One of the most popular plants among gardeners is ficus. Among the variety of varieties, you can leave your choice on lyciform ficus.
What does the Ficus lyre look like?
Lyric ficus (lat. Ficus lirata) belongs to the mulberry family. It is an evergreen deciduous plant. In height, it can reach 2.5 m. The trunk is straight, the leaves are large up to 45 cm long. Smooth to the touch. Foliage looks very beautiful and decorative.
Common varieties
Most often, you can find ficus varieties:
- Columnaris is a tall variety;
- Little Fiddle - mid-height;
- Bambino - undersized;
- Phyllis Craig is a variety with a compact crown.
Decorative view of ficus lyre
The latter two are best suited for home planting. The birthplace of ficus lyre - West Africa. The plant grows in rainforests.
Features of home flower care
Unlike most varieties of ficus, this variety is demanding in care.
Temperature
Ficus lyre belongs to heat-loving plants. In summer, the room temperature should be at least +25 ℃. In winter, it is enough to maintain it at the level of 17-22 ℃ above zero.
Note! It is not recommended to leave the plant in a draft - this may cause the root system to die.
Lighting
Good lighting at home is the key to the successful cultivation of ficus of this species. Pots are best placed on windows facing east. Bright sun rays are destructive for the plant, and soft diffused light on the eastern windows.
Watering
Depending on the season, the features of irrigation will vary. In winter, the amount of irrigation is reduced. In summer, on the contrary, watering should be plentiful and frequent. Water is defended before irrigation for a day. If irrigated with unstable water, white stains begin to appear on the leaves.
Spraying
A lot of dust accumulates on the leaves, which is why regular spraying and rubbing are necessary. You need to clean them from dust several times a week. In the summer they wipe more often.
Humidity
Since ficus lyre is a tropical plant, it needs high humidity (at least 70%). To increase humidity, the pot can be placed in a tray with moist expanded clay, more often wipe the leaves with a sponge or use a moisturizer.
Priming
Soil composition for ficus:
- turf land (3 parts);
- peat (1 part);
- coarse river sand (1 part).
Before planting, all ingredients are thoroughly mixed to obtain a homogeneous mass.
Top dressing
Care for ficus lyre-shaped at home involves regular feeding. Fertilizers activate during the period of plant activity, which lasts from March to September. They are brought in twice a month. Fertilize with top dressing for ficus or ornamental foliage crops.
Important! During fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, make sure that the solution does not fall on the sheet.
Features of winter care, rest period
In winter, ficus lyrate care is different. During this period, do not make any fertilizing and reduce the amount of watering. They also rearrange the flower in another place if it is very cold near the windows or the wind is blowing.
When and how it blooms
At home, ficus does not bloom. A plant can bloom only in the natural environment or in a botanical garden. Inflorescences can sometimes not even be noticed. Ficus lirata grows only upward and is a fairly tall erect plant. Not all gardeners may like this. In order for the ficus to give side shoots, it needs to be cut. To do this, in a flower whose height reached 70 cm, the top is cut off over one of the internodes. This ensures the formation of the crown.
Ficus pruning is an important part of care
How lyciform ficus breeds
There are several ways to propagate ficus at home.
Seed germination
It is impossible to get seeds at home. You can only buy them. How to propagate by seed:
- before planting, the planting material is soaked in water;
- after a few days they are planted in the ground;
- watered with water and cover the pot with a film;
- after about 10-14 days, shoots should appear;
- after that the film is removed.
On a note! Seedlings are planted when their height becomes 5-7 cm and several full leaves appear.
Rooting cuttings
Before cutting the cuttings, the soil is qualitatively weeded so that the plant is saturated with water. Begin boarding the next day. Planting ficus cuttings:
- For the cuttings choose a powerful shoot.
- Cut it at an angle of 45 degrees.
- Lower leaves are torn off, leaving 2-3 upper ones.
- The cutlery is placed in a glass with water so that juice comes out of it.
- Then dried.
The stalk can be left in the water and wait until the roots appear. Then transplant into the ground. Or immediately plant it in the soil and do not forget to regularly water it.
Propagation by cuttings
Air lay
How to propagate by air layering:
- select the location of the layering;
- from the top of the plant should be at least 60 cm;
- at this point the leaves are torn off and two cuts are made (the distance between them is at least 3 cm);
- incisions are treated with a root activator;
- then the place is wrapped in moss.
After a few weeks, a process should appear. There are no other ways to propagate ficus.
Transfer
Ficus grows very quickly, so it will have to be transplanted often. A transplant is being conducted in the second decade of April. The process involves the following:
- remove the plant from the pot, cut off all the roots that began to grow up;
- remove rotten roots;
- the new capacity should be 30% more than the previous one;
- pour some soil into the pot and place the plant;
- fill the tank with soil and lightly compact it.
At the end of the transplant, they must be watered with plenty of warm water. Wood ash or vermicompost is added to the water.
Possible problems in growing and disease
If improperly taken care of, the ficus will hurt. It is due to improper care or lack thereof that problems most often arise.
Discards buds and leaves
The reason for dropping leaves is low humidity. In this case, they also turn yellow. Leaves should be wiped and sprayed more often. A container with wet expanded clay is placed next to it.
Additional Information! If the leaves become small and begin to fall off, then the plant lacks nutrients.
Leaves turn pale
If the leaves turn pale, then the plant does not have enough sunlight. In this case, it is rearranged in the sun. Leaves may turn pale due to chlorosis. Spraying with ferovitis will help cure the disease.
The tips dry on the leaves
If the tips began to dry after transplantation, then the roots were damaged. Also, the reason may be in dry air or in the soil there is not enough potassium.
Lower leaves fall off
Lower leaves may fall for natural reasons if they are old. Foliage falls in autumn or early winter as part of the natural process of changing leaf cover.
Lower leaves fall
Pests
Ficus pests:
- spider mite (sprayed with vertimec, Mauritius);
- orange aphid (sprayed with a decoction of tobacco with soap);
- shield (wipe with alcohol and rinse foliage in the shower);
- mealybug (treat the plant with fungicides).
Insects often cause disease.
Other problems
Another problem when growing ficus is disease:
- gray rot;
- soot fungus;
- powdery mildew;
- cercosporosis;
- root rot.
To combat diseases, plants are sprayed with fungicides. With powdery mildew, wiping the leaves with a soap solution helps.
Additional Information! With gray rot, the affected areas are cut off, the soil is dried or changed. Cercosporosis is treated with antifungal drugs.
Signs and superstitions
According to legend, ficus brings money to the house. It is also believed that this plant helps women easier to endure pregnancy and give birth to a healthy baby.
Lyric ficus is a beautiful houseplant that needs regular care. He is demanding of the conditions of detention. Observing the rules of care - the plant will never hurt.
