Small-leaved ficus care rules
Small-leaved ficus is a fairly popular houseplant. It adapts well to new conditions and is easy to care for. Benjamina is a small-leaved representative that attracts with its unusual appearance, which stands out among all other varieties of ficuses.
Small-leaved ficus
Description of external data and varieties
Small-leaved ficus Benjamin in natural conditions is a bush or tree. Its maximum height reaches 10 m. At home, its height is approximately 2 m.
The stem is gray with small lighter veins. The branches bend down. Leaves are small in size, oval in shape with an oblong tip. The leaves have a dense structure. The color of the foliage can vary from light green to emerald green.
Benjamin's small-leaved ficus is presented in a huge number of all kinds of indoor varieties. They vary in size and foliage. Daniel is a representative with one-color leaves of a dark green hue. Monique is distinguished by delicate twigs with foliage of a light shade, slightly uneven along the edge.
Nicole is a ficus with a sharp little elongated leaf with light edges. The safari variety is characterized by a spotted color. Baroque is the most whimsical of all varieties, its main difference is the leaves, twisted in spirals.
The homeland of ficus is the subtropics and tropics of India, China, Southeast Asia. Benjamin grows in the Philippine Islands and in the northern part of Australia. Belongs to the family of evergreen plants of the mulberry family.
How to care
Home care requires some knowledge. The flower is placed in a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight. Any plant gets burned in direct sunlight. Since Benjamin's ficus grows in a humid environment, it is also necessary to provide sufficiently humid conditions in the apartment. However, this does not mean that you need to fill the tree.
Excessive watering will lead to rotting of the root system. You can increase the humidity with the help of regular spraying; in the summer, it should be sprayed several times a day. Rotting should not be allowed, and this is the most common challenge owners face. The reasons are incorrect placement and care:
- excessive soil moisture;
- unstable temperature conditions;
- insufficient illumination;
- watering with cold water;
- drafts.
Temperature regime
Ficus Benjamin small-leaved with inappropriate temperature conditions sheds foliage. The optimum temperature is 20-25 ° C. In winter - 17-15 ° С. A decrease below the set mark can cause not only shedding of foliage, but also the death of the plant.
If the temperature drops rapidly and there is no way to correct the situation, you need to insulate the root system.When the roots are warm, the plant can tolerate temperatures below 15 ° C for some time. Unfortunately, you can't put a flower near heating devices, so you won't be able to warm it up in this way.
Watering
Small-leaved ficus is watered when the outer layer of soil dries up. With a lack of liquid, the ficus partially discards the foliage, and with an excess, the root system rots and the foliage becomes lighter. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced.
Water is used only at room temperature. To make the growth of small-leaved ficus more intense, spraying is carried out. Occasionally rinse the deciduous part of the tree under the shower. If there is a possibility and the size of the crown is sufficient for this, the ground part is completely submerged under water.
Fertilizer
Feeding ficus small-leaved is carried out from spring to autumn. Use universal substrates for decorative deciduous plants. If in the winter the plant is in a warm room, feeding is continued, but in a reduced concentration. If the apartment is cold, feeding is stopped altogether.
To speed up the growth of the ground part, use an epin. When feeding, organic and inorganic additives are alternated. Before starting to feed, you should make sure that the soil is sufficiently moist. The nutrient mixture should never come into contact with the deciduous part.
How to transplant
Caring for small-leaved ficus includes a competent transplant. Sooner or later, the time will come to transplant the plant. Young shoots at home are transplanted once a year during the beginning of the movement of the juice, in the spring. Mature trees are transplanted once every couple of years, when the roots have already tightly braided the entire earthen lump. For very large specimens, only the upper earthen layer is changed.
The pots can be made from any material. The main thing is to use drainage when transplanting. Each time the pot is transplanted, they take 2 more fingers than the previous one. Use universal soil or a self-prepared mixture of deciduous soil, peat and sand. When using self-prepared mixtures, it is necessary to fry it in the oven so that the tree does not get sick.
