- a beautiful decorative deciduous tree that decorates the houses and apartments of many amateur gardeners. It attracts with its lush, sometimes variegated, crown and rather unpretentious disposition.
And proper conditions of detention - and the green pet will delight the eye for many years, and can grow up to 3 meters in height! However, for normal growth and development, ficus needs timely transplantation. Why is it needed? When and how to do it correctly?
Need for transplant
Ficus transplantation is necessary in cases where:
- The plant becomes cramped in the old pot. Its roots are visible from the drainage holes;
- After purchasing in a store, the ficus must be replanted;
- The soil loses nutrients necessary for normal growth and development;
- It is necessary to replace the old drainage with a new one;
- When propagating ficus.
If you do not replant in time, the plant will stop growing, its leaves will begin to turn yellow and crumble.
The earthen ball will dry out quickly, and frequent watering can lead to rotting of the roots. A weakened plant is more susceptible to pest attacks and diseases. Therefore, seeing the first signs that the pot has become small, you should replant the ficus.
When can you replant a ficus?
The optimal time for transplantation is spring, namely March-April.
Ficus does not always respond well to changes, so in response to changes in its “place of residence” it can respond by falling leaves.
If you transplant it in the spring, then over the summer and autumn it will recover from stress and by winter it will grow and gain strength. Otherwise, the ficus may lose its decorative appearance and get sick. And, as is known, they have a bad effect on the growth and development of the plant.
What you need
Which pot should I transplant the ficus into? For ficus, clay or plastic is suitable. For old specimens, wooden tubs can be used. The shape is suitable for standard containers with approximately the same height and width. The exception is when the plant is grown in bonsai style: here you need a wide, shallow pot up to 10 cm high.
Ficus prefer cramped containers, therefore, a pot for replanting is needed only 3-4 cm larger in diameter than the previous one.
Until its roots entwine the entire earthen lump, it will not grow in height. At the bottom of the container there must be drainage holes. When watering, excess water will come out through them, and the root system will not rot.
The soil for replanting ficus should be neutral or slightly acidic, well permeable to moisture and air. Clay soil is definitely not suitable, as it provokes stagnation of moisture and, as a result, rotting of the roots.
For ficus plants of different ages, the composition of the soil is different.. For young plants, a mixture of peat, sand and leaf humus in equal parts is suitable. For adults - a mixture of turf soil, peat, sand and humus, also in equal proportions. If it is not possible to prepare the soil yourself, you can buy a ready-made substrate for decorative foliage plants.
You will also need drainage. You can use expanded clay, broken brick, small pebbles, and shells.
Thanks to drainage, excess water will not stagnate in the pot and the roots will not rot.
Step-by-step instruction
Ficus transplantation is performed in the following sequence:
This method of transplantation is called transshipment. Its advantage is that the root system is practically not damaged. Ficus does not receive severe stress, does not weaken and does not shed leaves.
It is important to consider that after transplantation, the ficus may still stop growing or shed some of its leaves.. This is his reaction to stress. In 3-4 weeks everything should be restored.
Transfer after the store
After purchase, the ficus should be replanted. This is explained by the fact that the substrate in which it is sold is not suitable for long-term use, but only for transportation. And the pot for it, as a rule, is too small, and the roots grow greatly due to lack of nutrients.
Transplantation takes place 7-15 days after purchase when the plant has acclimatized a little to new conditions. If this procedure is not carried out in time, the ficus will begin to shed its leaves and may die.
The transfer after the store differs from the usual one in that the transshipment method will not work here.
All the nutrients that were in the previous soil have long been used up by the plant, so the old substrate should be removed.
To reduce damage to the roots, the store container is cut (as a rule, it is soft, and this is easy to do), and the plant is removed from it.
Then the substrate is carefully separated from the roots. It is recommended to use a wooden stick for this.
After this, the plant is placed in new pot and the root system is covered with new substrate. It is important to ensure that the roots are not bent or in a bent position.
All other steps are the same as in the step-by-step transplant instructions.
