Ficus bonsai - care and cultivation at home

“Bon-sai” is a Japanese word that means “put in a container”. The purpose of bonsai breeding is to grow a dwarf plant similar to the real one. Bonsai trees are not genetically miniature plants; virtually any type of tree can be grown this way. The most popular dwarf trees are ficuses. They are quite unpretentious to care for, grow quickly, have branched roots, beautiful unusual bark, small leaves and an impressive trunk. Ficus Benjamina bonsai and ficus Ginseng bonsai are especially appreciated.

Shapes and styles of ficus bonsai

Before you start growing ficus bonsai, you need to decide on the shape of the tree. Depending on the choice, there will be a certain type of trim and garter. Each style has its own characteristics and requirements for growing. For beginners, it is better to choose the Hokidachi and Chokkan destinations.

Ficus bonsai

Hokidachi broom style

This style is used for deciduous trees with a wide crown.

Hokidachi

Shakan inclined type

In this style of bonsai, the trunk of the tree is tilted to one side, and the roots on the other side are turned outward.

Chokkan vertical view

The external characteristics of trees grown in this style are thick roots, a vertical trunk, a crown in the form of a triangle.

Chokkan

Cascading and semi-cascading styles (Kengai)

This is an artificial imitation of a tree grown on a cliff. The difference between these two forms is that in a cascading plant, the crown is located below the upper edge of the pot, and in a semi-cascading plant, higher, while the subsequent branching of the tree is below the edge of the container.

Curved Moyogi

The stem of bonsai plants belonging to this style is slightly curved in one or more places. The general position of the tree remains vertical.

Moyogi

Yose-ue forest structure

The composition consists of several trees (at least five), rather than one with several trunks. The effect of a forest or grove is created.

Double-barreled Sokan type

To get a tree in this style, the single-rooted trunk is split almost at the base into two thick branches.

Sokan

Choosing soil and container for bonsai

Using the right soil mix for bonsai trees is critical. The soil is important for providing the trees with nutrients, but it must drain properly, provide adequate aeration, and retain water. When planting deciduous species such as ficus Microcarpa bonsai, the soil should be 50% a mixture of river sand with clay and plant compost. You can add pumice and lava.

To make a bonsai look like a work of art and grow well at the same time, it is important to choose the right pot for it. You should buy ceramic vessels equipped with drainage holes. The value of such a material is that it has a porous surface and retains moisture. To make the composition look organic, it is important to correlate the dimensions and proportions of the vessel with the dimensions of the tree. A mismatch in size can lead to mold at the root and even rot.

Landing

Ficus bonsai can be grown from seeds, cuttings and cuttings.

Propagation of ficus by seeds

Step-by-step method of planting ficus seeds for bonsai:

1. A day before planting, soak the seeds in a growth stimulator (Heteroauxin, Humate or Epine).
2. Pour soil into a container 4 cm below the edge of the pot. Moisten it with a spray bottle and tamp.
3. Place the seeds evenly on the surface of the ground and sprinkle them with a thin layer of soil (no more than 0.5 cm).
4. Moisten using a spray bottle or through a napkin to avoid damaging the seeds.
5. Cover the container with polyethylene or glass.
6. Remove the coating daily for 20 minutes to check the soil and reduce waterlogging. Water if necessary.
7. Remove polyethylene after germination.
8. Provide sprouts with bright light throughout the day, but keep them out of direct sunlight. The optimum temperature is + 23 ... +25 degrees.
9. After the appearance of the first leaf, make a pick and transplant into separate containers.

Reproduction of ficus by shoots

Cultivation of a plant with shoots can be carried out in water or land. There is also a method of propagation by air layers.

In water:

1. Cut off a piece of the stem with two leaves.
2. Place the cutting in a dark bowl of water. To accelerate the formation of a root in it, add activated or charcoal there.
3. When the root appears, the plant can be planted in the ground.

A scion in the ground:

1. Cut off the stalk from the plant.
2. Plant in a pot of soil. Cover with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect.
3. When the first leaves appear, you need to periodically remove the bag.

With air ducts:

1. Make an incision at the top of the main trunk of the ficus.
2. Insert a small stick or match into it and wrap this place first with moss and then with cellophane.
3. Moss the moss with water periodically.
4. When roots appear, cut off the cutting and plant it in the ground.

Crown formation and pruning

When the trunk has the required thickness, it is no longer necessary to transplant. Now you only need to perform pruning and crown shaping. Pruning is done only in the spring. In autumn and winter, it is not performed, since the life processes of the plant slow down, and it prepares for a dormant period. Fast-growing varieties of ficus are cut to two to four leaves after 6 to 8 new leaves grow on the shoot. Trimming begins from the bottom, gradually moving upward, to the crown.

How to shape a ficus tree like a bonsai

There are different ways to form a bonsai-style plant: garter, wire wrap, and stem splicing.

Ficus tying

A garter is used if you need to make an inclined trunk or change the position of branches. The branches or the top of the trunk should be tied to the base, and when the plant gets used to this position, remove the ropes.

When wrapped with wire, it is wound from the bottom up in order to give a certain position to the branches or trunk. The wire should be thin and insulated.

Ficus wrapping

The method of splicing the trunks is best suited for the ficus Ginseng bonsai. To do this, you need to remove a piece of bark at the point of contact of the trunks, and pull them off. In the future, you will get an amazing composition.

Care

The main procedures for caring for ficus bonsai at home are maintaining the temperature, choosing a pot and soil, watering, fertilizing and protecting against pests. There are a number of conditions that must be met:

• The temperature in the room should be + 18-25 degrees, without sudden changes. Hypothermia and drafts are detrimental to ficus.
• The tree needs a lot of light, it feels uncomfortable in shaded conditions.
• The pot should be wide and shallow, ceramic and with drainage holes.
• The soil requires loose, light, well-permeable water and oxygen. Peat, sand, vermiculite, expanded clay are used as a ripper.

It is difficult to say clearly how often the ficus bonsai should be watered. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil. It is impossible to water abundantly so that the roots do not rot, but the soil should also not be allowed to dry out.

Fertilize in the summer 1-2 times a week, in the winter - once a month (if the dwarf is still growing). Mineral and organic dressings are used.

Why Ficus Bonsai Sheds Leaves

If the ficus sheds its leaves too intensively, this indicates insufficient watering or a small pot. If the leaves turn yellow and fall off in summer, the reason is a lack of nutrients. Fertilizers are urgently needed.

Diseases and pests

Ficus is susceptible to various diseases. Some develop due to improper care (brown, brown spots, yellow edges). The reasons are severe watering or drought, sunburn. Other diseases result from infection with fungal spores.

Scale on ficus bonsai

Pests feeding on plant sap and gnawing passages in leaf veins and stems cause great harm to the plant. The scabbard is especially dangerous. It starts up in trays where water remains. The insect sucks the juice from the foliage, depriving it of vitality. The presence of "swollen" brown spots is the result of the appearance of the scabbard. To get rid of it, you need to wash the leaves with soapy water, wipe them with a rag, and then treat them with chemicals: Colorado, Iskra, or Admiral.

If you follow proper home care for a ficus, for example, Microcarpa bonsai, then it will repay with rich foliage and become an original interior decoration.