One of the most famous representatives of the mulberry family is considered lyre-shaped ficus. This subspecies is demanding in care and has features in growing. Below in the article we will consider the basic rules of breeding and growing ficus in the house.
Botanical description of the plant
The name of the plant acquired due to the shape of its leaves, which resembles a lyre. The flower is used in the decor of apartments and offices. In the natural environment, ficus reaches 30 m, when grown in an apartment - up to 2 m.
Botanical Description:
- at home, the height of the flower ranges from 2 to 2.5 m;
- a slightly branching straight brown trunk has some roughness on its surface;
- leaves 45 cm green, wavy edges. In the center of the foliage is streaked with veins, the arrangement of the veins along the leaf is like a musical instrument;
- leaves are placed on the stem in a spiral, they grow on petioles;
- in the natural environment, medium-sized green fruits appear on the plant;
- the flower reacts to a sharp change in temperature;
- ficus lyre blooms with subtle flowers, but at home is extremely rare.
Did you know? Folk ficus lyre is called violin ficus.
There are such types of lycid ficus:
Growing conditions
Ficus lyre belongs to demanding indoor plants. He is too capricious and, under the wrong growing conditions, a flower can lose its leaves and lose its decorative qualities.
The following processes should be monitored:
- proper placement;
- humidity
- lighting;
- content temperature;
- the temperature of the earth in the pot.
Placement and lighting
Exot requires sufficient lighting, without direct rays falling on the leaves. The flower must be placed in the western and eastern parts of the room. If you place the flower in the northern part, there will be a lack of sunlight, and in the southern part there will be an excess. In winter, it is required to illuminate the plant with additional funds.
Temperature and humidity
The temperature of flower cultivation in summer should be + 20 ... + 25 ℃, and in winter - + 15 ... + 20 ℃.
Important! In winter, the flower can withstand temperatures up to + 12 ℃, while it is worth reducing watering. With slight watering, the flower may exist at a temperature of + 10 ℃, but not for long.
Ficus is bad for temperature changes, if there are sharp jumps in temperature, spots will appear on the leaves. It is also necessary to monitor the temperature of the soil in which the ficus is located, it should not be supercooled. In winter, it is better to place the plant near the battery, since the flower is thermophilic, does not tolerate cold and drafts.
If it is not possible to put the plant near the battery, the pot must be wrapped in a warm cloth and watering to a minimum. Humidity should be at 70%. If this indicator is too low in the room, the flower can be moistened by spraying, wiping the leaves with a damp cloth, or placing a container of water next to it.
Home Care
A tropical plant requires the following rules for home care:
- compliance with watering regimen;
- timely top dressing;
- transfer.
Watering
In summer, this type of ficus requires abundant watering. Watering is carried out when a ball of soil has dried 2 cm, if the substrate is wet - it is not recommended to water. Despite the fact that ficus needs moist air, an excess of water in the soil will adversely affect the plant.
So that the earth absorbs water faster, it must be loosened. Water for irrigation should be settled at room temperature. Water must be defended for a week, after irrigation it is worth draining the water from the saucer, since bacteria can get in it.
Top dressing
This type of ficus must be fertilized during the period of active growth in early spring and until the fall twice a month. Fertilizer for feeding should be liquid. The dose of minerals should be half as much as indicated on the package. Fertilizer can be bought in specialized stores or prepared.
To prepare the fertilizer yourself you will need:
- ammonium nitrate - 5 g;
- phosphate - 0.5 g;
- salt - 0.1 g.
Pruning
The optimal period of formation of crowns occurs at the beginning of spring, during the period of active growth. In the fall, the plant rests and growth stops, so at this moment pruning is not carried out. The top must be cut so that only the trunk remains, then the plant will begin to branch. It is necessary to create a crown symmetrically, while the shoots can be manually directed in different directions.
Transfer
Tropical flower refers to fast-growing plants, and requires frequent transplantation, which is preferably carried out in the spring. Young plants need to be transplanted once a year, and adults - once every 3 years. At the time of transplant, the pot is filled by a third with drainage from broken bricks, pebbles or the soil that is used for the aquarium.
The soil is calcined before use in the oven, for disinfection, and is treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. When transplanting, the roots do not separate from the soil, the plant is planted in a new pot with a lump of earth. This plant does not like to be disturbed, rearranged from place to place. After planting the flower in a new pot, he needs to rest, the plant should not be touched during this period for two weeks. Then the plant can be placed in its original place.
Important! The volume of the new transplant pot should be 3 cm larger than the previous one.
How to propagate lyre-shaped ficus
Reproduction of lyre-shaped ficus occurs during the period of active growth. There are two methods of reproduction: using cuttings and layering.
Layering
Reproduction using layering is quite simple. The cuttings are cut with a sterile sharp blade from the central stem or lateral processes, the diameter of which should be 1–1.5 cm.
In order for the layering to take root well, the following rules must be observed:
- shoots should be green, even a little ligneous, 10–20 cm long;
- the stem of the shoot is cleared of leaves by 10 cm, leaving only two leaves;
- the internode at the center of the bare shoot is determined;
- an oblique incision is made under the internode;
- the cut is treated with chilled, pre-boiled water;
- then grease the incision with the rooting agent “Kornevin”;
- then we wrap the layers with a notch with moss sphagnum and film, we fix this design with wire.
When the root system appears, the shoot is cut off and placed in a pot.
Cuttings
To propagate ficus using cuttings, it is necessary in the process of trimming to select shoots, the length of which will be 15 cm, and also have two leaves. Milk forms on the cut of the cut, it must be washed off with warm water. Then dry them, drying will take 3-5 hours. After drying, the shoot is placed in a container with water in which activated carbon is previously dissolved.
Within 30-50 days, roots will appear. All this time you need to watch the leaves on the shoots. They must not be allowed to enter the water, in order to avoid the process of decay. When the shoots grow a little older they are transplanted.
Video: cuttings of ficus lyre
Possible growing difficulties
Since ficus lyre is demanding in care, improper growth can provoke a number of troubles. The main difficulty in growing lyre-shaped ficus is a disease of the root system, and as a result, rotting of the roots. The development of these diseases is due to improper care, as well as transplantation and planting in uninfected soil.
There are other difficulties when growing, which we consider below:
- drying foliage - irrigation regimen, pests, root diseases;
- spider mite - the main sign of this disease is falling leaves, the appearance of spots on them, in order to heal the flower, it is necessary to spray from the spray with the Aktara agent;
- mealy worms - fungal mold appears on the stem, to remove it you need to process the flower "Confidor".
Signs and superstitions
Ficus is the hero of many beliefs and superstitions. Couples should not start this plant. It is believed that a ficus presented to a wedding will lead to the collapse of the family due to the departure of a man. For the same reason, it is not worth it to grow young single girls. He drives away men and interferes with a new romantic relationship. However, this plant is believed to bring money. Therefore, it is often placed at work, on window sills and desktops. It is believed that pregnant ficus helps to easier pregnancy, prevents miscarriages and will facilitate the birth of a child.
Did you know? The location of other plants near the lyre-shaped ficus is extremely undesirable, it prefers to grow alone.
This belief also says that if you only plan to have a baby, ficus will contribute to this. Having knowledge of the cultivation of this plant, you can equip your home and introduce a flower as an element of decor. Given that it is easy to propagate, it will be possible to decorate the house not with one, but with several plants of this type.