If transshipment is not possible
In the event that the ficus has a very big sizes and there is no way to transplant it, replaced annually upper layer soil, 3-5 cm deep.
The old soil is removed and removed, and the new one is filled in. Thus, the soil is loosened and refreshed, useful elements necessary for the further growth and development of the ficus are added.
In addition, mature plants that cannot be transplanted should be fertilized regularly, alternating mineral supplements for decorative foliage plants with organic. Frequency: in summer 2-3 times a month, in winter – 1 time per month.
Features of care
The first time after transplantation, watering should be moderate. The procedure is carried out only after the soil has dried. Twice a day, morning and evening, spray the foliage with a fine-grained spray bottle with soft water. room temperature.
In order for the ficus to quickly adapt to new conditions, it can be covered with polyethylene.
In this case, it is necessary to ventilate twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. When the ficus begins to grow, the cover is removed.
It is important for the plant to provide high humidity environment – 70-80 %, bright diffused lighting and protection from drafts. The optimal temperature is 18-22 degrees. Feeding can be resumed only 3-5 weeks after transplantation.
A lush-leaved representative of the mulberry family is ficus. Home care, nuances correct pruning, as well as methods of plant propagation will be described in detail in this article. It is quite difficult to imagine a cozy home without indoor plants. They delight us with their beauty and bright colors, bring health benefits. Ficus has many varieties, varying in size, shape and color of foliage, and some representatives can even reach thirty meters in height (in nature).
Concerning indoor varieties, then one of the most popular is Ficus Benjamin, which has already become a real “star” of home gardening.
- You should use garden pruners, which are recommended to be pre-treated with alcohol. You also need to stock up on crushed activated or charcoal for processing slices.
- It is best to carry out the pruning procedure in early April.
- To form the crown, the upper part of the ficus is pruned - this technique provokes the active growth of lateral branches. If you want to give the plant a more elongated silhouette, then you should trim the side shoots (by 4-6 cm), and also pinch off their leaves.
- As mentioned above, the top is shortened once a year, the trunk is cut obliquely, and the shoots are cut evenly.
- The juice released at the cut site must be immediately removed with a damp cloth. The cut itself is treated with crushed coal.
- Ficus can be fertilized two weeks after the procedure.
To increase density, as well as to stimulate the growth of young buds, the ficus crown can be thinned and pruned annually.
Ficus without pruning - the crown is incorrectly formed Ficus benjamina - propagation
There are two most effective ways propagation of ficus - cuttings and air layering. The easiest is the cutting method, the second method is more intricate, but also very effective. I will describe them in more detail, and you choose which one you like best.
Ficus propagation by cuttings:
- We cut cuttings from the bush during its active growth - in spring or summer. From the apical shoots we cut cuttings approximately 15 cm in length. If a stem shoot is taken for propagation, then it must have at least three leaves.
- To prevent dehydration of the cutting, its leaves should be rolled into loose tubes and carefully tied with a soft elastic band (you can cut a balloon for this).
- Milky sap usually oozes out at the cutting site; to remove it, just hold the cuttings for a little while. clean water room temperature. You can also add the drug “Kornevin” to this water.
- The pre-selected container should contain a suitable soil mixture. You can mix soil with perlite or sand, add peat - this composition is quite suitable for plants. You need to plant the cuttings in this soil, deepening them 1-1.5 cm, and then cover them with cling film to create a mini-greenhouse. You can also use cut plastic bottles for these purposes.
- It is recommended to place the container with young ficuses in a warm room. The optimal temperature for rooting cuttings is approximately + 25 °C.
- The greenhouse should be ventilated periodically to avoid rotting of the cuttings. The rooting process lasts on average about a month to a month and a half.
After the specified period, young plants can be planted in pots.
Rooted cuttings of ficus Benjamin, photo:
How to propagate ficus at home using air layering:
- You should choose a good upright growing shoot and remove the leaves in the place where the cut will be made.
