The ficus is blunt, or retuza is a native of the islands of the Malay archipelago. This evergreen beauty grows up to 10 m in height, but its growth is slow, which allows the plant to be used to create bonsai compositions for home growing. What else is remarkable for the flower, and how to properly grow it at home, we will tell further.

Botanical description of the plant

Ficus retusa is a representative of evergreen shrubs or trees with a rounded, wide tree trunk. Its surface is smooth, the color is light gray with a reddish tint. In diameter, the trunk can reach one meter. The crown of the ficus blunt is thick, sprawling. The leaves are smooth, dark green in color, oval in shape with a pointed edge. In length do not exceed 10 cm. On the branches, the foliage is arranged in a spiral.

Important! If the selected flower leaves are covered with polish (very shiny), bringing it home, you need to free from the coating by wiping the foliage with a damp sponge, as it prevents gas exchange.

How to choose upon purchase?

It’s better to go shopping for ficus in the spring and summer, then it’s better to tolerate adaptation and not cause unnecessary trouble. It is better to buy plants in flower shops, but not with hands. When choosing a ficus of any kind, first of all, you need to pay attention to the age of the plant. It is better to give preference to young specimens, as it is easier for them to adapt to new conditions.Having decided on a flower, check its condition: shake the plant a little, and then run your hand against the growth of foliage. If you find that a couple of leaflets fell off, refuse to purchase this copy. The next step is to check the status of the root system. If dark roots are visible through drainage holes, it is undesirable to acquire such a plant.

Read also about the features of caring for other types of ficus:

Adaptation period and transplantation

The purchased ficus should be immediately put in a suitable place for it. No other plants should be nearby, as the flower will be quarantined for 2-3 weeks. On the first day of stay in the house, the tree is abundantly watered. Check the condition of the soil the next day. If when deepening a finger by 10 cm it is felt that the soil is dry, water it. Otherwise, repeat the procedure the next day. At the end of quarantine, transplant ficus into a new pot.

Important! In the first few days, ficus can lose foliage. There is nothing to worry about. So the plant responds to a change of residence.

The volume of the pot should be such that for the root system placed in it there are two centimeters to the walls. Fill the container with a substrate intended for growing ficuses and palm trees. When a tree is moved to a new pot, its root system should be freed from the old substrate. In the future, the young plant is transplanted annually in the spring. The earth in the pot is completely renewed. Adult specimens are transplanted every 2-3 years, removing small roots that form a ball at the end of the main root. When the tree becomes large, only the topsoil in the flowerpot can be replaced.

Video: ficus blunt transplant

Necessary conditions and care in the house

Tropical handsome man is demanding of living conditions. Therefore, you need to take care of creating a comfortable microclimate from the first days the plant is in the house.

Location

A tree loves sunlight, therefore it is better to place it on a southern or western window, and so that summer burning sun rays do not injure delicate foliage, the tree must be shaded. On hot days, a flowerpot with a plant can be carried out into the shade on fresh air. It is important that there are no drafts at the location of the flower, as they are fatal.

Temperature and humidity

In summer, a comfortable temperature for a flower is + 20 ... + 25 ° С, in winter - not lower than + 15 ° С. If the temperature drops below this point, the plant may become sick and die. Humidity should be increased year round, so the plant is regularly sprayed, but so that moisture does not get on the trunk and crown.

Watering

From spring to early fall, ficus is irrigated every 3-5 days. Before watering, check the condition of the soil: if it is moist at a depth, then irrigation measures should be postponed until the next day. Water should be used at room temperature. Water the plant under the root. In winter, the interval between irrigation activities should be one and a half weeks.

Fertilizer application

Nutrients are introduced from spring to autumn weekly. During the period of active growth, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are useful for building green mass. You can use universal mineral complexes or special fertilizers for bonsai. In winter, the frequency of top dressing is once every two to four weeks.

Crown formation

To make the ficus look attractive, its crown needs to be formed. In the first year, the flower grows randomly, from the second year of life it needs to be pruned.

The trunk is shortened to the desired height, and young shoots - 1-2 leaf buds. Lignified branches shorten in the last month of winter, young shoots shorten all the time throughout the spring and summer. Also thin out the crown inside.

Cut the branches in the upper part so that only 3-5 leaves remain - this stimulates the growth of the lower branches. Yellowing foliage is regularly removed. You can direct the branches of the crown in the right direction with the help of wire. It should be applied carefully so that it does not interfere with the increase in the diameter of the shoots. It is undesirable to keep the wire on the tree for longer than six months.

