How to propagate ficus, transplant and take a shoot
Content:
Ficus is an unpretentious and shade-tolerant plant with many varieties bred in Africa, America and Australia. The flower looks spectacular in the home interior and is popular among most flower growers. There are many ways how to propagate ficus in an apartment environment (cuttings, aerial and horizontal layering, seeds, cloning) and give the culture an unusual shape. The optimum temperature for rooting a flower is 24-28 ° C, humidity is 80%.
How to propagate ficus by cuttings at home
To take shoots from ficuses allows both apical cuttings and pruning the middle of the shoot. The upper ones take root faster. Correct cuttings are obtained from an internode stem. The optimal length of the shoot depends on the plant variety: for small-leaved crops such as Benjamin, 10 cm is enough (preferably 3-7 leaves), for Rubbery and Lyre-like crops - 15 cm (2-4 leaves).
Preparing ficus for transplant
Large-leaved lyre individuals are cut off 2/3 of the leaf, reducing the level of evaporated moisture. For rubbery varieties, gardeners twist the leaves into a tube and gently fix it with an elastic band or rope, retaining moisture in the appendix. The milk remaining on the scion interferes with the formation of roots. Soaking the bottom of the stem in warm water (2 hours) with further processing of the cut with a growth stimulant will help to solve the problem. Having charcoal at their disposal, many housewives will certainly want to disinfect the cut.
How to take a shoot from a ficus
Cutting of ficus processes is carried out with a sharp knife or scissors at an angle of 45 degrees, without lifting your hands. Attempts to break off the stem by hand may result in an unsuccessful or protracted rooting process. Cuttings are taken in March or April.
Pruning shoots with scissors
Before winter, the plant has time to take root and get stronger. Further transplantation is carried out once a year, older plants do not need to be disturbed for 3-4 years.
How to root a ficus shoot
Among the main methods of how to transplant ficus with cuttings, there are 2 options: into water and soil. The first way is more convenient. Rooting in water will allow you to evaluate the formed shoots, to correct the planting time with poor plant development.
To transplant ficus shoots into water, a number of manipulations will be required:
- The edge of the appendix is washed from the released milk. The astringent properties of white juice slow down rooting.
- They are immersed in a mixture of water and coal in a container that does not allow sunlight to pass through, ideally where there is a minimum of air, in order to avoid decay processes. The leaves should be above the water mirror, otherwise the spots that are characteristic of rotting will appear.
- Shoots are left in water in a lighted area, avoiding direct sunlight for half a month / month.
- Check the plant. The presence of small roots indicates the possibility of planting the plant in the soil. Do not let the roots grow too much - they will be damaged when tamped in a new pot.
Instructions on how to transplant ficuses into the ground are also straightforward:
- the milky juice on the cut is washed off with a water-carbohydrate solution, the processes are allowed to dry for 30-40 minutes;
- place the cutting in a small container with a rooting substrate;
- add a rooting agent loaded with nutrients and stimulants that accelerate root formation.
Preparing the soil for growing a flower
It is advisable to grow the stalk in a container covered with foil or a PET bottle without a throat.
How to propagate large-leaved ficus at home
Small cuttings and adult plants are suitable for reproduction of large-leaved ficuses. The second method is relevant when exposing the lower part of the trunk. Florists cut off the top that has preserved healthy leaves and root it in water or soil.
Tree crops, for example, Lyrovidnaya, are propagated by air vents. The main conditions are the presence of a long trunk and the placement of leaves at the top. The escape is shortened. After a certain time, the crown becomes denser due to the formation of lateral shoots.
The shoots are rooted with an air layer. Step-by-step instructions provide for the designation of the required height under the kidney, creating a circular incision upward or removing the bark under the layering. A match is placed in the resulting incision, wrapped with a film. It is recommended to place wet moss in polyethylene. Above and below, the film is tied, leaving air inside. Roots should appear after 3 weeks. After the operations, the moss is overgrown with roots, the top is separated from the main ficus, ready for placement in a separate pot.