- Use a thin paper knife or blade to make a couple of cuts, the distance between them should be approximately 3 cm. In this place (between the cuts), remove the bark; you can additionally sprinkle the cut area with Kornevin.
- Apply wet sphagnum moss to the prepared surface; the thickness of the moss layer should be approximately 4-5 cm. Using cling film, tightly wrap the sphagnum moss to the shoot and secure it securely. This moss must always be in wet.
- Soon roots will appear in this place and entwine the sphagnum. When the roots can be clearly felt under the polyethylene or even break through it, the ficus stem needs to be cut just below the formed roots.
- Now the cutting can be planted in a separate container.
Both methods give good results and “work” 99%.
Air layering, photo:
Ficus diseases
Fungal diseases include:
- black fungus on leaves;
- gray rot;
- sooty fungus;
- root rot.
Spider mite on ficus Ficus diseases of fungal origin most often arise from improper plant care. Too much watering and high room temperatures can cause gray rot(botrytis), which is treated by removing all affected fragments and subsequent treatment with copper-containing preparations. In general, if a plant is infected with a fungus, it is necessary to remove all diseased parts as soon as possible, and then treat with an antifungal drug, for example, Fitosporin-M or Gamair (biological bactericide). But root rot, unfortunately, cannot be treated; the plant will have to be thrown away, along with the container in which it grew.
Diseases can be triggered by insufficient lighting, temperature changes, improper watering or oversaturation with fertilizers. Even the wrong place for a flower can contribute to the manifestation of diseases. To nip the problem in the bud, you need to provide the ficus with competent care, which is actually quite simple, which was described above. Preventive treatments also have their place; the use of fungicides along with proper care ensures good protection plant and significantly reduces the risk of disease.
Ficus benjamina is one of the most common and popular indoor plants, which has high decorative qualities and is capable of all year round delight your owners with green foliage.
However, growing it is a rather labor-intensive process, especially in the first months after planting, but if you learn all the nuances and subtleties of caring for the plant, this process will become simple and easy.
A little about ficus
Ficus Benjamin (there is a photo of it in the review) - evergreen family Mulberry. Under natural conditions, it can be found in the tropics and subtropics of China, India, Australia, Asia, and the Philippines.
In nature, it is a large bush or tree up to 10-20 m high, in room conditions capable of growing up to 1.5-3 m. The crown of Ficus Benjamin is wide and very beautiful. The trunk of the plant is gray with small streaks. The branches are inclined downwards. The leaves of Ficus Benjamina are dense, glossy, oval with an elongated tip. Color ranges from light green to very dark. The central vein is not clearly expressed.
Indoor varieties
Ficus benjamina has a huge variety of varieties, differing in size, shape and color of leaves, and stem shape. Let's look at some of them.
- Exotic. The leaves are flat and soft, the color is rich green, length - up to 8 cm, width - up to 3.5 cm. Internodes up to 4 cm. The bush grows quickly.
- Daniel. The leaves are dark green, uniform, glossy, dense and flat, with straight edges. It grows very quickly - it grows almost 30 cm per season.
- Monique. It is distinguished by more delicate, thin, hanging branches and light, elongated leaves, slightly wavy along the edge.
- Nicole. The leaves are more elongated, with a light edge.
- Safari. The variety is distinguished by its tricolor color and obvious spotting.
- Baroque. It is considered the most unusual, original and difficult to grow variety. Each leaf of this is very miniature plant twisted in the form of a spiral.
Location in the house
Before bringing this plant into the house, you need to decide on its location - the ficus Benjamin, the photo of which is provided in the article, is very difficult to tolerate changing places, and after moving it most often sheds its leaves. If this trouble occurs shortly after purchase, then you should not be scared or upset, because this is normal. Providing proper care to the plant will help it adapt. It is necessary to choose a place in the room that is well lit, but without direct sunlight. The plant does not like drafts and cold. The air temperature should be no lower than 15°C, relative humidity - 50-70%.