Breeding

Propagate the plant by cuttings, aerial layering and seeds. The first method has established itself as the most successful, so the rest are rarely used.

Did you know? In ficus juice — 15% rubber, so wood is often used in industry.

Air layering

This method is similar to cuttings, only a selective material is a fragment of a branch with a leaf and aerial roots.

To obtain the desired material, perform the following steps:

1. A long shoot is selected on the flower and leaves are removed at the desired location.
2. On the shoot, two cuts are made in different places at a distance of 15-30 mm from each other.
3. Between the incisions, the bark is cleaned.
4. Sprinkle the exposed place with Kornevin and wrap it with moistened sphagnum, 50-60 mm thick.
5. A film is wrapped over the moss, which is fixed on both sides. The moss should remain constantly wet.
6. Once the roots tear the film, you can cut the petiole.
7. It is planted in the ground with moss, but without film. The soil should consist of turf, leaf soil, peat, humus and sand, mixed in equal amounts.

Cuttings

This method is the most simple and less troublesome:

1. In a young shoot, the top with 2-3 leaves is cut off.
2. The slice is washed under water from the remaining juice.
3. Prepare a substrate similar to that described above. The petiole is deepened into it.
4. Top shoot covered with a plastic glass and expect the appearance of new leaves. The plant is ready for planting in a permanent place.

If you want the stalk to take root faster, it should first be rooted in water. Fluid is changed daily. With the advent of roots, the stalk is planted in a pot, not more than 90 mm in diameter.

Seeds

The most troublesome way, but with its help it is better to grow ficus bonsai. Seeds are purchased at flower shops.

Before landing in the ground, they need to be soaked for a day in a growth stimulator:

1. Ready seed is laid out on the surface of the earth, which is filled with a wide, but shallow capacity.
2. Each seed is deepened by 0.5 mm into the soil and carefully sprinkled with soil. Then watered from the spray gun. The container is covered with a film.
3. For the successful emergence of seedlings, seeds need to create comfortable conditions: temperature + 25 ... + 27 ° C, a dark place. After 8-10 weeks, the first shoots should appear. Now the container with seedlings is transferred to a well-lit place and freed from the film. When the first true leaves appear, the seedlings are picked into separate containers with drainage.

Growing difficulties

When growing reticus reticus, many encounter such problems:

1. Massive loss of foliage (It can occur with low air temperature, the presence of drafts, increased soil moisture, a change in location, an excess of fertilizer). To correct the situation, it is necessary to adjust the conditions of the flower.
2. Gradual loss of foliage (excessive watering, increased soil acidity). It should temporarily stop watering and liming the land.
3. Yellowing of the edge of the foliage (More likely, problems with the root system due to improper watering and untimely fertilizer application). It is necessary to adjust the schedule of irrigation and top dressing. Perform the missed actions, and if the watering was excessive, skip a few.
4. Young foliage is small, and the old begins to turn yellow (dry air or lack of nutrients). It is necessary to fertilize and spray the plant.
5. Foliage wrinkled and withered (the sun burned the tree). The plant should be rearranged in a shaded place.
6. Ficus spider mites, thrips, scabies can attack. When they occur, they are treated with insecticides.

Home value

Ficus retusa is not only an interior decoration.

• It can be a useful gift, because getting into the house, a flower can be useful:
• purifies the air and saturates the home with oxygen;
• excretes substances that stimulate performance, relieve insomnia, stress;
• conducts cleaning of the energy of the room;
• its leaves are used to treat joints, oncology, back, gynecological problems;
• from juice you can prepare a remedy for hemorrhoids.

Did you know? The indigenous population of the Indian state of Meghalaya many centuries ago adapted to use the root system of rubber ficus to create living bridges.

• But the tree has some limitations:
• ficus - the strongest allergen;
• flower juice, getting on the wound, causes irritation;
• if a pet eats a leaf of a plant, it can be poisoned.

There are a number of beliefs and signs associated with ficus:

1. Brings happiness to the house, helps to unite the family and eliminate the most serious disagreements.
2. Blooming ficus is a great wedding gift for the newlyweds. He will contribute to the earliest possible replenishment of the family.
3. If you dream ficus, it’s to wealth.
4. The location of the tree in the kitchen will protect against a shortage of products.

Ficus blunt - a great option for decorating a small home. Subject to the rules for caring, the tree will not cause much trouble, but will benefit by purifying the air and energy of the house.