Ficus Benjamin is considered by many to be a family amulet, and the house in which it grows especially luxuriantly is considered safe. However, lovers of indoor plants know that for good growth the plant just needs timely and proper care. We will describe below how to care for the ficus and successfully multiply it.
Necessary conditions for the growth of ficus
You can find out what a ficus likes, just by watching him: this plant does not like an overabundance of sun, does not like being often moved from place to place, and grows only when all these conditions are well fulfilled. Let us consider in more detail all the nuances of caring for this plant.
Choosing a place and adjusting the lighting
Caring for ficuses in the first place involves the correct choice of place for a pot with him, which, in turn, will also depend on the lighting. In this matter, the Benjamin's ficus is quite whimsical - on the one hand, it requires a lot of light and starts losing its leaves very quickly in shaded places. But on the other hand, this indoor plant also does not tolerate direct sunlight, so putting it on the window sill on the south side of the house will be a big mistake.
Ideal for him would be a place about a meter from the window, which is not particularly actively illuminating the sun. Note also that if the plant likes your chosen place, it is better to leave it on it and not experiment with others. Only in the summer, you can try to make a ficus on the street or a balcony, also taking care that the plant does not stand under the sun for a whole day.
Important! In winter, while reducing the duration of daylight, the ficus may stall in growth, and you will be able to notice the falling of its leaves. To protect it from fading, it is recommended to organize artificial highlighting using fitolamps.
Ficus and temperature content
Like any other indoor plant, ficus is quite thermophilic. Therefore, if in the summer you take it outside, make sure that the air temperature does not fall below + 15 ° C at night. If the plant freezes, it will start dropping the leaves, and it will not be able to move away after such a “shock.”
Important! Do not place Benjamin's ficus pot near heating systems.Leaf ficus benjamina is able to respond to temperature fluctuations in the room. This again brings us to the fact that the plant should not be put on the window sill on the south side of the house, where it will heat up during the day and cool at night. The plant should not be allowed to undergo a temperature below + 18˚С and above + 30˚С. It is worth taking care also that during the growth the plant does not fall into drafts.
How to spray and water Ficus Benjamin
Watering - this is the most difficult task in the care of ficuses. The fact is that the intensity and frequency of irrigation of this indoor plant depends on such factors:
- The temperature in the room.
- Air humidity.
- Type of ficus.
- Illumination of the place where the plant is.
- Season.
Therefore, when watering ficus, it is worth checking the soil moisture in the pot - if it dries out by about 2-3 cm (if the pot is small, then you should not allow it to dry even 1 cm, if it is very large - nothing bad will happen, if the earth dries out and everything 5 cm). In this case, the ficus should grow in a pot with good drainage, so that in case you pour too much water, its surplus can go down to the lower plate. It is important to periodically remove water from it, as it can stagnate.Important! When watering a ficus, do not forget to regularly loosen the soil in the pot with it. Due to this water will be better and faster to reach the roots of the plant and feed it.With the onset of cold weather, watering the plant can be slightly reduced, while not forgetting to monitor the condition of the earth. After all, if your apartment is too hot, in the winter the ficus will have to be watered as often as in the summer. During the heating season, the plant also needs to spray its crown, since artificial heat can strongly dry its trunk and leaves, which, due to interaction with dry air, can begin to dry and fall off.
What water to pour ficus
To ensure normal growth, this plant requires specially distilled or boiled water. When watering it is important to warm it up a little. Many fans of this plant recommend organizing real tropical rainfall for this tropical plant. To do this, move with the ficus to the bathroom, cover it with a plastic bag and pour warm water from the shower over several minutes. If she gets into the pot at the same time - do not worry.
Important! If you water the ficus too often and abundantly, a bloom of white will begin to appear on the surface of its leaves.After this procedure, do not rush to return the plant to its original place. Let the ficus first adapts to the temperature in the bathroom, after which it will be easier for it to adapt to the air in the other rooms.
