Ficus microcarpa - care and reproduction at home

Ficus microcarp is an amazing, unusual plant. This is a mini mulberry tree cultivated using the Japanese bonsai technique.

What does the ficus microcarp look like, which family does it belong to?

Microcarpa belongs to the Mulberry family. The flower is remarkable for its bare trunk and root system. The roots are massive, rise up, intricately twisting.

Appearance Description:

• Height - from 2 to 3 m.
• Leaves are oval in shape, curved at the end, located on short petioles. The color of the foliage is dark green, the length of the leaf plates is from 5 to 10 cm, the width is from 3 to 5 cm.
• The trunk is brown, with dense bark.
• Fruits are small yellow berries, which, when fully ripe, acquire a burgundy hue.

Microcarpa is the king among ficuses

Common varieties

The microcarp species includes the following varieties:

• Westland - the length of the leaf plates is 11 cm, the width is 5 cm.
• Green Gem is a variety with a very dense crown.
• Variegata - leaf plates are painted in variegated colors.
• Moklam - small leaf plates of dark green color, rounded.

Ficus varieties were bred by specialists through long-term selection.

Healing properties

At home, ficus helps purify the air of carbon compounds - phenol, formaldehyde and benzene. The flower has a positive effect on human energy. The tree improves overall well-being, reducing the incidence of viral and infectious diseases, and normalizing the functioning of the central nervous system.

Briefly about the history of appearance

The homeland of ficus is Japan, the northern regions of Australia, the southeastern regions of China. In Japan, ficus has been used since the 6th century to create bonsai-style trees. There is no data on when and how it was brought to Europe.

Based on microcarp, you can create a real work of garden art

Microcarpa ficus - home care

Taking care of the plant is easy. You just need to adhere to the standard rules for growing a flower.

Temperature

The optimum temperature range is + 25 ... + 30 ° C.

Lighting

The plant does not like bright light and strong shade. The ideal place is partial shade. It is recommended to put a container with ficus on the east or west side, slightly away from the window.

Watering

Water the tree as needed, allowing the top layer of the earth to dry out. From frequent and abundant watering, the root system can rot.

Spraying

The spraying frequency depends on the room temperature and humidity. The drier the air, the more the plant needs moisture.

Humidity

The humidity level should be 60-70%.

Priming

For a flower, it is recommended to buy a special soil designed for growing ficuses or palms.You can make the soil yourself by mixing in equal parts clay, dive earth and sand.

Ficus will serve as a great addition to any interior

Top dressing

Fertilizers are used from May to October. It is recommended to use store-bought dressings for ficuses. They are introduced 2 times a month, adding to the water for irrigation.

Features of care in winter, dormant period

Ficus rest begins in the second half of November and lasts until the end of April, the first days of May. The tree must be kept at room temperature. Phytolamps are used as additional lighting. Watering in winter is moderate. If the air is dry due to central heating, the plant is sprayed 1-2 times a week.

When and how it blooms

Home ficuses of microcarp bloom in the rarest cases. The flowers are small, without aesthetic value, collected from several inflorescences with a diameter of not more than 1 cm. The flowers are unusual, outwardly similar to berries - syconia.

Microcarp has unusual flowers, like the tree itself.

Flowering period and care at this time

Ficus blooms in July - September. At this time, you need to increase the frequency of watering and spraying, as well as regularly apply fertilizers.

Pruning

You need to cut the ficus to form a beautiful crown and to rejuvenate the plant. This is done in the spring. Plant pruning rules:

• the upper buds are removed, which stimulates the active growth of lateral shoots;
• the main shoot is cut at a height of 15 cm.

Periodically, regardless of the season, sanitary removal of damaged or poorly developing shoots is carried out.

How Ficus Microcarpa multiplies

Reproduction of microcarp is carried out by cuttings, seeds and air layers.

Germinating seeds

The seeds are pre-soaked in a growth stimulator. They are planted in a nutritious soil consisting of sphagnum moss and peat.

The seed container is covered with plastic wrap. Provides diffused lighting and regular watering. As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is removed. The sprouts are planted in a permanent place so that the lower leaf plates are deepened into the ground.

Pruning is a mandatory measure for flower care

Rooting cuttings

Cutting is the predominant method of propagation of ficus. Procedure:

1. Shoots are cut off. You need to choose strong, woody branches. They are cut into pieces up to 15 cm long, the cut is made at an angle.
2. The bottom sheet plates are removed.
3. The slice is wiped off the juice, processed with a growth stimulant.
4. Shoots are planted in the ground and covered with foil.
5. They are watered regularly.

Instead of soil, the seed can be immersed in water with the addition of crushed activated carbon and periodically changed the liquid. The roots will start to appear in about 6 weeks.

Air layering

Algorithm of actions:

1. Retreat 70 cm from the top of the branch, make 2 cuts at a distance of 4 cm.
2. Insert matches into the slices to prevent bark accretion.
3. Cover the incisions with damp sphagnum moss.
4. Cover the place with a film, making several punctures in it for oxygen access.
5. Moss the moss periodically with a syringe.

After 30-40 days, when the first roots appear through the moss, the film is removed. The branch is cut at the roots and planted in the ground.

Other options

The plant can also propagate by the root cuttings method.

Rooting occurs in about 3-3.5 months.As soon as 3-4 leaf plates appear on the handle, you can transplant it to a permanent place.

Transfer

The sequence of actions when planting ficus in a new container:

1. Water the flower abundantly.
2. Carefully remove it from the old flowerpot.
3. Place expanded clay for drainage and a layer of sand in a new pot.
4. Dip the ficus into the container, fill the voids with earth and tamp a little.

The container for the ficus should be wide and shallow

Possible growing problems and diseases

It is not difficult to care for microcarp, but some difficulties in growing ficus may arise:

• The flower sheds buds and leaves. This is a sign of a lack of minerals. The plant needs to be fed and provided with abundant, diffused lighting.
• The leaves turn pale. This happens when there is a lack of lighting.
• The tips of the leaves dry. So the plant reports a lack of moisture or an excessive amount of it, a lack of fertilizers.
• The lower leaves fall off. This is a sign of decay of the root system.

Pests

Aphids, mealybugs or scale insects may appear on the ficus. To get rid of insects, the plant must be put under the shower, having previously covered the ground with a film, and then treated with insecticides.

Other problems

Improper care can cause the following problems:

• The appearance of gray spots on the leaf plates indicates stagnant water and decay of the root system.
• Twisting of the plates occurs due to sunburn.

To restore the plant, you need to remove the damaged parts and adjust the care for it.

Signs and superstitions

The Slavs have always had a negative attitude towards the presence of ficuses in living rooms, believing that they have a bad effect on a person. Other peoples consider ficus to be a tree that purifies the aura and protects from evil spirits.

Microcarpa is an unusual ficus grown using the bonsai technique. Caring for him is simple. In "captivity" ficus blooms in the rarest cases, but even if this happens, flowering does not carry decorative value.