Despite a wide range of exotic indoor flowers and plants, there are always fans of the ficus, simple and beautiful, with a peculiar twist. What you need to know, bringing home a ficus, home care for which requires proper attention?
Ficus - growing and care at home
This plant is difficult to attribute to capricious or whimsical, but it is worth knowing some of the features of care for the ficus at home. For example, this flower loves peace and constancy, and it is better to immediately determine for him one pot "to grow" and a permanent place. Under natural conditions, figs are tropical plants, so high humidity is a necessary condition for growing it.
The temperature regime at home is also very important. Take care that the temperature in the room even in the coldest winter does not fall below 16 ° C for its comfortable life. Critical minimum, which is able to survive the flower, subject to proper care - 12 ° C. In summer, the air temperature is important to maintain within 25-30 ° C.
Light mode at home can be different for different types of ficuses. Most species feel well in the light shade, direct sunlight can be fatal to them. But you should not allow the other extreme - in the far dark corner of the apartment the flower will be bad. As for the variegated species of fig trees, for example, Benjamin ficus, they prefer to grow in the light, but the light must be scattered, otherwise burns may appear on the leaves.
Ficus transplantation
The transplantation is a huge stress for the plant in the home, and it's impossible to do this "just in case", only if necessary. How to understand that it's time to transplant a flower?
- From the holes of the pot the roots start to come out, this indicates that the pot is too small for the flower.
- After watering, the soil dries too quickly.
- The plant slowed down in growth.
On the last point, slowing down in growth, this is not an unambiguous decision, if the ficus gets proper care at home and fertilizing, but it looks bad, transplantation can not help. Perhaps we are dealing with serious and dangerous diseases of the flower that require treatment, which we will discuss in detail later.
Young ficus, home care beyond which is different from caring for adult plants, should be transplanted on average once a year, if the plant is 4 years old or more, it can be less often, every two years. The most favorable season for transplanting this flower is the end of winter - the beginning of spring. Due to its unpretentiousness, many neglect this rule and perform a transplant in the fall, but such a decision can seriously damage the flower.
Primer for ficus
On the shelves of stores, we can see many ready-made substrates with the inscription "For Ficus", but not always you can trust the producers. A good primer for ficuses should include:
- peat;
- fine expanded clay;
- wood ash;
- cleaned river sand.
If you do not want to overpay for ready ground mixtures, you can make them yourself at home. For the young ficus, the soil is prepared according to the following recipe:
- 1 part of leaf humus;
- 1 part peat;
- 1 part of sand.
For adult ficus, the ideal recipe will be:
- 2 parts of leaf humus;
- 2 parts of sod land;
- 1 part of sand.
For the friability of the substrate, such components as expanded clay, coarse sand, river gravel are added. If possible, add biohumus - a product of vital activity of earthworms. This is an excellent natural fertilizer for ficus at home and a growth stimulant, helps the plant to adapt after a transplant.
Pot for ficus
Another important issue that we have to face is what kind of pot is needed for the ficus? Concerning the capacity of the flower unpretentious. The size of the pot is selected depending on the size of the flower and its root system - from the roots to the walls of the pot should remain at least 2 cm, the new pot should be a couple of centimeters larger than the old one. Too large a pot should not be taken - this can lead to decay of the roots.
As for the pottery materials, the ficus does not have any particular preferences, provided that care at home is right. He will feel great both in clay or ceramic, and in simple plastic. One condition - the plant should not be exposed to any chemical substances, that is, there should be no paint inside the pot. There must also be holes for drainage.
Trimming Ficus
An important element of care that requires ficus is pruning and shaping the crown. Why is this necessary? Sanitary pruning involves the removal of drying or weakly developing shoots, this helps the plant to direct its forces to the growth and development of good branches. You can carry out such an action at any time during the year. Rejuvenating trimmed ficus is needed in emergency cases, for example, if the plant is frozen. In this case, we cut off the frostbitten shoot "under the stump," and if the root is healthy, the plant will recover very quickly.
For some species of ficus, for example, Benjamin , from time to time, pinching is carried out - pruning the tips of the shoots, which stimulates the growth of the laterals, and as a result we get a beautiful and lush crown. Before the procedure, the instrument (scissors or blades) is disinfected, then carefully inspect the shoot, which must be cut. Where the kidneys are directed at the intended site of the cut, the branch will grow in that direction, this is important to consider when forming the crown.
