How to make Benjamin ficus bonsai

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Bonsai is the art of harmony and balance, it is the process of creating compact trees, attuning a person to the same wavelength with nature. To make a bonsai with your own hands, it is important to learn how to properly handle the plant and provide it with quality care. Forming a bonsai from Benjamin's ficus is a fairly common hobby, because growing such a picky plant is easy and even for beginners. In addition, the plant does not need an additional dormant period.

Content

Features of growing bonsai
Actions for the formation of the crown and trunk
Features of bonsai care measures
Transplant and watering rules

Ficus Benjamin Bonsai

Features of growing bonsai

Do-it-yourself Benjamin Ficus Bonsai is grown by many gardeners. In addition to the mentioned variety, they often resort to the formation of bonsai from Bengal, variegated, dark-leaved, rusty-red and dull ficus. However, Benjamin's ficus and Microcarpa's ficus are more malleable to form with their own hands. It is necessary to provide plants with high-quality care in order to prevent leaves from dropping and deterioration of their appearance. A master class will be quite useful, which includes the step-by-step creation of a bonsai from Benjamin's ficus.

Regardless of the type of plant, it is important to strictly follow these steps:

plant a flower correctly;
timely cut and form the crown and roots;
provide periodic transplant and ongoing care.

It is convenient to form a bonsai from Benjamin's ficus in many ways, including:

branched root system of the plant;
the presence of massive, corrugated and ornate trunks;
the ability to rapidly grow and develop leaves and roots;
the presence of a beautiful bark and small leaves.

Getting a beautiful tree with proper care is possible in a couple of years. It is very important to pay attention to the choice of the shape of the decorative structure, because the development of the ficus depends on it. A specialized master class can tell how to form a plant. For ficuses, the options below are best suited.

The traditional erect form, which is mainly chosen by novice growers because of its simplicity, because a straight post and branched thick roots are enough to make a bonsai. In the erect form, the number of branches gradually decreases upward.
An irregular upright shape is distinguished by the presence of a slight bend in the trunk (there may be several of them). Each bend should be shaped with your own hands using laces. Neither sheets nor crowns can be outside the container.
The oblique version assumes that the trunk is tilted to one side, while the roots are "turned out" in the opposite direction.
The bifurcated form speaks for itself. In this case, one common root gives a pair of trunks. The formation of such an option at home is considered quite difficult.

For growing bonsai, 2 manipulations can help. This can be the formation of roots or a crown with your own hands.As for the first option, only multiple pruning is enough. To facilitate the task, a spacious large container filled with high-quality drainage is often used. It is important to monitor the trimming so that the sheets do not start to fall off and turn yellow. Ficus care also depends on nutrition.

An important element of creating a decorative tree is the selection of a container, because it cannot be called an ordinary flower pot. Bonsai can be grown in containers no higher than 30 cm in size and no more than 5 cm deep. The legs of the container should reach 10-15 mm in height, and the container itself must be equipped with drainage holes: one for every 10 sq. cm.

Actions for the formation of the crown and trunk

Shaping the trunk is one of the important stages of growing. In order to give the tree the necessary shape at home, you need a thin wire, supplemented with insulation, under which a soft cloth is placed to prevent damage to the plant bark. Then you need to proceed as follows:

after rooting the seedling, the trunk should be wrapped in the planned bend point and tightened slightly;
then Benjamin's ficus is bent in the desired direction;
at the end of several months, the wire can be removed, since the tree will fix the desired shape on its own: the wire must be carefully cut with sharpened scissors.

Starting pruning, which never brings complications and troubles to the ficus, it is important to remember that this should be done only after 5-10 leaves appear on the shoot.