Leaf propagation
Before propagating ficuses with a leaf at home, it is important to understand: the method involves growing a crop from a part of a stem with one leaf. The lower cut is made at an angle directly along the internode. The piece is immersed in the substrate up to the leaf petiole.
Rooting a ficus leaf
The leaf is twisted by the owner of the flower into a tube, fixed with an elastic band. Further actions are similar to rooting a wood cuttings.
How to transplant ficus
Ficus soil
The ideal soil for ficus will be a soil with high water and air permeability, weak acidity (6.5-7 pH). The density of the soil is determined by the age of the ficus: for young shoots, a loose composition should be prepared, adults should be planted in a denser soil based on sod, leafy soil and humus. Clay soil threatens with stagnant water in the pot.
The choice of land is also determined by the variety of the home flower:
- Ficus Benjamin is planted in a soil mixture containing equal proportions of humus, leafy soil and peat. Drainage properties will give the soil expanded clay, covered with sand at the bottom of the pot.
- Growing a rubbery variety requires neutral or slightly acidic soils based on sod and deciduous soil, half of the river sand. The bottom of the pot should be laid with small stones, sprinkled with river sand on top.
- Microcarp ficuses can be easily transplanted into other pots, since the representatives of the variety are absolutely unpretentious to the substrate, the choice is between neutral and slightly acidic soil, including sod and leafy soil in equal proportions, half the sand.
Ready soil mixture for ficus
As practice shows, it is also convenient to propagate ficuses in ready-made soil mixtures "Ficus" and "Palma", the compositions contain the necessary minimum of the components required for the development of plants. The earth is immersed in a drainage pot, carefully rammed. Hollow areas will cause root rot, excessive pressure on the soil will damage the roots and reduce the air intake.
In which pot to plant ficus
Ficus feels most comfortable in a pot with drainage holes.Flower owners should stock up on ceramic, wooden vases or plastic counterparts in advance. The main criteria are the absence of chemicals, opacity (in the case of plastic, it is advisable to use brown, green pots), the right size.
The size of the pot is determined by the state of the root system of the ficus. For the unimpeded development of culture in the house, flower growers leave a gap of 2 cm between the walls of the container and the roots.
What pot is needed for Benjamin's ficus
There is no ideal vessel shape for keeping ficuses. Standard models are suitable for the lion's share of varieties of varieties. The diameter and height of the flowerpots are of equal parameters. A typical pot is also perfect for Benjamin's ficus. Interested in how to plant small-leaved ficuses for further cultivation using the bonsai technique, you should take a closer look at flat clay pots without a glossy effect.
What to feed during the transplant
A complete nutrition of an evergreen plant includes mineral and organic elements. However, before feeding the ficus shoots, you need to wait a month while the plant feeds on microelements of the new soil. At this time, the applied fertilizers will burn the cutting.
Mineral fertilizer for ficuses "Agricola"
The correct development and formation of shoots in an exotic flower is due to the abundance of 3 minerals: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.
Mineral supplements are:
- dry, allowing before use to dilute the required amount of powdery granular composition or tablets;
- liquid, produced in the form of ready-made solutions;
- in the form of prolonged sticks stuck into the ground.
The list of organic dressings is made up of manure, humus, coffee grounds, tea leaves, trimmings of fruits and vegetables, sugar and yeast. Ash, succinic acid, nettle tincture are well absorbed by the individual.
Specialized stores offer to fertilize a home flower with complex preparations and special-purpose products, the most effective are:
- "Rainbow" is an organic solution enclosed in half-liter plastic bottles. It is ideal for watering the soil, spraying leaves and treating cuttings. However, the liquid contains potassium in the composition, an overdose of the drug provokes a natural question: why the tips of the leaves of ficuses curl inward, and what experts recommend to do (transplant the plant or add pure water to the soil).