How to propagate
Reproduction of small-leaved ficus occurs in several ways:
- cuttings;
- seeds;
- air layering.
The easiest way to propagate a plant is to cut a 15 cm long stalk.Do not forget that the plant emits poisonous milky juice, so manipulations should be done very carefully. After pruning, the sprout is placed in a warm liquid for several hours so that this juice comes out. It is recommended to add activated carbon to the water so that the tip does not rot. When the roots appear, the sprout must be planted in the ground, covered with a jar or plastic.
When the first sprouts appear on the handle, the polyethylene is gradually removed so that the plant gets used to the microclimate of the room. You can grow ficus from seeds. They are sown in early spring and covered with a bag on top, after which they put the pot in an open, sunny place. When two sprouts appear, they should be planted in different pots.
Reproduction by layering is practiced only for certain complex varieties. To grow a new tree by this method, the bark is cut in a circular manner on an adult plant and wrapped in wet sphagnum. Additional moistening is carried out and wrapped in polyethylene. After the roots appear, the sprout is separated from the adult plant and transplanted under a bag in a separate container.
What are they sick with
Why is small-leaved ficus crumbling? - this is the question that most often arises before the owners of the tree. Small-leaved ficus sheds its leaves under any uncomfortable conditions. Most often, ficuses infect insect pests:
- shield;
- mealy worm;
- thrips.
The mealy worm can be picked by hand.To remove the scabbard and thrips, you can use drugs such as fitoverm and aktara. By the state of the leaves, you can determine what the plant lacks, and quickly correct the situation. If the leaves turn pale, then the tree does not have enough light. The ficus should be rearranged to a brighter place or a backlight should be installed next to it.
The foliage withers and turns yellow due to excessive watering. The plant should not be watered for a while. If such a move does not help, you will have to transplant the plant into another soil and remove the rotten roots, and then disinfect it with a solution of activated carbon. The main problem is shedding foliage. This phenomenon does not always indicate problems.
In autumn, part of the foliage falls off. If the fall of foliage is massive, it is necessary to reconsider the conditions of detention, perhaps to rearrange the flower to another place. Maybe the temperature regime has dropped below normal and the tree is very cold, then a lump of earth should be insulated.
How to prune
Any plant that is tree-shaped requires crown formation. Ficus Benjamin is characterized by active growth. If the flower is on a windowsill, it should be rotated every 14 days so that the crown develops evenly. In addition, annual pruning is required.
Usually a cut is made over a still dormant bud in the spring. The cut must be sprinkled with activated carbon. In young plants, it is enough to pinch off the top. Some craftsmen plant several plants in a pot and intricately intertwine their trunks; at the points of contact of the trunks, the bark should be incised. Thus, unusual openwork trunks are formed, which can be seen in the photo.
Bonsai lovers also often use this particular type of ficus. The tree is planted in a tight container and not fertilized. The branches must be fixed in the desired position with wires and weights. When the crown is formed, the stretch marks can be removed.
Conclusion
In addition to large-leaved representatives, small-leaved ficuses are found. In appearance, Benjamin's ficus differs from other mulberries. The undemanding, evergreen tree with glossy leaves is very popular among flower growers around the world.
Small-leaved ficus needs minimal care compared to other representatives. The tree loves sunlight. The plant is native to subtropical and tropical forests, so it prefers high humidity, but not excessive watering, do not confuse these 2 things.
Although the ficus is an unpretentious plant, one should reckon with the elementary conditions of detention. The tree responds to any discomfort by dropping its leaves. It is often attacked by insect pests, which can be eliminated with the help of fungicides. However, foliage falls off not only due to improper care, but also due to a natural process in the autumn.
The tree is used to form bonsai. The most experienced growers plant several plants in one pot and intertwine their trunks. In places of contact, cuts are made. As a result of such work, fancy fishnet trunks are obtained.