Where to put ficus
Immediately choose a permanent place in the apartment for the green pet.
Ficus trees react very painfully to frequent moves. A well-lit place is suitable for the plant. But make sure that direct sunlight does not fall on the ficus and shade it slightly, for example, with roller blinds. Otherwise he may get burns.
Bright lighting is especially important for variegated plants. Due to lack of light, their leaves may change color and become simply green.
Another consequence of a lack of lighting is curvature or tilting to one side, which is barely noticeable at first. To help your ficus, move it closer to the window. If the plant does not fit on the windowsill, place it on a stool.
From spring to autumn, during active growth, turn the ficus with the other side towards the light once a month.
Flower design
Among the many types of ficus, you can find one that suits you; each type has different varieties. When creating a composition, you can use one type of ficus, combining different varieties. Or supplement it with suitable plants, which will be selected in such a way that the growing conditions are similar to those for ficuses.
Depending on the type of growth, the ficus can be placed in a floor planter, if it is tall and branchy, there are species that can be grown in hanging planters or placed on window sills or stands.
Having chosen one or another type of ficus, you can well select other plants for the composition; you can use it as a single plant and focus on a certain part of the interior in your home. In any case, ficus is an ideal plant for your interiors. Good luck to you.
How to care for ficus in the cold season
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No special conditions are needed for wintering. The plant feels good at room temperature, as long as it does not fall below 16 °C. But with the reduction of daylight hours, growth also slows down, which resumes with the onset of spring.
Protect your ficus from drafts. Otherwise, it may simply shed its leaves. If the window sill is cold, place foam or other padding under the pot.
Temperature
Ficus benjamina is a heat-loving plant. But it has a lot of varieties. You can read more about popular types in another article . For example, variegated varieties grow better at 24 degrees. Some species prefer low temperatures, from 18 to 20 degrees. heat, others - not lower than 30 degrees. and are able to tolerate higher temperatures, but subject to high humidity and good watering. If your flower is located outdoors, if there is a threat of the temperature dropping below 16 degrees at night, return the ficus indoors, otherwise it will freeze.
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The flower needs special care in autumn and winter. The temperature in the room in winter should be between 17–20 degrees, not lower. If the heating is not turned on for a long time in the fall and the room is cool, take care of the flowers standing on the floor or windowsill. Turn on the heaters. If they are not there, wrap the pots and move them to places where they are not threatened by cold air currents.
How to care for ficus in the warm season
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In late spring, when the night temperature no longer drops below 17 °C, the ficus can be taken out to the balcony or loggia. In the fresh air it will become even more magnificent and brighter.
Try to choose a well-lit place for it, but without direct sunlight. With the onset of autumn cold weather, bring your green pet back.
How to water a ficus
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Use only room temperature water that has stood for at least 1-2 days.
There is no clear interval for watering ficuses. The main thing is to let the soil dry out. Stick your finger into the soil a couple of centimeters. If it's dry, the plant needs water.
Pour water into the pot generously. After 30–40 minutes, remove excess liquid so that it does not stagnate in the pan.
Throughout the year, spray the ficus with settled water at room temperature once every day or two. But if the room where the plant is located is no more than 16 °C, refuse water procedures.
How to bathe a ficus
Wipe plants with large leaves every couple of weeks with a damp cloth or cotton swab.
Small-leaved species growing in tubs also need the same cleaning.
Give compact ficuses with small leaves a shower 1-2 times a month. Before bathing, cover the pot with film to prevent moisture from getting into it. Place it in the bath, and then pour plenty of warm, but not hot water over the crown. Direct the jet from the side.
After showering, wait until the plant is dry and return it to its place. Try to place it with the same side facing the light as before. To avoid mistakes, make a mark on the pot in advance.
Price
Since most ficus trees are trees and shrubs, their price depends on their size. Large specimens are the result of many years of plant care. Therefore, you will have to pay at least 3,000 rubles for a ficus. Young shoots of flowers can be purchased for 300-400 rubles. This is what they will ask for, for example, for a 25-30 cm ficus Benjamin.
As a rule, you have to fork out for designer plants. If the flower trunks are woven into a complex pattern, the crown is decorated, the tree will not cost less than 5,000 rubles. The same applies to compositions on a trellis and ficus trees with trunks artificially twisted like young bamboo shoots.
The price of the flower is also affected by the pot. The standard plastic version makes the purchase cheaper. A ceramic, spectacular pot costs several times more. As a rule, variegated plant species are also more expensive.
How to replant a ficus
When and how often to replant ficus
The best time to move to a new pot is spring and early summer. During this period, adaptation occurs most easily.
It is not difficult to understand that the previous capacity has become small. The soil in it dries quickly, the roots entwine the earthen ball and look out through the drainage holes. If this happens, do not delay the transplant. But transfer the earthen ball entirely, do not wash or clean the root system.
To avoid this situation, replant young ficus trees every year. Adults who are more than four years old, at intervals of 2-3 years, when the roots begin to become crowded.
It is better not to disturb large tub plants. Just renew the top layer of soil a couple of times a year.
What kind of land does ficus need?
Special soil for ficus trees can be bought at any store. To the universal soil you will have to add ¹⁄₂–1 handful of coarse sand or vermiculite.
To make your own soil, mix sand, peat, leaf and turf soil in approximately equal proportions.
What kind of pot does ficus need?
ficusforever.nl
Plastic or ceramic pots are suitable for these plants. The main thing is that they have drainage holes.
Choose a pot that is slightly larger than the root system, that is, a couple of centimeters wider and deeper than before. Don't get too big right away.
For the first transplant from a shipping container (plants are sold in stores in them), take a pot a little deeper, but about the same diameter.
