How to properly transplant ficus
Growing ficus at home is common among many lovers of home flowers. The popularity of the plant lies in its pickiness, as well as its pretty appearance. However, in order to grow a flower correctly, you need to know how to transplant a ficus. It is important to pay attention not only to the procedure itself, but also to the moment when you can perform it. So, is it possible to transplant home ficus in winter and how is it generally correct to do it?
How to transplant ficus at home
How to choose the time for a transplant
Many people think that transplanting ficus in a warm spring is the best time, but is it? To understand that it is time to transplant the ficus, you need to pay attention to the pot from which the roots of the plant begin to peep out, as well as to the peculiarities of the soil: it begins to dry out in the shortest possible period of time after watering. Another feature is the presence of root plexuses in the soil.
It is necessary to carry out a ficus transplant at home and taking into account the age of the flower. In the case when this is a young (up to 4 years old) plant, the transplant is performed annually. More mature flowers need a more rare procedure: once every couple of years is enough. It is better if the transplant is carried out in late winter or early March. Speaking about transplanting in the fall, you should pay attention that this is not a suitable period at all. Some gardeners prefer to transplant the flower in the summer at a moderate temperature.
How to transplant a plant correctly
Having decided when you can transplant ficus, you can start preparing for the process. The existing branch is placed in a container with water, where it should take root. The transplantation of the appendage into the ground occurs exclusively together with the roots. On the advice of experienced growers, it is better to start planting immediately after the tip of the stem dries. You should be careful, since using this approach requires certain skills, therefore it is not suitable for beginners - it is more advisable to wait for the moment when the stem takes root. The purchased shoot will be able to take root better after using substrates specially designed for young plants.
In order to correctly transplant ficus at home, you need to start with a process that is otherwise called transshipment, which involves not freeing the roots from the ground, but transferring them to another container with their preservation. The size of the flowerpot should be a couple of centimeters wider than the previous one. To carry out the process, you will need a special primer, which is quite simple to make yourself. Enough:
- coniferous land;
- peat;
- sand.
All ingredients are mixed in a 1: 2: 2 ratio and are used only as a soil for young crops. Transplanting an adult flower requires a composition that includes peat, humus, leafy and sod land, a coniferous mixture - all ingredients are taken in equal quantities.It should be remembered that ficus can be transplanted only at temperatures within the range of 18-23 ° C. At higher temperatures, there is a risk of the harmful effects of heat and the subsequent death of the ficus. In order for the plant to be better removed from the soil, you need to water it in advance for a day, then the process will go right and quickly.
By approaching the transplant at home step by step, you can avoid many mistakes. After the plant has been removed, the earth is crumbled and placed in another pot. The bottom of the tub should be covered with drainage, which includes polystyrene, expanded clay and other ingredients. The earth should surround flowers on all sides, avoiding empty spaces and bald spots. It is worth remembering how important it is to prevent damage to the root collar at the time when the ficus is transplanted. As soon as the ficus was transplanted, it is immediately watered with water. If the work is hampered by the adult age of the plant, it is necessary to change the soil from above.
What points need to be considered
The first home transplant is always scary and misleading. To be confident in your actions, you must remember that the plant needs additional time to adapt, especially for crops with a large number of roots, because the development of the ficus can be slowed down.
If you transplant a crop in the autumn, this can lead to unexpected negative consequences, due to the fact that it is at this time that the leaf begins to fall off and the plant needs warmth and light. If the flower is quite large, you can get by with a pot equal to the previous one. So that the adult ficus does not die and deteriorate, it is important and necessary to cut off the shoots every few years. There are a number of other recommendations regarding how to properly transplant ficus.
- Answering the question of which pot to transplant the ficus into, it is better to choose options with a similar size so that the plant grows in cramped conditions.
- When extracting a color, it is necessary to properly examine the roots to look for rotten ones. The damaged roots are removed, after which they are dried, and the damaged areas are treated with Fungicide.
- Even an adult and healthy ficus tree when transplanted at home can be damaged if improperly manipulated with it. Roots often rot, which is manifested by sagging after being removed from the pot. It is noteworthy that the color of the roots does not in any way give out diseases.
- If the flower has outgrown, then it is possible and necessary to transplant in the spring. The ficus is already large in size, therefore it is necessary to remove the upper part of the earth from time to time.
Sometimes transshipment is not used at all, and when the ficus needs to be transplanted, part of the land is knocked down. The most common transshipment is for young crops placed in a transport substrate, because such soil is not suitable for the constant finding of a crop. The pot into which the ficus was transplanted should be at the same level as before, so as not to cause discomfort to the flower. There is no need to be afraid that the leaves will begin to fall off rapidly: this is due to the stress after the transshipment. Transplanting ficus by transshipment means getting many advantages:
- the plant does not need a huge loss of strength for recovery and adaptation;
- both young and underdeveloped flowers can be transplanted;
- ficus can be transplanted even at the time of flowering.
The main negative feature of transshipment is the frequency of the procedure. You can watch one of the training videos on how to trim and transplant a plant at home.
Cuttings and the process of reproduction with their help
Semi-lignified cuttings are a wonderful way to propagate and root seedlings in a warm spring at home. When propagating by cuttings, you need to reach a length of 15 cm, cutting obliquely with a deviation of half a centimeter from the nodule. The leaf should be cut completely.To carry out the shenanigans, you need to use a garden knife, which will not be expensive. Each plant, injured under any conditions, secretes juice that tightens the wound and impairs the rooting process, therefore, as soon as the cut is completed, the cuttings must be immersed in liquid.
Soil and water work well with cuttings. In the second case, an opaque pot is chosen so that green algae do not develop. Rooting takes about 30 days, after the end of the process, the cuttings should be transplanted into separate pots. If soil is used for rooting for transplanting ficus, then it is necessary to soak the cuttings in water for a couple of hours in order to completely eliminate the juice. Then they are dried and planted in a sand-peat mixture with vermiculite.
The soil must be decontaminated with water vapor. When the cuttings are deepened, the soil reaches the next node after cutting. You can also use a mini greenhouse or a special terrarium with the desired temperature. New leaves that have appeared will tell you when you can transplant the ficus.
Features of flower care
After buying a ficus, it is not hard to notice that the plant is unpretentious, and therefore it is quite simple to care for it. You will need to remember only 5 rules:
- The pot is located in a place that is illuminated by the sun, however, excessive brightness should not be allowed. When the flower is in the shade, you can see how the number of leaves decreases. After the purchase, you need to put the ficus on a window facing east or west. It is also important to remember that a flower cannot stand under drafts.
- Maintenance and watering should be done regularly. The largest amount of liquid is required by ficus from early spring to late summer, and the smallest - in the autumn. All water should be infused for about 13 hours. To determine that the earth is dry and the plant needs water, just look at the yellowed leaves. If the soil is saturated with moisture, the leaves may begin to fall off and turn yellow.
- The temperature for flower development should reach 25 ° C in summer and 15 ° C in winter. Room warmth is ideal for wintering plants.
- It is important to feed the ficus with liquid mineral dressing in spring and summer every 14 days. It must be cut to stop growth and the formation of branching in 2-3 years after the previous manipulations, when the flower has reached the optimal height.
- The soil can be a mixture of humus, drainage and sand, or the ratio of peat, sand, leaf and sod land.
The transplant, even if it is the first, as it turned out, is a fairly simple procedure, which is not difficult to cope with. In order to properly transplant a plant such as ficus, you need to listen to the basic instructions of professionals and provide the flower with proper care after purchase.