Ficus elastic. Ficus is rubbery. Care and growing at home

Previously, they could be seen in almost every home. In revolutionary time they were called a symbol of philistinism and began to get rid of them. Now they are regaining their deserved popularity. We are talking about plants called elastic ficuses, a little demanding, slightly capricious, but always unusually beautiful.

Familiar Strangers

There are about 2000 species of ficus. At home, about 20 of them are grown. Elastic ficuses are the most popular and most common. "Elastic" is a Latin word. In Russian, these plants are called rubber-bearing plants, because rubber was extracted from their juice before. Many growers like ficus and are willingly engaged in them, but not everyone knows what amazing properties they have. People say that ficuses bring prosperity and well-being. Scientists say that they are better than all other indoor plants, purify the air and enrich it with oxygen. Adherents of feng shui assure that ficuses help to think correctly and make the right decisions, bring peace and harmony. In the living room they create an atmosphere for intimate conversation, in the office - to make profitable bargains, draw money in the kitchen, relieve insomnia in the kitchen and even help children who have problems with it.

In nature and in the house

The native land of the ficus is the tropical zone: Burma, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, the island of Java, the Northeast part of India. There they grow lush trees up to 40 meters and more. Many species for supplementary feeding and respiration have dozens of rather powerful, aerial roots that fall down to the earth . In India they even create suspension bridges. In the native spaces all the ficuses bloom and bear fruit. The fruits of some are edible. Room ficuses bloom in the rarest of cases, only if they were provided with all the conditions, and most importantly, they provided enough space. But do not worry about this, because the flowers (sikonia) of most of them - it's ordinary-looking pear-shaped formations with a hole, similar to figs. Fruits have approximately the same appearance. In our apartments, the elastics are not huge, and not all are branching. This kind of plant has many species and varieties, apparently significantly different. Some bush, others do not. Some have green leaves, large or very small, others have mottled. Only the conditions of detention for all these species are approximately the same.

Features of care

Care of ficuses is simple, but requires compliance with certain rules. There are only six:

1. Lighting . All ficuses love it, but can not stand direct sun rays. From this on their leaves there are spots of burns. The best option is to put a pot of flower near the window, closed with a light curtain. The window itself should also be closed, because the drafts do not like ficuses. Once in a blown place, plants begin to lose foliage.

2. Temperature . Despite the fact that the figs of the elastic are southerners, they can not stand the heat. The optimum temperature for them is +22 ... +25 ^о С in summer and +14 ... +16 ^о С in winter. At lower values, the plants begin to discard the foliage.

3. Watering . He needs regular, but moderate. It is not necessary to fill the plants, but the earth's clod should be moist (except when the ficus is kept at an air temperature below + 12 degrees). Water for irrigation must be defended.

4. Humidity . All ficus elastika like sprinkling with warm boiled water. If the room is hot, you need to do this daily. In winter, spraying is not carried out. But rubbing the leaves from dust is required all year round.

5. Additional fertilizing . To plants are pleased with beauty, it is desirable to feed them twice a month with complex fertilizers. The break is made only in winter, when the growth of plants ceases.

6. Consistency . Ficus do not like the changes in their lives, that is, turning the pot or moving to a new place. They respond to these actions with a leaf fall.

Ficus transplantation at home

Since all varieties of ficuses grow rapidly, they need to be transplanted from time to time. Put a small, just brought from the store plant immediately in a large pot can not. So his roots will begin to grow intensively to the detriment of the ground part. If there is a need for a transplant, a new pot is chosen only 5 cm wider and 6 cm deeper than the previous one. At the bottom necessarily fill drainage. Grunt either buy a special for ficus, or prepare themselves. To do this, mix equal parts of sand, humus, turf and peat land. In rare cases, ficus transplantation at home is replaced by the addition of soil from above to the pot. If a white coating appears on the earth's crust around the plant, it must be cut off and the same soil as that taken during the transplantation should be added to the pot.

