often, due to improper conditions of detention. If the flower is affected by pests, spraying with an insecticide or soap solution can help. Fungicides, removing and pruning the affected areas often help get rid of the fungus. Sometimes the flower cannot be cured of the fungus. In any situation, you should establish normal care for the ficus, cut it regularly, check the humidity level in the house, observe other features and rules.

Signs about ficus

The common green ficus, which has been grown at home for almost a century, has overgrown with many signs. What folk signs and beliefs are associated with this exotic flower? It is difficult to describe all superstitions, we will give only the most popular magical properties:

• Ficus in the house is able to solve the problem of infertility. A sign works when close people give a tree.
• A ficus is not needed for an unmarried girl, he is a husband, he turns away courtship and does not bring personal happiness. A self-grown flower will save you from loneliness, but the pot still cannot be kept in the bedroom.
• To put a creeping variety that can be braided in an apartment - to material well-being and a solution to financial problems.
• Yes, let there be a small ficus in the bedroom, it will help those who sleep poorly.
• Forming and braiding indoor ficuses with a pigtail means keeping your luck, and when they also bloom, then none of your loved ones will have problems.
• Weaving from branches can give positive in the house, weak people have support in life, indecision disappears

The energy of home ficus is very strong, it symbolizes good luck, success and well-being, it is recommended to keep it in Feng Shui. The healing properties of juice, leaves of fruits and flowers are used in the east in folk medicine. We must not forget that ficus juice is poisonous and dangerous, and not only useful. Its medicinal value is questioned by many doctors. There may be contraindications for use, in some people it can cause allergies, so you should not experiment.

We learned how to breed a bush, what fertilizer it needs and where it should stand. This plant, originally from the tropics, has perfectly taken root in our homes. If properly looked after, watered, fertilized and pruned, it will be an excellent landscaping of the interior. In addition, curly ficus has the properties of harmonizing the atmosphere in the home and family, it accumulates positive information and energy. You can select the desired variety from the photo.