How to transplant
Remove the plant from the pot. Lightly shake the earthen ball and gently tap it on the floor or other surface. Remove the soil, which will fall off on its own. Do not try to remove the remaining one with your hands or anything else.
Take a pot of the right size. Pour about 2 cm of expanded clay drainage into the bottom, put a few pieces of charcoal and sprinkle some earth. Place the ficus in the pot and add soil.
After replanting, place the plant in its original place. Watering - no earlier than every 4-5 days.
Choosing a pot and soil
To transplant a ficus, you must first take care of the correct preparation of the soil mixture in order to provide the plant with the necessary nutrition.
The soil for ficus must meet the following requirements:
- be slightly acidic or neutral;
- have sufficient breathability;
- retains moisture well.
For small, newly rooted shoots, use a mixture of the following components:
- leaf humus;
- peat;
- river sand, taken in equal parts.
Mature plants may have a denser mixture consisting of the following:
- peat;
- sand;
- humus;
- turf land.
Vermicompost is also a good additive, stimulating plant growth. Lime and dolomite flour are added as a source of magnesium and calcium.
In addition to preparing the soil mixture, you need to choose the right pot. For ficuses you can use:
- A clay pot that absorbs moisture well, so the ficus in it will not become waterlogged;
- Plastic pot. To prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged, a deeper drainage layer of expanded clay is poured;
- Wooden tubs , usually used when transplanting bushes that have reached large sizes.
How to fertilize ficus
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From spring to autumn, feed the plant once every one and a half to two weeks. Fertilizers will ensure active growth of the plant itself and the development of healthy leaves. In winter, you can refuse feeding.
The optimal scheme is alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. For example, based on bird droppings. Although using only one type gives a good result.
How to treat ficus
Watch your green pet carefully and provide him with assistance in a timely manner.
Ficus sheds leaves
This happens for various reasons:
- rearranging the plant or reacting to new conditions after purchase;
- drafts from ventilation, cold air from air conditioning systems;
- sudden changes in temperature;
- watering with cold water;
- low air humidity;
- lack of light;
- overflow or overdrying;
- spider mite
Pay attention to the conditions under which the plant is kept. This will help identify and eliminate the cause.
If small-leaved species lose up to 10 leaves when winter sets in, nothing needs to be done. This is the plant's reaction to the change of season.
If it's all about a mite, which can be identified by a barely visible web, give the ficus a warm shower. Then treat with acaricides according to the instructions. Insect control products will not cope with this pest.
The leaves are drying at the edges
Overflow is to blame.
This problem often occurs with rubber-bearing ficuses. If symptoms appear, remove the rotted roots and replant the plant in a new pot. Afterwards, try to water moderately.
Damaged leaves will not recover, but new ones will grow healthy.
Leaves droop and fall
This is also a reaction to overflow. Review your watering schedule. Check every time to see if the soil is dry enough.
If overwatering, try drying the soil with paper towels. Place one in the tray, and when it gets wet, change to the next one. Continue until the moisture comes out.
If the situation does not improve, transplant the ficus into a new pot. Before doing this, dry the soil again.
Reproduction
Theoretically, the plant can be propagated in different ways: both vegetatively and using seeds. In practice, all types and varieties of Ficus Benjamin are propagated by cuttings, which remain in abundance after spring pruning of the plant. Although cuttings can be cut and rooted all year round, in spring the speed of shoot growth is maximum, and they take root better.
Do it this way. Using a clean tool (knife or pruning shears), cut off the apical shoot from the ficus, at least 10 - 12 cm long. Do not touch the upper leaves, you only need to remove a couple of lower ones, near the cut. When cut, the cutting will secrete droplets of milky juice - they should be blotted with a sterile napkin or rinsed under running water until it stops secreting. If the sap is allowed to harden, it will prevent root formation. Then air dry the cut. Now you can put the cuttings to root in water or directly in the substrate. Let's consider both options.
Rooting in water
Note that in the spring, ficus cuttings form roots more readily than at other times of the year, even in plain water. The procedure here is as follows:
- Place the prepared cuttings in a glass (preferably opaque) with water. The water should be settled, at room temperature, no more than half a glass, so that the lower leaves do not touch the water.
- It is advisable to add half a tablet of aspirin and activated carbon to the water to ensure that the shoot does not rot. If desired, you can add a few drops of some drug that stimulates root formation to the water, for example, Kornevin.
- Place the container with the cutting in a warm place (about 25 degrees), illuminated by the scattered rays of the sun. The water will evaporate - do not forget to add it to the previous level. In two to four weeks, roots should appear.
- When the roots grow a little, transplant the cuttings into a pot with suitable soil, cover it with a bag or jar to create a greenhouse effect with high humidity.
- From time to time, open the greenhouse slightly for ventilation and to accustom the young plant to the temperature of the apartment.
- A guarantee of successful rooting will be the appearance in a week or two of a new sprout next to the transplanted cuttings. Then the cover can be removed and the pot can be moved to the place chosen for it.
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Rooting in the substrate
It is believed that the bush obtained in this way grows and develops faster. It is important here that the composition of the substrate is most suitable for Ficus Benjamin: fertile, breathable, with neutral acidity.
- Place the cutting in a small pot with drainage and substrate in the center.
- Pour in settled water with the addition of Kornevin or other similar preparations, for example, Gileya.
- Cover the glass with film or another glass on top to create a mini greenhouse.
- Place this greenhouse in a warm place with indirect light for three to five weeks. During this time, roots should appear on the cuttings.
- The cover can be removed. As soon as the sprout begins to grow, we can assume that rooting has been successful.
We advise you to root several cuttings at once, in case some of them die. Later, you may want to experiment with the surviving “extra” sprouts and create an unusual shape from braided or otherwise fused sprouts.