Reproduction

Reproduce the elastics in two ways.

1. Cuttings . It is necessary to cut off the stalk with several sheets, rinse under running water until the whitish juice stops flowing, and put it in water or stick it into the wet ground. In the latter case it is desirable to cover it with a package. In this way, plants with green leaves, for example, Robusta's elastic ficus, are better reproduced.

2. By air layers. On the vending stalk you need to make an incision (not more than 1/3 of the thickness), wrap it with moss sphagnum and a packet or film. When the roots appear, the stem needs to be cut and planted. This method is used to propagate variegated ficuses.

Pests and diseases

Ficuses of elastics are attacked with scutes, thrips and spider mites. Fight them with special drugs ("Aktara") or folk remedies. The most effective is to wipe the leaves and stalk of the diseased plant with a soap solution, which is washed off after half an hour. Some growers are advised to spray the ground in the pot with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. All other problems with ficuses (littering, twisting, yellowing of the foliage, too elongated bare stalk) are caused by non-compliance with the rules of plant care.

Ficus with green leaves

The most popular among the florists is the elasmic ficus of Robusta. In most cases, it has one straight stem stretching to the very ceiling. Its leaves are large, oval, up to 30 cm long and about 15 cm wide, saturated green, smooth, glossy, very dense, with a bent tip. It is difficult to force it to grow with a bush. If you cut off this ficus tip, several lateral buds come to life, but as a rule, one grows, which gives the same single stem. The remaining buds or their young shoots freeze. But the ficus of Robust among his fellows is considered the most patient and undemanding. To force him to release lateral shoots it is possible, not only pruning the tip, but also tilting the stem. Then the upper kidney will develop. When several leaves appear on it, the stem is straightened. Some growers make a puncture on the stalk with a needle (about 1/3 of the thickness). This stimulates the growth of the kidneys.

Another popular type of plant is the ficus elastica - Abidjan. Outwardly, he looks like Robust, only his leaves are much darker, and their tip is pointed, but not bent. If the proper lighting is provided for Abidjan, the foliage color becomes dark beet-colored with red veins. This type of ficus is also quite unpretentious and undemanding.

Ficus of the elastic Melanie (pictured above) is perfectly branched without human effort. Leaflets are smaller than in the two previous species. In length they grow up to 15 cm, and in width - to 7. Their tip is bent. The plant looks very beautiful, because the branches are compact on branches. If you look after it properly, you get a neat, lush bush. This kind of a little moody, loves regular spraying, requires fertilizing with fertilizers with nitrogen, does not tolerate drafts, permutations and dust on the leaves.

Variegated Ficus

These include the species of Belize, Brazil, Thineke. These ficuses are quite demanding creatures. They need correct lighting, heat and frequent spraying. Without satisfactory conditions, they shed their leaves or lose their mottled colors. Ficus elastica Tineke has rather large, up to 25 cm long and 15 cm wide, oval leaves. Closer to the central vein (pink or cream), they are green, and around the edges are white, cream or other light tones. Belize is also very spectacular. Its leaves have a more pronounced patchiness and a red central vein. On the edges are white, pink and cream.

Ficus leaf Brazil is also mottled, but there are more bright spots on them. Their color is white, yellow, cream, salad, and the central vein is light. The plant can grow bushes and looks unusually beautiful. In the photo above - ficus Tineke.

Ficuses "mix"

The word "mix" in this case means that the seeds were sown not in one variety, but in several. The ficus of Benjamin's mix is the most common. This species has many varieties, among which there are representatives with both variegated and green leaves. Some of them, for example, green Daniel, Exotica have leaves up to 6 cm in length, and Kinky leaves, Ester grow to only 4-5 cm. Monique and Golden Monique are very beautiful, with the edges of the leaves strongly corrugated. All varieties have the appearance of a small tree with a dense crown. "Mixes" Benjamins basically require the same care as all the ficuses: like spraying, warmth, light, hate drafts, permutations and excessive moistening of the earth coma.