Ficus benjamina

 

Mulberry family. Ficus benjamina is one of the most common houseplants. In nature, it grows in India, China, South Asia, as well as in the Philippines, Hawaii, and Australia.

Contents

These are evergreen shrubs and trees. In nature, they grow like our birches, about 20-25 meters in height, at home, the ficus benjamin does not grow quickly and in about 10 years will reach 100-120 centimeters in height. Ficus has an invasive root system that spreads not only in depth, but also along the surface of the earth, the aerial roots of old plants growing in humid tropical climates form entire arrays of supports under a wide spreading crown. In indoor ficus in pots, the root system is quite strong, roots over time, if you do not add land, are shown above the surface of the earth, but aerial roots do not form.

Benjamin's ficus has dark gray bark, with brown transverse strokes. It branches very well, shoots drooping, leaves alternate, on short petioles, smooth, shiny, leathery, oblong (elliptical) or lanceolate, pointed at the end, 6-12 centimeters long and 3-6 centimeters wide. Fruits - syconia, about 1.5 centimeters in diameter, paired, axillary, red, maroon when ripe, inedible. In indoor conditions, the ficus benjamin does not bloom and, accordingly, does not bear fruit. On the petiole, when cutting the leaf, pruning the roots, sticky white milky juice is released.

Ficus benjamin varieties

Ficus benjamin has bred many varieties that differ in the shape, size and color of the leaf:

Фикус сафариFicus benjamin variety Safari 'Safari'
Small-leaved, leaves about 3-4 centimeters long, slightly bent by a boat along the central vein, the tip only slightly bent. The leaves are marbled in color: wide and frequent cream strokes and spots on dark green. It grows slowly. With a lack of light, it quickly loses its variegation.
Фикус барокFicus benjamin variety Barok 'Barok'
The leaves are medium (about 4-6 centimeters), 3 times as long as wide. The leaf is bent in a ring along the central vein. It grows slowly, branches weakly, and several cuttings are planted in a pot to obtain a lush bush.
Фикус наомиFicus benjamin cultivar Naomi Gold 'Naomy Gold'
The leaves are large (about 6-7 centimeters), the leaf is 2-3 times longer than wide. The edge of the leaf is slightly wavy, practically not bent away, the shoots are thin, drooping, the bark is light. In the photo, the variegated form of this variety, in simple 'Naomy' the leaves are dark green and differ from the variety 'Monique' in the shape of the leaf - it is wider (not so elongated).
Фикус кинкиFicus benjamin Kinky variety 'Kinky'
Small-leaved, the leaf has a length (about 4 centimeters) 2-3 times greater than the width. Leaves are straight, light green, cream or light green along the edge. Growth is moderate.
Фикус бенджаминаFicus benjamin variety Starlight 'Starlight'
The leaves are medium (about 4-6 centimeters), 3 times as long as wide. The leaves are slightly bent by a boat along the central vein, the tip is only slightly bent, the edge is not wavy. The color of the leaves is saturated green with a wide white stripe along the edge, some leaves are almost white. Growing fast.
Фикус наташаFicus benjamin variety Natasha 'Natasja'
Small-leaved, the leaf has a length (about 3 centimeters) 3-4 times greater than the width. The leaves are slightly bent by a boat along the central vein, the tip is only slightly bent, the edge is not wavy. It grows slowly.
Фикус бенджаминаFicus benjamin cultivar Nicole 'Nicole'
Small-leaved, the leaf has a length (about 4 centimeters) 3-4 times greater than the width. The leaves are slightly bent by a boat along the central vein, the edge is not wavy. The trunk is slightly zigzag (as in Wiandi), the shoots are directed upward. The leaves are light green with a wide cream border. Growth is moderate.
Фикус моникFicus benjamin variety Monique 'Monique'
The leaves are large and the leaf is 3-4 times as long as wide. The edge of the leaf is wavy, practically not bent away, the shoots are thin, drooping. The variegate form with light light light green spots is also widespread. It's growing pretty fast.
Фикус бенджаминаFicus benjamin variety Vandy 'Wiandi'
Small-leaved, the leaf has a length (about 3 centimeters) 3-4 times greater than the width. The leaves are bent by a boat along the central vein, the tip slightly bent. The trunk is zigzag, has many creases - a change in the direction of growth, fragile. It grows slowly.
Фикус эльдорадоFicus benjamin variety Eldorado 'Eldorado'
Very similar to Safari variety 'Safari', the difference is that El Dorado has larger leaves and wider ones. Leaves 5-6 centimeters long, twice as long. Growth is moderate or rapid.
Фикус бенджаминаFicus benjamin variety Carly 'Curly'
The leaves are medium, about 4-6 centimeters long, twice as long, with a wavy edge, the tip is slightly bent away. The leaves are dark green with white spots, varying in size (large to small craps) usually from the petiole and leaf base, some shoots growing with completely white leaves. With a lack of light, the color is lost. It grows slowly.
Фикус твилайтFicus benjamin cultivar Twilait 'Twilait'
The variety is very similar to 'Starlight' - the leaves are rich or dark green with a white border, but unlike 'Starlight', the border is narrower.