- Agricola is a universal fertilizer for various varieties of ficus. Available in bags and bottles, dry and liquid consistency - 100/250 ml, respectively.
- Pocon is a liquid fertilizer complex designed specifically for ficuses. Produced by the Dutch company in 250 ml packs.
Pruning and shaping the crown
When forming ficuses, one should take into account the peculiarities of the physiology of the growth of an individual. The development of new shoots is based on buds: apical and lateral, enclosed in the axils of the leaves, above the leaf petiole with the trunk. The most rapid development is observed in the apical kidney, which inhibits or blocks the growth of the axillary processes. Removal of the upper bud stimulates the active development of lateral outgrowths that form shoots of equal strength.
The crown is formed by pruning and shortening the shoots, placing the shoots in the required directions with tensioning devices. With sufficient air humidity, ficuses release aerial roots. As the shoots grow, they are directed to the soil.
Shoots on thin stems are cut in a straight motion; a beveled cut (above the bud down to the base) allows you to trim adult crowns. If the formation of hemp is prevented, the plant is not threatened with fungus and unaesthetic appearance.
Ficus Benjamin mating
Weaving methods:
- "Pigtail", "Spiral". To weave the trunks into a spiral, two shoots are enough, "braids" - three trunks 15 cm high.As the plant grows, the lateral processes are removed, the trunks are intertwined, leaving free space for the thickening. For reliability, the braids are fixed with woolen threads applied to the trunk at an angle of 45 degrees.
- A "stretched spring" is obtained from a young appendage wound around a peg during development. The lateral processes are removed. The peg is removed, leaving the stem intricate.
- "Rose of Wind". The method is based on paired crossing of the northern process with the southern one, and the eastern one with the western one. Repeated repetition of the operation forms a semblance of chain links.
- "Fence". Having gained experience with weaving braids and spirals, it is worth trying to grow a hedge from ficuses. Plants are planted at the same distance and their trunks are intertwined. Plants planted in a circle or forming a lattice of 6-8 trunks look interesting.
- "Arc". The shape of the arch is easily taken by ficus-vines: dwarf, mountain, arrow-shaped, ivy-shaped. For the correct direction of the shoots, arc-shaped wire bases are placed in the pot.
- Stamp. The main condition for the formation of the trunk is a pronounced vertical trunk. The shoot is constantly deprived of lateral shoots, leaving 3-5 upper ones, until the desired height is reached. The size of the table composition is 30 ... 40 cm, the floor composition is 50 ... 100 cm. When the desired size is reached, the top of the ficus is pinched, stimulating the development of lateral processes. Stability of the crown is given by a peg, which is subject to further removal.
- Bonsai. The "plant in a bowl" is obtained from various varieties of ficus trees (Altissima, Aurea, Benjamina, Erecta, Macrophylla), immersed in a shallow container (tray, tray, dish), with maximum preservation of the characteristics of the natural species of the plant.
Ficus Microcarpa using bonsai technique
A coconut support surrounded by three young ficuses will also help create an unusual look for a home flower. Constant moistening of the moss column stimulates the appearance of aerial roots in the neighbors, gradually braiding the column and growing together.
How to pinch a ficus
Ficus grafting will be successful if you pinch the crown on a grown plant using disinfected tools: alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. The sharper the blade, the easier it is to pinch the branches. For example, the flower has reached the desired height, but the top shoot is too thin. It is sufficient to make a straight cut in the upper part of the appendix. The crown of a mature plant is formed by an oblique incision above the bud, 8 cm from the leaf. With one-sided branching, kerbovka will help - an incision in the bark above the bud to stimulate shoots, under the branches - to slow down and weaken growth. Upon completion of the procedure, the plant is provided with proper care.
If the ficus transplant and plucking has endured well, a new sprout will soon appear - the basis for interesting ideas for decorating the interior.
