Ficus Lyre-shaped And Dull

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Video: Ficus Lyre-shaped And Dull

Video: Ficus Lyre-shaped And Dull
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Ficus Lyre-shaped And Dull
Ficus Lyre-shaped And Dull
Anonim
Ficus lyre-shaped and dull
Ficus lyre-shaped and dull

The ficuses that came to our homes from the tropics are very diverse. The usual rounded large leaves of the rubber plant turn into a work of art on some other plant species. For example, the shape of the leaves of the lyre ficus seems to repeat the shape of musical instruments, resembling a guitar to some, a violin to others

Ficus lyre

Ficus lyre (Ficus lyrata) in native tropical forests grows to a twelve-meter tree with huge lyre-shaped leaves. In conditions of captivity, he has much less strength, and therefore his maximum height is one and a half meters.

Even at home, its leaves are larger than the leaves of rubber ficus, growing in length over 30 centimeters. But it is not so much the size of the leaves that amazes how much their unusual shape. Someone sees a touching violin in the form of a leaf, someone - a guitar, a companion of tourists and bards. The dark green leaves with a glossy surface have a wavy edge, giving them an even more romantic look.

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But the elegance of the plant requires more attention from the grower. If the living conditions of the lyre ficus are not close to the conditions usual for it, then its beautiful leaves fall off, leaving bare stems in the flower pot.

Blunted ficus

One more species belongs to the same demanding plants as the lyre ficus - the dull ficus (Ficus nitida or Ficus retusa). For the capricious disposition, the flower growers were in no hurry to plant it in flower pots. But not so long ago, flower growers, nevertheless, turned their eyes to him, trying to tame him as a tub plant.

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The birthplace of this elegant handsome man is India. To attract for their cultivation tubs, in which sauerkraut and other pickles were stored in Russia, required the size of the plant. After all, the dull ficus is a real branched tree with leaves that look like the leaves of a laurel tree. Numerous branches are easy to prune, allowing you to create natural-man-made masterpieces of all kinds of shapes. Blunted ficus is often used in indoor bonsai.

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Growing

Ficuses lyre-shaped and dull in our harsh climate are grown as indoor plants. True, in the summer they can be moved to the open air (balcony, terrace), choosing semi-shaded places. In the fall, the pots and tubs are returned to their rightful place.

If in your area the air temperature during the year does not drop below plus 10 degrees, then both of these ficuses can be grown in the open field, or you can keep containers with plants in the open air all year round, creating partial shade for them.

Ficuses are fed with full mineral fertilizer, adding 15-20 grams of fertilizer to a bucket of water for irrigation. The frequency of dressing in spring and summer is 2 times a month, and during the winter you can feed it a couple of times.

In summer, ficuses require frequent watering, in winter - rare, but the earthen coma must not be allowed to completely dry. To create moisture, the tropics need frequent spraying.

Location and air temperature

Ficuses tolerate shade well, but for a more successful development they are more favored by the diffuse lighting that they receive in tropical forests.

In winter, for ficuses, the ideal air temperature is plus 15 degrees; when grown in open ground, they can withstand a drop in temperature to plus 10 degrees. In spring and summer, 17-20 degrees are ideal, in the daytime up to 30 degrees.

Reproduction and transplantation

Reproduction of ficuses is carried out by cuttings, leaf or stem, or by air layers. They take 10-centimeter containers, fill them with a mixture of perlite expanded clay with peat, where the cuttings are placed. To reduce the evaporation of moisture from the leaves, they are twisted with the upper surface outward into a tube, which is fixed and tied to a support.

When the roots appear, the cuttings are transplanted in containers that are 4 centimeters larger. Later, in early spring, the grown plant is transplanted into a pot that is a couple of sizes larger than this one.

It is advisable to purchase ficuses in the store in early spring. This makes it easier for them to get used to the conditions in your home. Plants should be chosen compact, with dark green glossy leaves, with crowns free from pests.

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