Photo plants in a potFicus rubbery (Ficus elastica) - a perennial plant at home often reaches three meters, but there are specimens up to ten meters in height. The growth rate is high - per year it can grow from 60 cm to 1 meter. The birthplace of rubber ficus is Malaysia, India, Sumatra, Nepal and Bhutan.
It blooms in greenhouses with small inflorescences that resemble a berry and are called siconia. In room conditions, only large specimens bloom.
Watering is carried out twice a week in the summer and once in the winter. The soil should not sour, excess water is drained from the pan. Propagated by cuttings in a mixture of peat and perlite.
| The growth rate is high - per year it can grow from 60 cm to 1 meter. | |
| In room conditions, only large specimens bloom. | |
| The plant is easy to grow. | |
| Perennial. |
Signs and superstitions
Ficus Rubbery Robusta. A photoA distinctive feature is the ability of the plant to purify the air and have a beneficial effect on the home atmosphere.
When planning to buy a rubber ficus home, you need to familiarize yourself with the signs that are associated with it:
- need money - put a plant in the kitchen;
- happiness will bring ficus to the house while in the hall;
- put in the bedroom - for the advent of children;
- place in the corridor - family energy will be under reliable protection;
- need to increase efficiency - let it grow near the workplace.
Features of growing at home. Briefly
| Temperature mode | It is not difficult to grow rubber ficus with home conditions, even a beginner will cope with this. The plant is thermophilic - in summer it prefers air temperature of 18-29ºС, and in winter - not less than 15ºС. |
| Air humidity | Leaves need to be constantly wiped with a damp sponge, spray the plant once a week |
| Lighting | Prefers moderate lighting. It can grow in partial shade, but not so fast. |
| Watering | Water the plant sparingly. It is necessary to ensure that the soil does not sour. Excess water is drained from the pan. Before the next watering, the top layer of the earth should dry a little 3-4 cm. |
| Priming | Mandatory drainage in the form of expanded clay at the bottom of the pot and sand in the upper part. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral, but necessarily fertile. |
| Fertilizer and fertilizer | In winter, top dressing is not required; in the remaining period, magnesium fertilizers are applied every month. |
| Transfer | In order to continue to grow actively it needs to be transplanted annually. It is better to do this in February-March. |
| Breeding | Reproduction of rubber ficus comes in several ways:
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| Growing Features | The leaves require separate care - they must be constantly wiped with a damp sponge, and the plant is sprayed enough once a week. It should be planted in slightly acidic or neutral, but necessarily fertile soil. Mandatory drainage in the form of expanded clay at the bottom of the pot and sand in the upper part. The crown is formed in the spring - removing unnecessary shoots. A young plant can be attached to a support. |
The most common diseases:
- mealybug;
- scale shield;
- spider mite.
If the leaves are pale and sluggish - lacking nutrients, twist and fall off - low temperature, and if they sag and wither - insufficient watering.
Ficus care at home. In detail
The rubbery domestic ficus is considered unpretentious and grows well even in inexperienced gardeners. This tropical plant does not like drafts, prefers warmth and diffused light.
After purchase, it must be quarantined for two weeks. During this period, foliage should be inspected for pests. For disinfection, you need to spill the ground with soap and water in order to destroy possible parasites.
In the event that pests are detected, it must be transplanted into another pot and treated with an insecticide. After the destruction of all parasites, the plant is transplanted into another pot.
Fertilizer and flowering
A plant feels much better if it receives all the necessary organic and mineral fertilizers from spring to autumn. They must be applied to the soil every two weeks. In this case, the ficus will delight its owner with beautiful flowers.
Also blooming is affected by cold wintering. After it, the plant awakens and blooms.
Temperature
For good growth, the plant must be in a comfortable temperature for it.
Between spring and autumn, the room should have an average temperature of 15-26ºС.
In winter, a dormant period sets in and the plant feels well in the range from 8ºС to 15ºС.