Necessary fertilizers, fertilizing ficus Benjamin
The first is to find out what kind of soil loves the ficus. In general, this plant is unpretentious, but if you put the pot in the pot directly from the garden, you should immediately take care of its fertilizer. In general, fans of indoor plants are advised to buy special ground mixtures for ficuses, which today are sold in each flower shop and which should consist of peat, leaf earth and sand in equal proportions. It is also allowed to use substrates consisting of turf land, peat, leaf earth and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 1, or from peat, leaf earth and humus in a ratio of 2: 1: 1.
Fertilizing the soil in a ficus pot is important in the first two spring months, when absolutely all the plants start growing especially actively. At the same time, in March and April, the number of supplements should not exceed once a month, whereas closer to the summer in May they are worth up to one in three weeks.
But when the summer time comes into its own, the plant will need even more attention and nutrients, so fertilization will have to be done every two weeks. This is due to the rapid growth of the plant, as well as the fact that in summer the moisture from the sand in the pot evaporates more quickly, and with it the substances useful for the ficus can evaporate. As fertilizers, you can use special solutions designed for ficuses, or universal, which are suitable for deciduous indoor plants. You can periodically alternate organics and minerals.
Features pruning ficus
Ficus is among those indoor plants, the shape of which can be formed independently. In particular, several plants can be planted in one pot at the same time, the trunks of which can be twisted and fixed along the plants, while additional support will also be useful. When the tree grows to a more mature age, the clamps can be removed, and it will continue to grow in the direction you specified.
You can also shape the shape of the crown of a small ficus tree. To do this, periodically it is recommended to cut a little of his shoots, but this can be done only in spring time. Consider also that the stem of the trimmed twigs must still remain long enough, otherwise it can dry out and make the plant very ugly. Thus, you will have a bushy ficus, but if you want to form a shtampid tree, simply choose one strong center shoot and allow it to grow, cutting off all the lateral ones.
Important! Various pests can also appear on ficuses, and a normal solution of laundry soap can help you get rid of them. This solution must be periodically sprayed on the plant, and soon all the pests will disappear.
How to transplant a ficus, and when it should be done
When the ficus is transplanted, the spring sun should appear on the street, so this period may fall at the end of February and the whole of March. The choice of this period of time will help the plant to quickly adapt to a new ground, and to a new pot, and possibly to a new place. During the annual transplanting, it is necessary not only to change the ground in the pot, but also to constantly increase the diameter of the pot by 4-5 cm. By providing the roots of the plant with more space for growth and more ground for obtaining nutrients, you will ensure the active growth of its trunk and crown.
Important! During the transplantation of ficus, try not to touch its roots and not to drop clods of earth from them. Such a procedure can damage them greatly, and subsequently the plant will grow poorly in a new pot. Ideal transplant ficus method of transshipment.At the same time, if the plant has grown to such dimensions that the diameter of its pot is more than 30 cm, it is already possible and not to replant it completely. Every year it will be enough to change only the top layer of sand, removing and falling asleep about 3 cm of the earth. 20% of potted soil must be organic fertilizer. But after 2-3 years, you still have to completely replace the earth in a pot with such a ficus.
Reproduction ficus Benjamin
This plant propagates by cuttings. In this case, the stalk should be chosen rather long - about 10-12 cm. It should have 2 pairs of healthy leaves, although the bottom can be safely removed. To cut the roots, it can be put either in water or in wet soil. For germination, the air temperature in the room should not be below 25 ° C. To enhance the effect, a container with a handle is recommended to cover with polyethylene.
The first roots on the handle usually appear after 1.5-2 weeks, after which the plant can already be safely planted in a pot. The diameter of the pot can be as small as 10 cm - for growth the cutting will be quite enough. To ensure good rooting in the first weeks of the pot can also be covered with a package.
Now that you have learned almost everything about indoor ficuses, you can feel free not only to grow, but also to breed this beautiful plant. After all, care for ficuses can bring a lot of pleasure, and selling pots with it can be a great idea for a home business.