Features of care
In order for Benjamin's ficus to constantly delight with its green, chic crown and attract all the eyes of guests, it needs to be provided with timely and proper care. It is not overly complicated, but the plant still needs to provide certain conditions.
Lighting and temperature
Depending on the color of the foliage, the optimal location zone for the plant is selected, taking into account the lighting. For dark green ficuses, light partial shade and diffused light are suitable, while bushes with variegated light leaves, on the contrary, are very demanding on the intensity of lighting, but areas with direct sunlight should be avoided.
Ficus benjamina is a heat-loving plant, in summer optimal temperature should be 25-30°C, in winter not lower than 18°C. When the temperature is insufficient, leaves are dropped.
Watering
In summer, watering Ficus Benjamin should be moderate, as the surface of the top layer of soil dries out. It is recommended to spray generously in the morning and evening and wash the leaves.
Water the plant for uniform moisture in several stages, draining excess water from the pan that has passed through the drainage.
IN winter period watering is reduced. Use settled or filtered water, and loosen the soil before watering.
You should water the ficus carefully, since if there is an excess of soil moisture, its root system is prone to rotting. The soil should have time to dry out between waterings.
Plant nutrition
For normal plant growth and the formation of a lush and dense crown of rich color, it is important to take care of adequate feeding. For this purpose, universal flower fertilizers are used. They are introduced from spring until late autumn. In this case, mineral and organic varieties alternate.
Concentrated fertilizers are applied when watering the plant. The dosage is calculated depending on the growth rate: the faster the ficus grows, the more often it needs to be fed.
Crown formation
By pinching, pruning, interweaving branches and trunks, the plant can easily be given a varied appearance.
There are several most common ways to form a ficus crown, including:
- single- and multi-tiered standard;
- bonsai;
- dome-shaped and spherical crown;
- various sculptures.
The formation of a tree is best done in the spring. It is easiest to form a young plant, since it is active and grows quickly. Pruning helps awaken dormant buds, from which new shoots then grow and the plant becomes more luxuriant. In addition, with the help of pruning, you can improve a very overgrown and unattractive ficus. Before this procedure, the pruning shears must be disinfected with alcohol or a weak solution.
In the plant to be pruned, it is necessary to determine the main bush; it cannot be cut by more than 20 cm, but the side branches are pruned according to creative need and desire. After trimming, the sections must be treated with crushed coal.
From ficus you can form standard, removing the lower branches and forming a dense crown using pruning.
The intertwined trunks of several plants can look very interesting and impressive. To get this decorative effect Several young ficus trees are planted in one pot and, as they grow, their trunks are intertwined, braided into a braid or other shape.
Ficus benjamina: transplant
Looking at how the plant grows and becomes more beautiful, one must not forget that not only the number of branches and leaves is added. Month after month, the volume of the ficus root system increases, and the soil, even with constant fertilizing, begins to gradually become impoverished.
Transplanting Ficus Benjamin will help correct this situation.
It is usually done when the roots of the plant are densely entwined in an earthen ball and they emerge from the drainage hole. But it is better to prevent this and perform a planned transplant.
Before transplanting ficus Benjamin into another pot, you need to select a suitable container. The younger the plant, the more actively it grows its root mass, so it is annually replanted in pots 2-3 cm larger in diameter than before. Adult ficus trees are replanted 2-3 times less often. At home, this is done in spring or autumn.
The best soil for ficus is ready-made universal soil, purchased at a specialty store. But you can make your own mixture at home, consisting of equal parts of leaf and turf soil, sand and low peat. It is necessary to lay drainage at the bottom of the container.
Ficus Benjamin is transplanted as follows: after watering, the plant is removed from the old pot and removed old land, the flower is carefully transferred to a new container and sprinkled with fresh soil.
After transplantation, the plant adapts and it may begin to shed leaves. There is no need to worry about this; the ficus will soon develop rapidly again.
Reproduction of ficus benjamina at home
The most favorable time for ficus propagation is spring and early summer. This is due to the fact that it is during this period that active growth of foliage and roots occurs.
