Among house plants, ficus is especially popular. Signs indicate that the flower brings peace and prosperity to the house. Such a plant is planted mainly for decorative properties. In addition, the ficus is easy to propagate, and even a beginner can take care of it.
What does a flower look like to which family
The ficus of this species belongs to the family of rubber-bearing, it can grow quite high. Under natural conditions, the plant is found in India and Indonesia. The shrub has oval large-shaped leaves. Under natural conditions, the length of the leaf varies from 20 to 30 cm. The color of the foliage is bright green with a beautiful white border. In some species, the strips are located diagonally.
Home-grown rubber ficus
Ficus Tineke home care
It’s easy to take care of the ficus, but if you ignore the rules, you can get an ugly faded home plant.
Temperature
Ficus does not like the cold, as the climate in his homeland is very warm. The temperature in winter should not be lower than 5 degrees. In such a cold foliage will get a black tint, and the bush will die. High temperatures also often harm the flower. The optimal mode is + 18 ... +25 degrees.
Lighting
Lighting for a flower does not play a special role. If the rubber ficus Tineke grows in the shade, then its foliage loses its variegation and becomes simply green. With a small amount of lighting, the plant will quickly throw off the foliage and enter a state of sleep. Ficus tineke is best placed closer to the window, and in the summer season to bring to the balcony or garden.
Important! Do not allow direct sunlight to ficus foliage.
Watering
The plant tolerates moist soil perfectly, the earth should not dry out. It is important not to fill the flower so that the root system does not suffer. The watering regime should completely depend on the climatic zone. Features of flower irrigation:
- in summer, watering is carried out 3 times a day;
- in autumn and winter, hydration is reduced to several times a week;
- in the spring begins the active growth of ficus, so watering is carried out as necessary.
Spraying
This procedure is very beneficial for the flower. During a period of severe drought or at the moment when the heating was turned on, it is simply necessary to regularly spray the plant. The procedure can be performed several times a week.
Suitable pots for planting Tineke
Humidity
Under natural conditions, ficus grows in well-humidified air, but the dryness of an apartment microclimate affects the flower negatively. With insufficient moisture, the foliage of the bush turns yellow and begins to fall. This most often happens in apartments during the heating season, when radiators begin to work.
Priming
The flower prefers loose fertile soil. If peat soil was purchased at a flower shop, then it is worth adding sheet soil and sand to it.
Important! You can not over-moisten the soil of ficus, but also do not allow the drying of an earthen coma.
Top dressing
A complex of vitamins and minerals is necessary for Tineke. The most important components of mixtures for this culture are nitrogen and magnesium. Nitrogen will accelerate the growth of foliage, and magnesium will protect it from premature aging.
Pruning
The flower is famous for its wide foliage and its rapid growth. If you do not follow the bush and do not cut off the upper part, then the ficus is quite capable of growing to the very ceiling. The plant is pruned in order to improve it once every 3 years.
How ficus tineke propagates
Propagation of the culture occurs in a vegetative way. There are several options:
- cuttings;
- air layering;
- rooting of the leaf.
Rooting cuttings
The stalk should be at least 15 cm long. It is cut obliquely and placed in water for rooting. The procedure can be carried out in wet sand. After receiving young roots, the plant sits in a permanent place.
Air lay
The shoot is incised obliquely, and a match is inserted into it so that the stem does not overgrow. Moss is applied to the place, moistened and wrapped with a film. When the first processes appear, you can cut off the layering and plant them in separate pots.
Leaf rooting
This method is considered the most inefficient. The leaf can be placed in water or in the ground for rooting. In the best case, you get a leaf with roots, but you should not wait for shoots.
Transfer
When no nutrients remain in the soil of the flower, it is transplanted. Young bushes are transplanted annually. After 5 years, the plant can grow in a pot for many years. When the foliage of the ficus becomes small, this can be considered a signal for the need for transplantation.
Rubber ficus pruning
Possible problems in growing and disease
The causes of the development of diseases of the ficus Tineke Elastica are many. Failure to comply with the rules of cultivation and ignoring the basic rules of agricultural technology leads to a wide variety of problems.
Flower drops leaves
Falling foliage may indicate an improper watering regime, most likely the plant was not enough moisture.
Leaves turn pale
This is due to excess moisture. It is worth revising the watering regime.
The tips dry on the leaves
The tips of the leaves dry out and turn brown due to a lack of trace elements in the soil or too dry air. Correct the situation by applying fertilizer and regular spraying.
Pests
Often the plant is attacked by pests such as scale insects, mealybugs and aphids. In this case, the flower must be treated with a soapy solution, and insects must be manually collected.
On a note! If treatment with a soapy solution does not help, then use chemicals.
Signs and superstitions
It is believed that ficus brings positive energy to the house. For families in whose homes a flower grows, this bodes well-being and financial prosperity. The Slavs attributed to ficus completely different characteristics. In their opinion, the plant is associated with evil spirits and brings its owners only misfortune.
Healthy Tineke Flower
Ficus elastic Tineke is a highly ornamental plant. The flower has a lush crown, which grows very quickly. Plant care at home is quite simple, but extremely necessary. Even a beginner will be able to grow this flower on his windowsill.
