Ficus does not grow, stands still: reasons, what to do

Ficus trees are considered not too difficult to care for. If the plant is placed correctly and all growing recommendations are followed, it will quickly gain green mass. During the growing season, Benjamin and Ali regularly throw out new shoots. Rubber-bearing, Lyre-shaped stretch upward, giving a leaf every week. But sometimes the plant seems to freeze and stop increasing in size. There can be many reasons why a ficus does not grow - from poor care and the wrong pot to pest damage or simple aging.

Growth rate of ficus rubber and other varieties

Elastica ranks second in rubber content after Hevea, which is why the trunk is quite soft and lignifies late. In nature, it has a height of 30 m; if favorable conditions are created at home and the top is not removed, it can grow up to 10 m. Having reached the ceiling, the main shoot bends and takes a horizontal position. Of course, no one is going to let the Rubber Ficus develop in this way - it’s ugly and inconvenient.

Varieties that can grow as long as they are not limited by pruning include Black Prince. Every year it adds 60-100 cm, producing a new leaf every week during the growing season.

But there are cultivars of more modest sizes. For example, ficus Melanie will take a long time to grow up to a meter, since the distance between the nodes is only 2 cm. When planted several copies in one pot, it looks like a beautiful dense bush.

Other types worthy of attention:

1. Lyre-shaped without pruning will grow up to 3 m, capable of adding 20 cm per year. But it is usually not kept in the form of a column - at the slightest deviation from the usual schedule, large, musical instrument-like leaves of the ficus grow larger or smaller than before. From Lirata, skillful flower growers create beautiful branched standard trees with raised side shoots that form a dense crown or bush, the width of which exceeds the height. Leaves that vary so much in size don't seem out of place.
2. Ficus Microcarpa, obtained from seeds or by rooting a cutting, will grow like an ordinary tree, at an average speed (10-15 cm per year), eventually reaching 1.5 m. But no one is interested in it - Ginseng with special tricks, pruning the trunk , the roots are forced to stop growing and are made to look like a bonsai.
3. The dwarf one fully lives up to its name - it is a creeping ficus that easily takes root with shoots. It does not stretch upward, but will grow in width. Capable of covering an area of ​​4 square meters in a few years. m. If he is given the opportunity.
4. Binnendijka - looks like a tree with narrow long foliage, can be easily shaped, without pruning at home it will grow quickly, up to 1.5, maximum 2 m.
5. The Bengal ficus in nature is a banyan tree - a tall tree that supports a wide crown with pillar roots. In pot culture, it is an attractive plant with a soft trunk that becomes woody over several years, capable of stretching very quickly, reaching 3 m.

Pinching

Pinching is a necessary step in the later periods of growth of Ficus Benjamin. Its purpose is standard - to stop growth in height and begin the formation of side shoots.

The apical shoots are gradually removed (by the way, they can later be used to grow a new plant by cuttings). Above the leaf, which will remain the top of the crown, a shoot with 4-5 buds is wrapped down and fixed on the trunk (with a rope, rubber band, etc.). Over time, this part will begin to dry out. Eventually, it can be removed with a sharp knife. The trunk must be cut obliquely.

After this, the ficus will stop growing upward.

Carefully! During the work, it is important to remember that ficus juice can be toxic to the skin or irritate human mucous membranes. You should work with gloves.

It is recommended to sprinkle the sections with charcoal to quickly stop the secretion of juice and speed up healing.

Why ficus benjamina and other species grow poorly

There may be one reason or caused by a whole complex of minor defects in care. To find out why the ficus stopped growing, you first need to rule out normal aging. The culture will live in the apartment for about 15 years, then it will first slow down and then stop developing, begin to turn yellow and shed its leaves. The branches will begin to dry out, starting with the smallest tree-like forms, and the rubber-bearing ones will simply wither away.

Of course, among all types of ficus there are long-livers. If from the moment of purchase they were provided with ideal care, cool wintering, regular transplants and constant high humidity.