Propagation of ficus benjamina at home is best done by cuttings, since cuttings produce roots well both in soil and in water. The second method is seed, but it is used extremely rarely.
How to root ficus benjamina?
The upper cuttings, which have leaves, are cut off and placed in a container with water. The leaves should not get wet, otherwise rotting may occur. As the water evaporates, it should be added periodically. After 2-3 weeks, callus tissue in the form of growths will appear on the stems. At this point, after some time, roots form, after which the cuttings are planted in the soil substrate.
If the cutting is planted in the ground, to create the effect greenhouse conditions it can be covered with a jar. Before rooting Ficus Benjamin, you need to prepare the soil. It is advisable to disinfect it by heating it in a steam bath for 30 minutes.
Problems when growing ficus
Ficus benjamina has some growing difficulties that you need to pay attention to:
- Dry tips of leaves winter time indicate a lack of air humidity in the room. Most often this is due to the heating being turned off. In this case, it is necessary to increase the frequency of spraying and organize artificial lighting. This will help the flower wait until spring.
- If a plant suddenly begins to drop leaves, this should alert its owner. This is how a flower can react to sudden changes in conditions, for example, a decrease in temperature, the appearance of a draft, a change of location, abundant watering in winter, when it was necessary, on the contrary, to reduce the amount of moisture.
- The change of season in any plant causes yellowing and dropping of leaves. Ficus is also no exception. But if at other times Benjamin’s ficus turns yellow, what should you do? There are two main reasons why this happens: the first is an excess of water, which can destroy the plant, the second is too much water. low temperature. These reasons need to be eliminated.
- If a flower does not grow or develop for a long time, you need to evaluate whether the size of the pot is chosen correctly. If the pot is too large relative to the size of the plant, the roots will begin to wither, stop developing and die. On the contrary, a cramped container prevents the formation and development of the crown.
If, after correcting errors in the care and maintenance of the flower, there is no improvement, you need to pay attention to the presence of diseases and pests.
Ficus diseases and pests
Among the most common diseases affecting Ficus Benjamin are the following:
- Anthracnose. Dark brown spots appear and develop into ulcers. If left untreated, the ficus will die. Control methods: removing affected leaves, treating with a fungicide, reducing spraying and watering, frequent ventilation.
- Cerscoporosis. Small black dots appear at the back of the leaf. Treatment is the same as for anthracnose.
- Dropsy. With this disease, corky growths form on the back of the leaf. Treatment: Remove affected leaves and provide proper care.
The main pests of Ficus Benjamin are - spider mite, thrips and aphids.
The most dangerous among them is the spider mite. The pest very quickly damages the flower and adapts to many chemicals. That is why the fight against it should begin when the first signs of the disease appear. To destroy this pest you can use traditional methods, for example, garlic tincture, foliage treatment laundry soap or apply an insecticide.
Ficus is one of the most unpretentious plants, has strong roots, rarely gets sick, and at the same time grows into a very beautiful bush-like tree. Therefore, many housewives share the shoots of this plant with each other in the hope that it will easily take root. Ficus really takes root in a new place relatively easily, but it only needs help to successfully adapt.
How to prepare a ficus for transplantation?
Before transplanting a ficus shoot, it is placed in a jar of water so that the plant takes root, and only then is it transplanted into a pot with soil. Some plant growers advise waiting until the cut end of the stem dries and immediately planting the ficus in the ground, but this method requires experience in growing plants. To make it easier for the plant to take root in a pot with soil, you should select a special substrate for young plants at a flower shop. After the first watering, you need to let the soil dry completely, usually this takes up to several days, and only then repeat watering.
How often to replant ficus?
It depends on the age of the plants. Young plants require replanting annually. After the ficus reaches the age of four years, replanting can be done every two years. In an adult plant, you can determine that the time for replanting has come by the most banal sign: if the roots are already coming out of the drainage, and the soil dries out too quickly after watering, it means that the ficus has already grown out of this pot.
When to replant ficus?