It is impossible to answer the question of how to make bonsai from Benjamin ficus without touching on the topic of pruning: it contributes to the active growth and growth of green mass by the plant. After carrying out the manipulations, 1 branch should remain with 2-5 sheets. To carry out pruning yourself at home is easy step by step:

pruning ficus Benjamin always starts at the bottom of the crown;
its formation should go according to the plan of giving the desired shape;
when shortening branches, you do not need to touch the plant leaf;
after pruning, it is important to lubricate the damage with garden var.

The best time to do pruning is the spring period, and summer is suitable for correcting the "hairstyle", when you can remove the protruding branches that do not correspond to the idea. Pruning is strictly prohibited after the arrival of autumn and during winter, when the ficus enters a dormant period.

Before you form your compact and cozy tree, it is important to remember an interesting feature of the plant: ficuses always “bleed”. The place damaged after cutting is covered with milk juice, which is dangerous to humans.

Features of bonsai care measures

Caring for a decorative ficus at home is quite simple. To avoid any trouble with him, you must take into account the recommendations from professionals.

You can grow bonsai in the western or eastern section of the apartment, protected from direct exposure to the sun. The tree can be placed on the windows and placed in the room itself. It is important that the container is always provided with warmth and open air.
The plant should be protected from drafts and climatic changes (especially during the cold season).
From the ficus grown in room conditions, the necessary useful components that feed the soil are fleetingly washed out, therefore the need for fertilizing increases. It is better to feed the tree regularly using special fertilizers. Throughout the spring and summer, the plant is fed every 14 days, and in frosty seasons, the feeding is reduced to 1 time in 30 days.
Care cannot be complete without daily, albeit not abundant, watering. The best option is to use a spray bottle. It is possible to grow a decorative tree only due to additional moistening of the crowns: without this step, the leaves will dry out and fall off. There is also a risk of developing an infection.
For feeding, you can use chemical and organic fertilizers.
To carry out the transplant, you will need to purchase or prepare a special mixture on your own.

After all the stages have been passed, the container is placed in a dark place. Speaking about potting soil for bonsai, it is important to note that ficuses are considered the most unpretentious plants, therefore they get along with any soil. But, despite this, it is possible to grow a real Japanese bonsai only on a special nutritious substrate from a uniform ratio of fertile turf, leafy soil, charcoal and half the proportion of sand. Doing it yourself and making the mix saves you money and keeps a close eye on the ingredients you use. In the absence of the possibility, in a home-made version of the mixture, ready-made soils or universal slightly acidic substrates are used.

Natural ventilation, liquid drainage and oxygenation of the roots are obtained with the help of drainage. To form a special drainage layer for a shallow container, you need to follow a certain sequence of actions: first, the lower holes are covered with a plastic mesh, which is covered with coarse sand and a couple of centimeters of the substrate.

Transplant and watering rules

During the first 3 years, the ornamental tree is transplanted every year using a new substrate, and the size of the new container should exceed the previous one by a couple of centimeters. The bottom of the container is filled with coarse sand and closed with a net, the substrate fills only 1/3 of the container. After the ficus is taken out, shaken off the accumulated dirt and washed with warm water. The roots are shortened by 50%, and the thin filamentous roots are completely disposed of. The remaining wounds can be treated with an activated carbon solution. Ficus is placed in a container and covered in such a way as to leave the upper third of the roots above the ground. The earth is compacted (but not too much), watered and covered with sphagnum.

Due to the small size of the container, it is important to monitor the regular watering of the bonsai: you cannot skip a single day, because each leaf needs additional moisture. If possible, you can install an air humidifier in the apartment, place a small bowl or fountain filled with water near the tree. Such measures tend to raise the level of humidity, especially when the bonsai is located near heaters, fireplaces, etc. In the hot season, you need to spray the plant with water 2-3 times a day.

Thus, forming a bonsai from ficus is within the power of every grower, even without experience in plant growing. Those who have been able to grow bonsai note that this process not only calms the nerves, diversifies leisure and contributes to the decoration of the room, but also has a positive effect on health. Taking care of the plant over time becomes a habit and a pleasant pastime.