Only variegated rubber ficus prefers ordinary room temperature.
Humidity
If you constantly maintain moderate humidity, the ficus will look great and delight the owner with green foliage. A plant likes a warm shower once every couple of weeks. It is necessary to ensure that water does not accumulate in the funnel of the sheet. Spraying should be done several times a week, and the leaves should be wiped as they become dirty.
Watering
An inexperienced owner needs to pay special attention to watering. It is very destructive both the soil bay and its drying out.
In the warm period, the plant is watered two to three times a week. The need is determined by the dried top layer. In winter, watering is reduced to once - this is enough even for especially large specimens. It is extremely harmful to overdo it with watering in a cold room - this is detrimental to the root system.
Lighting
Indoor rubber ficus prefers moderate lighting. It can grow in partial shade, but not so fast. Variegated forms are more demanding to care - they need more light, they are much more thermophilic and tolerate lower temperatures worse. According to experienced gardeners, plants with dark foliage require less light.
Ficus with dark green leaves can grow even in poorly lit places. While a young plant is not worth putting it close to the batteries or in passage places where drafts are possible. In some cases, this can cause death.
Best home rubber ficus positioned on the west or east window.
Transfer
Ficus rubbery is transplanted every year. At the same time, the size of the pot is increased by 2-3 cm and the top layer of the earth is changed, which is about 3 cm.
Adult plants are transplanted by transshipment: when the main earthen lump with roots is transferred from one pot to another. If necessary, add new earth.
Pruning
If the plant needs to be limited in growth, regular pruning should be carried out and not transplanted. A prerequisite is the presence of drainage at the bottom of the tank.
Many gardeners plant several young shoots in a pot - this way you can achieve greater decorative effect. To enhance branching, the tops and side shoots are trimmed as they grow.
You should not keep the plant in a draft, but in summer it is better to take it out onto a loggia.
Can I leave without leaving on vacation?
If the owners go on vacation, then you need to take care of watering the plant. It is good if relatives or neighbors will constantly deal with this issue.
Otherwise, you can use folk methods:
- place the clay pot in a large container and fill the space with moist expanded clay;
- make a small hole in a plastic bottle and place it in the ground - water will drop by drop and moisten the soil;
- Dip a woolen thread or bandage from one edge into the ground, and place the other end in a container of water, which will be at a level higher than the pot.
You need to place it away from the window, and put water containers nearby - this will increase air humidity.
Reproduction of rubber ficus
Propagation by cuttings
Most often, the reproduction of rubber ficus in indoor conditions occurs by cuttings. Apical or stem cuttings without an upper kidney are used. Remove the bottom leaves, leaving one. It is twisted into a tube and intercepted with an elastic band to reduce evaporation.
A shoot of about 8 cm with a leaf is taken and rooted in a mixture of peat and perlite or earth and sand at a temperature of 25C. Before this, the released milky juice must be removed and stuck into the ground no deeper than 1 cm. Cover with polyethylene from above or put a plastic bottle to keep the humidity.
In the process of rooting, you need to protect the plant from bright light, spray it and water it with soft water.
To accelerate the process, basal heating can be done. Do not use roots without leaves - in this case, rooting will not occur. Roots will appear within a month. After this, the plant is transplanted into permanent soil.
According to the same scheme, you can root the stalk in water. If you split the leaf, place the pebbles in the split, place it in the substrate, then the roots also form within thirty to forty days.
Growing rubber ficus from seed
There is an option to grow from seeds that are sown between January and May. Some gardeners propagate the plant by air layers from the top, which is subsequently separated. This method is better suited for variegated ficus, since rooting in them is more difficult. It can also be used for older specimens that have few lower leaves.
The essence of the layoff is as follows:
- an incision is made on the cortex;
- a match is inserted;
- the place is wrapped with moss and polyethylene.
After some time, roots will appear there. After this, the shoot can be cut and planted in the soil.