It is better to replant the ficus in the summer-spring period; it is at this time that the ficus calmly reacts to changing the pot. Many people believe that the plant's unpretentiousness and hardiness means that ficus can be replanted in the fall. Actually this is not true. Despite the strong root system and good “immunity”, ficuses really do not like transplantation. Even Ficus Benjamin, which has one of the strongest root structures, tolerates replanting only in the “convenient” spring or summer time for it.
How to transplant ficus benjamina?
To replant ficus benjamina, you need to prepare a pot of suitable size, soil for indoor plants, but not peat-based, leavening agents (vermiculite, perlite or river sand) and drainage expanded clay.
- The earth must be mixed with baking powder to make the structure of the earthen coma more crumbly.
- First of all, place a layer of drainage on the bottom of the pot. Its height should be from 1.5 to 2 cm.
- Then the ficus is carefully pulled out of the old pot and the roots are thoroughly cleaned of the old soil. You can use water to soften the clods of earth. Simply dip the roots in a bowl of water or hold them under the tap. Of course, the roots will not be completely clean, but there should be no clogged lumps left after cleaning.
- After this, the cleaned ficus is placed in a pot and sprinkled with earth. Add soil in small portions, periodically tamping around the roots with your fingers.
- Attention! The trunk of the plant should not be lowered too low into the pot!
- After transplanting, the soil should be watered, but not very much.
- After a week, when the soil is completely dry, you can re-water the ficus. Under no circumstances should you water a ficus after planting before the soil has dried completely, even if the leaves of the ficus begin to fall off.
It happens that the size of the pot is chosen incorrectly, and the ficus shows all the signs that it is time to replant it, at the very 
inappropriate period - winter. This is the case when you can replant a ficus even in cold period, otherwise the plant will simply begin to dry out. The transplantation process in autumn or winter should occur in the least painful way for the ficus, that is, by transshipment.
How to transplant a ficus using the transshipment method?
In fact, this method involves the least removal of soil from the root system. The ficus literally falls out of the pot along with the earthen lump, the lump is slightly shaken off and the plant is immersed in a new pot. The gaps between the old ball of earth and the new pot are filled with new soil and fertilizers. During the first time after transplantation, the ficus will slow down its growth and may lose leaves - this is how it will react to the transplantation. You should not fill it with water, you should just wait until the plant recovers from stress.
Ficus can grow successfully in an apartment, but only if all maintenance conditions are met. One of them is a timely change of potty to a more spacious one. The plant needs this to build up its root mass and further growth. Next, we will look at how to properly transplant a ficus yourself at home in as much detail as possible.
Step-by-step instruction
First, determine whether your tree really needs to change its pot. To do this, lift the container and determine if there are any roots growing through the drainage holes. This is the most direct evidence of the need for replanting and at the same time the extreme stage of root growth for the size of this container.
Additional signs:
- the roots are located and tightly braid a lump of earth in the upper part of the pot;
- growing foliage looks smaller than usual;
- Despite abundant watering, the soil in the pot dries out completely in 1-2 days.
Advice! Do not touch the ficus if these signs are not present, and it is simply convenient for you to replant the plant right now or you bought beautiful pot, more suitable for the interior. Ficus easily tolerates pruning and crown shaping, but is extremely sensitive when it comes to roots. Try to postpone the procedure until the tree itself “asks” to do it.
Wait until the time of year between periods of active growth. Usually this is late winter, the very beginning of spring (it all depends on your climate zone). The tree is usually replanted before the start of the active growing season so that the process of restoring the root system takes place without any complications.
Two days before the intended procedure, stop watering the tree. This will dry the soil and make the process easier. It will be much more difficult to remove a heavy lump of soil in a wet state from a pot and transplant the ficus into another pot, which means that the risk of injury to the roots increases.
Choose a container that is 5 cm larger than the previous one. Be guided by the width of the pot; the depth should remain at least the same, but ideally increase proportionally. Don't buy flat, wide pots unless you are a professional and plan to turn your ficus into a bonsai.