Another point that is important to consider - if you regularly spend the pinching of the ficus, the size of its leaves will decrease. Rather, on young shoots they will grow smaller than on the original crown. For some it is an advantage, for someone else, a big minus.
How to water the ficus?
How often to water the ficus depends on many factors - this is the age of the flower, the size of the pot, the time of the year, the properties of the soil, the lighting in the room, the air temperature. Therefore, it is not necessary to plan a strict schedule for watering a flower. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil and water the flower on demand.
How to understand that it's time to water the plant? To do this, simply slide the finger into the substrate for 2-3 cm. If the earth is crumbling and the finger remains clean, then the flower needs watering. Sprinkle the ficus with warm water, pour it from above until the water spills out of the drainage hole. After half an hour, the water should be drained from the pan.
Remember that to watering the ficus is demanding, and for it both the lack of moisture and its excess are equally dangerous. It is also important to consider that this plant is tropical, and in nature it grows in conditions of high humidity. In the apartment, the ficus is very fond of irrigation with water from the atomizer or at least rubbing the leaves with a damp sponge.
Diseases of ficus
With competent care with a problem such as diseases and pests of ficus, you are unlikely to encounter. But if all this happened, it is important to know how to recognize this or that disease, and how to help the plant. So, neglecting the rules of care, you can face such problems:
- The leaves turn yellow. The most common cause of the disease is dry air. The best way to solve the problem is to transfer the flower to another place, away from the heating devices and install an air humidifier. Another possible cause of yellow leaves is the stress associated with the frequent movement of the ficus. If you move to another ficus place, care at home should be especially gentle.
- Grinding and falling of leaves . This is a sure sign of a lack of nutrients. The solution to the problem is an urgent transplant in quality soil.
- Falling leaves at the bottom of the trunk. This is a natural process, but it's worth worrying if the trunk below becomes bare. In this case, the flower needs a transplant.
- Dying leaves. In this case, we are most likely dealing with infectious infection, and without the help of insecticidal drugs we can not do without.
How to care for ficus in winter?
In nature, these flowers grow in the hot tropics, so care for ficus in winter at home should be carefully and carefully, so that the plant is not affected by low temperatures, drafts, watering with cold water or dry air in the apartment. How to ensure the ficus ideal conditions in the winter?
If the room has a ficus, care at home after him is to maintain the right humidity. Ideally, if the room is operated by an air humidifier. In case there is no such possibility, it is important to spray the flower, leave damp things on the battery or put a container with water near the ficus.
Why fall leaves in the ficus in winter?
In the autumn and winter seasons many small-leaved species of ficus dump some of the leaves, and this is considered the norm if the number of leaves does not exceed 10-15 pieces. The reason for the losses can be:
- subcooling (low temperature or draft);
- stress after transplant;
- lack of sun;
- excessive watering;
- appearance of pests.
What not to do in case of falling leaves is to water it even more and more often. If you rule out all of the above reasons, and the ficus still leaves the leaves in the winter, what should you do? Most likely, we are dealing with decay of roots, and the only solution is the urgent extraction of the flower from the pot, checking the roots, removing the rotten areas, then planting in a new pot and ensuring ideal conditions for maintenance.
What to feed the ficus at home in the winter?
Ficus feeding in winter should be made only in case of acute necessity, but not longer than a week and in small quantities. For this plant a good fertilizer is the leaves of nettle, mullein, chicken droppings, wood ash. And remember that giving ficus fertilizing "just in case" is not only undesirable, but also harmful to the flower.
How to water the ficus in winter?
Paradoxically, but despite the fact that the ficus in the cold season especially needs humidity, in moistened soil, he does not need. Therefore, the irrigation of the fig tree in winter should be carried out no more often than once every two weeks. But sprinkle the leaves as often as possible - 2-3 times a week will ensure the flower well-being.
Is it possible to trim the ficus in winter?
Like any other plant, the ficus has its own seasonal cycles, according to which the best time for the formation of its crown is the middle of spring. At other times of the year, it will not give the desired results - unfortunately, the flower will not grow beautifully and evenly and the meaning in this procedure is lost.
Pruning ficus in winter can be dangerous for a flower. The fact is that the nutrients accumulated in spring and summer accumulate in the flower shoots, and if cut off, the plant can seriously weaken or even die. Therefore, it is better to refrain from the procedure and wait a few months. With regard to sanitary trimmed ficus, it can not be called a stress for the plant, and as necessary, it can be carried out at any time of the year.