The old specimen will still grow poorly, nothing can be done here. Unless you carry out drastic pruning and give a killer dose of stimulants. But when the ficus is beautiful, it is better not to do this - the decorative effect is lost for several years, and there is no guarantee whether it will be possible to restore the crown.

Other reasons for slowing or stopping growth:

• poor or improper feeding;
• insufficient and excessive watering;
• little or a lot of light;
• ficus will not grow normally in a pot that is too loose, or if the root has occupied almost the entire volume;
• a transplant has not been performed for a long time;
• low air humidity;
• damage by pests and diseases;
• temperature violation;
• frequent reshuffles.

Loss of leaves due to watering errors

For Ficus Benjamin, it is equally dangerous to find yourself in completely dry or oversaturated soil:

1. If overwatered, especially when kept in cool air, the plant will develop root rot. The ficus loses the ability to actively feed, its leaves dry out and begin to crumble.
2. Dry soil provokes the plant to save moisture, and the ficus gets rid of “extra consumers,” that is, foliage. At the same time, the growth rate of young shoots decreases, raising a legitimate question from gardeners: “Why doesn’t Benjamin’s ficus grow?”

In order for the plant to always delight with bright greenery and grow well, the soil under the ficus should dry out a couple of centimeters between waterings. The frequency of watering depends on the temperature and humidity in the room, the size of the plant and the properties of the substrate.

Ficus does not grow: what to do

If the ficus, in addition to slowing down its development, begins to shed its leaves, first of all you need to find out why this is happening. Then review the maintenance and care:

1. Check for pests or diseases. If necessary, treat with appropriate medications. It will be possible to take any additional actions only when the plant recovers.
2. Remove the ficus from the pot and inspect the earthen ball. This way it will immediately become clear whether the container is suitable and whether the owners have allowed it to overflow. He may need to be transplanted. If the problem is discovered in autumn or winter, it is recommended to wait until spring if possible. During the dormant period, only emergency transplantation is permissible when it comes to saving the plant.
3. If necessary, watering should be adjusted. The ficus will grow normally when the top layer of soil dries out in potted specimens to the depth of the phalanx of the index finger, in a tub - by 3-4 cm. There must be lower holes for water drainage, a drainage layer occupying at least 1/5 of the container.
4. It is recommended to review the feeding system. Universal fertilizers, and especially those intended for flowering crops, are not suitable for ficus - they contain little nitrogen and a lot of potassium. It may stop growing and the leaves will begin to fall just because of this. Folk remedies used on an ongoing basis (except for yeast) should generally be excluded without further consideration. The crop needs to be fed with a specialized mineral complex, in extreme cases - for decorative deciduous plants. There is a lot of nitrogen, the other components are balanced.
5. You should carefully examine the plates to see if they have turned yellow due to a lack of microelements, which are better absorbed by spraying the aerial parts.
6. Ficus needs diffused light. Elastica suffers the most from the bright sun; Lyre-shaped and variegated forms of other species can withstand some direct rays.
7. At temperatures below 15° C, ficuses stop growing. Only Rubber and Bengal respond normally to heat of 27-30° C, the rest suffer.
8. Air humidity should be constantly high. How to maintain it is up to the owners to decide. But wet expanded clay on a tray, sphagnum between the pot and the flowerpot, an indoor fountain, an air humidifier, and periodic bathing in the shower do not cancel, but only complement daily spraying. Especially in winter in a warm room.

Especially for those who like to move plants from place to place: ficus cannot stand this. Changes are stress, in response to which it stops growing even with ideal care. You need to rotate the pot relative to the light source no more than 20° at a time.

How to speed up the growth of Ficus Benjamin

If the care is regulated, the place is chosen correctly, it has not been changed for a long time, and a healthy ficus does not grow and stands still, it needs to be stimulated artificially. Of course, in winter all processes are suspended, and you will have to wait until spring for new leaves or shoots to appear.

Transplants

To speed up growth, it is first recommended to transplant the ficus. It is better to carry it out when the beginnings of new leaves appear, at the very beginning of the growing season. The diameter of the pot should be 2-4 cm larger than before, even if the old ficus was too crowded. It is better to skip a season and wait for rapid growth in the next one than to lose a flower due to acidification of the soil.