Place a drainage layer of at least five centimeters at the bottom of the pot. Make sure that the drainage consists of a filler of a sufficiently coarse fraction. For example, fine expanded clay can simply clog the drainage holes, which, accordingly, will cause stagnation of moisture.
Place a fairly large sheet of paper, such as newspaper, next to the pot so as not to litter it during the replanting process.
Tap the sides of the container with your palm, this will free the walls from the soil and make it easier to remove the roots of the plant. The ficus must be removed with a clod of earth and drainage if it has already entwined its roots. Do not shake the container under any circumstances, do not turn it over to try to shake out the contents, and do not use a knife to remove the earthen lump.
Instead, if the pot is ceramic, “tap” it; if it is plastic, you can lightly press on the walls to release the soil. After this, turn the container over, holding the bottom with one hand, and clasp the tree trunk with the other hand, holding it with your hand along with the soil. If the pot is very large, place it on its side and do the same operation. After removing the ficus from the pot, place it on newspaper or other prepared material in the same way as it stood in the pot.
At this stage, some amateurs, in order to properly transplant a grown ficus, recommend freeing the roots from excess soil and old drainage in order to assess the condition of the root system. If you are not a professional, it hardly makes sense to do this. Root pruning is necessary to curb the growth of the plant, but it can also cause its death, so try not to torment the root system. As a result of clearing the soil, small roots and root hairs are torn, which serve as the main producers of moisture and microelements (large roots are just channels).
If the root system is damaged, the tree will not be able to supply water to the crown, which means it will dry out. We explain in as much detail as possible how to replant a ficus at home step by step and with recommendations. Just follow them and as a result the tree will definitely thank you with intensive growth and health.
The only other thing you can do at this stage is to inspect the roots in case there are rotten areas. Such roots can be easily distinguished from others by their clearly unhealthy appearance and softness. They need to be carefully cut out using pruning shears or very sharp scissors, and the sections should be sprinkled with crushed coal. If you are not sure that you understand how to correctly distinguish healthy roots from diseased ones, it is better not to touch them at all.
Approximately compare the size of the earthen ball and the new pot. Add enough soil so that the tree fits in it, leaving about 5 centimeters to the top edge of the pot. Lift the plant by the stem, without touching the roots, and carefully place it exactly in the center of the pot. If suddenly, after the ficus has already been placed in the pot, it turns out that it is located too low (a large distance to the top edge of the container), take it out and add as much soil as required. After this, place the tree back into the container.
Pour the soil on the sides of the earthen ball, try to pour it so that there are no air pockets between the roots and the walls of the pot, but you also shouldn’t tamp the soil too vigorously. If you wish, you can add soil above the surface of the earthen clod, but you should not make a layer more than 2-2.5 centimeters.
Water the ficus generously in two doses. Wet the soil the first time, add a weak solution of “root” or its equivalent the second time to stimulate root formation. Pour out the water that has leaked from the pan and do not water until the soil dries out.
Difficult replanting with root pruning
Ficus is a tree with a powerful root system and crown. Naturally, the plant’s desire to reach gigantic sizes hardly coincides with the desires of its owners. In order to restrain the growth of the plant, it is necessary to prune the roots, with which you can even create indoor miniature bonsai-style trees.
It should be remembered that you can cut the roots of an adult tree only in case of emergency. In addition, root pruning should be accompanied by crown pruning to balance the volume of root and green mass of the plant.
- When replanting with root pruning, you can take the same pot as before. The volume of the root mass will decrease, and it will be possible to add fresh soil to the existing container.
- Carefully remove the tree from the pot, unravel the tangled roots, and immediately cut off those that decide to grow through the drainage holes. Remove old soil, if it is loose outside the roots, remove the old drainage.
- First of all, cut off all old, non-living roots (dry in appearance and when cut), as well as rotten areas, if any. After this, cut the healthy roots by 1/3 of the length and sprinkle all the cuts with crushed activated carbon.
- After this, plant the plant in the old pot as indicated in the previous instructions.