Diseases and Pests
Rubber ficus is not very susceptible to disease, but it can still be attacked by pests:
- shields - Actellic is used to destroy them and the leaves are washed with soap foam;
- thrips - disappear after treatment with an insecticide;
- aphid - are destroyed after spraying with a special preparation against insects;
- spider mite;
- mealybug.
But diseases can occur not only due to parasites, but also due to improper care. The most common phenomena are:
- dry leaf tips - the reason is dry air;
- leaves twist and wither - the room is cold;
- dry light spots on the sheet rubber ficus - a lot of sunlight;
- brown spots - insufficient watering;
- the stalk begins to rot - excess moisture in the soil;
- leaves turns yellow - insufficient moisture, lack of mineral and nutrients;
- leaf edges darken- drafts;
- small leaf and slow growth - lack of fertilizer.
The natural process is a slight fall and yellowing of the lower leaves. You can plant a new plant, thereby the lower tier of greenery will look fresh.
In some cases, frequent spraying can lead to fungal spotting. This is due to stagnation of moisture on the foliage and spots of various sizes appear. This condition is not treated in any way and does not pose a danger to the life of the rubber ficus.
If small white spots appeared on the edge of varieties with dark leaves, then this is most likely an accumulation of crystals of calcium oxalate. This is normal and does not require treatment.
Powdery mildew may occur if the room is poorly ventilated. The disease can progress, then the plant should be treated with a fungicide.
Varieties of ficus rubbery with photos and names
This type of plant is represented by various varieties, which are very popular with experienced and novice gardeners.
Ficus rubbery Melany
Melany variety has a bushy shape, every seven days a new leaf grows with proper care. The leaf is dark green in color, has the shape of an ellipse, slightly pointed at the end.
Prefers adequate lighting, but without direct sunlight. The plant is kept at a temperature from 16C to 30C, watering is necessary moderate after drying of the top layer of the earth by 3-4 cm.
Ficus rubbery Robust
The most unpretentious of all considers Robusta variety. It perfectly cleans the air of phenol, benzene and favorably affects the atmosphere in the house. The plant adapts well to containment conditions, so it grows even on the sulfur side or on a darkened window. Comfortable temperature ranges from 18-25C.
Do not place near hot batteries - dry air is harmful to them. The leaves are dehydrated and the plant may die. For irrigation use settled water at room temperature. In winter, watering intensity is reduced, in summer it is increased. It is better to fertilize during the period of active vegetation - from the beginning of spring to mid-autumn.
Ficus Rubbery Tineke
One of the representatives of variegated ficus is the Tineke variety. The leaves are large, oval in shape with a slightly pointed tip. In nature, they reach more than two meters in height. The plant prefers diffused light, moderate watering and high humidity. Spray regularly and keep away from heaters.
After acquiring a plant, it is necessary to transplant it into loose soil or add turf and leafy soil, as well as sand, to store peat.
Ficus rubbery Tricolor
Variegated ficus of the Tricolor variety has a beautiful leaf color - dark green and light green in color over the entire leaf area, and creamy white at the edges. The plant does not like direct sunlight - this can lead to burns. The temperature should be kept within 22C, and in winter it is necessary to reduce to 16 degrees.
You can transplant every year by transshipment, constantly increasing the size of the pot by 2-3 cm. It is better to fertilize once every two weeks from spring to autumn.
Ficus rubbery Doescheri (harlequin)
It is considered a fairly rare variety. He tolerates housing conditions well, prefers soft adequate lighting. In winter, he needs a lowering of temperatures for a comfortable wintering, better away from hot batteries.
If there is not enough light in winter, the plant may begin to hurt. To avoid this, you need to think in advance about the possibility of additional artificial lighting.
In the warm period, they are watered as the top layer of the earth dries up - about 2-3 times a week. In winter, the intensity of irrigation is reduced to once a week. Drafts have a bad effect on the plant, it is better to put a pot so that they are excluded.
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