It is recommended to change the substrate to another brand, not to make it yourself, and to refuse “improvements” with any components. It is also advisable not to use the universal one - there is nothing wrong with it, but the intended soil for ficus and palm trees is still better.

Sometimes gardeners shorten the roots of plants when replanting. For some crops and bonsai this is quite justified, but for ficus trees it is absolutely not suitable. They will stop growing for at least a season, and may even die.

Feeding

Accelerating growth processes with nitrogen alone is a mistake. There is a high probability that there will be a disproportion between the development of the above-ground part of the plant and the root, which needs phosphorus. This will not lead to anything good.

It is better not to increase the intensity of fertilizing, but to replace the cheap fertilizer for ficus with a good brand, and take only the liquid form. Crystals and powder, no matter what the manufacturers claim, do not completely dissolve; a sediment forms at the bottom, even if this is not visible to the naked eye.

When it remains at the bottom of the watering can, the plant does not receive enough fertilizer and is poured into the soil - the ficus receives shock from burning the roots. Even if this does not lead to the shedding of leaves, the flower will not grow for some time. And then he will receive a new portion of feeding.

It is better to give microelements in chelated form - this is the only way to ensure a sufficient supply of iron, manganese, zinc, copper, and molybdenum. They are not absorbed through the root, but settle in the soil or on the walls of the pot, forming a coating.

In winter, all feeding is stopped. During the rest period, they will bring nothing but harm. Unless the room temperature is high, but this is bad in itself, especially with low humidity.

Stimulants

At the beginning of the growing season, the ficus can be watered or treated with a stimulant. One, and not all that we managed to buy in the nearest store.

An excellent remedy is 1 tablespoon of vodka per glass of water. The plant gets a good shake-up, but this is exactly the case when stress is beneficial. Suitable for flowers that sit still for some unknown reason.

Expert opinion from the site Your Flower

Galina Alexandrovna

More than 30 years of experience in growing indoor and garden flowers

Ask a Question

If your ficus leaves are dull, it may be lacking oxygen. In addition to loosening the soil the next day after moistening, it is recommended to dissolve 2 tbsp in a liter of water. l. hydrogen peroxide, water and spray the plant.

When the reason is determined correctly, it will give results not the next day. There was an error - it won't get any worse.

Epin and zircon are excellent products. But it is recommended to use them not when the stress factor has occurred, but before it. For example:

• on the eve of pruning;
• on the eve of winter;
• a few days before the onset of cold weather or extreme heat;
• before going on vacation, when there is no confidence that the ficus will be provided with decent care.

Trimmings

If ficus benjamina does not grow, one of the ways to stimulate it, besides the usual one, is sanitary pruning. Of course, this is an obligatory element of care, but many amateur gardeners pay attention only to large branches that reduce their decorative value.

It is necessary to remove all, even the smallest, inconspicuous, dry stems about a centimeter long. When the ficus has no other problems, it will quickly grow, so at the end of the season it is not recommended to stimulate the appearance of new shoots in this way. The method works with all small-leaved varieties and the Binnendijk (Ali) species.

Robusta, Lyre-shaped, Bengal are also pruned for branching. If you do this at the beginning of the season - when the first new leaf has appeared but has not yet opened, the side shoots will appear faster.

The most difficult thing is to determine exactly why the ficus stopped growing. Once the cause is identified, all that remains is to eliminate it, otherwise you will have to try everything - from replanting and treating with hydrogen peroxide to changing fertilizers.

How to help a plant at home?

The tree will be healthy if you follow the following recommendations:

• provide adequate lighting;
• maintain a microclimate optimally suitable for ficus;
• In the spring, in the mornings, take the pot out to the balcony, but do not allow direct sunlight to hit the crown;
• when parasites appear, spray with insecticides;
• in case of fungal infection, use fungicides.

What to do if a flower has few leaves?

Bare stems not only spoil the appearance of the ficus. This makes the flower weakened. When a tree has a sparse crown, the process of photosynthesis slows down. The plant lacks nutrients and energy for full development.