Caring for ficus benjamin

Temperature

Moderate, optimal for growth in the range of 20-25 ° C, but by and large, the temperature of the ficus benjamin is unimportant, and it is important that the watering corresponds to the temperature - water more often when it is hot and less often when it is cooler. In cool conditions, a moist earthen lump dries slowly, for a long time and this is very harmful to ficus. In winter, ideally, the temperature should be 16-18 ° C, with a irrigation limit, the limit is 8-10 ° C with dry content. But usually the ficuses of benjamin grow perfectly in ordinary home conditions, in heated rooms. If there is little light, the plants partially lose their leaves, therefore, during warm wintering, ficuses can be illuminated, especially variegated varieties.

Lighting

Benjamin ficuses grow well in a bright place, with protection from direct sunlight at noon. The east window, where the sun happens in the morning or evening, is perfect. Variegated forms need a lighter and warmer place than forms with dark leaves. On the north window, only varieties with dark green leaves can grow well, and variegated varieties' Safari'or' Eldorado'need a west window to maintain color, or a place in the immediate vicinity of the south one is already dark on the east one.

Watering

Moderate, ficus does not like waterlogging of the soil, it must be dried well before the next irrigation. From waterlogging, the roots of the ficus benjamin can begin to rot, while the plant simultaneously throws off a large number of leaves, which lose their color, turn pale green. Water for irrigation is desirable soft, room temperature.

Fertilizer dressing

From March to August, every two to three weeks, you can feed the ficus benjamin with fertilizers for deciduous plants.

Air humidity

Leaves can be sprayed, especially in summer in hot dry weather, but Benjamin's ficus may well do without it, it tolerates the dry air of apartments well. But to wash off the dust from the leaves, you need to rinse the ficus foliage under a warm shower, while carefully protecting the soil from the stream of water.

How to transplant ficus benjamin

Transplantation is carried out annually in the spring, in fresh land. Old specimens are transplanted less often, every 2-3 years, but you can add fresh fertile land annually. The soil for ficuses should be loose and nutritious. This mixture is suitable: 2 parts of leafy land, 1 part of peat land, 1 part of sand and 1 part of well-decomposed compost. Leaf land can also be used in its pure form, ficuses grow well in universal soils from the store. Large, older specimens, which are less often transplanted, need heavier and more nutritious land - the main component is sod land 2 parts, leaf or greenhouse 1 part, you can add chopped pine bark, vermiculite and charcoal. An important condition is good drainage to the bottom of the pot, and the acidity of the soil should be slightly acidic, or close to neutral (pH 5.5-6.5). Alkaline and too acidic substrates ficus does not tolerate.

Pots can be ceramic and clay, they should not be too spacious, and in diameter 2-3 fingers wider than the root coma, or the pot in which the plant was bought. If it seems to you that the pot has become small (the roots seemed from the drainage hole), then the ficus benjamin can be transplanted again over the summer. If the roots are not cut or torn, then he tolerates the transplant well. After transplanting, refrain from watering, if not too hot for 2 days (if the house is very warm and dry, you can pour a little and spray the leaves).

Propagation of ficus benjamin

The easiest way to propagate ficus benjamin cuttings, they easily root in the water, in a bright place almost at any time of the year. Simply slice any sprigs you like about 13-15cm long, remove the bottom two leaves and place in a jar of clean water. To prevent water from blooming, cover the jar with opaque matter. Growth promoters are not needed. Cuttings of this size already have a woody stalk, but if you cut a couple of sheets with a still green stalk, it will not take root. Ficus benjamin does not reproduce with a leaf, and large branches with thick bark take an extremely long time to root.

If the plant for some reason bald in the lower part of the trunk, it is easier to re-root the crown. For this, not cuttings are used, but air extraction:

Фикус бенджаминаFicus Benjamin Air Tap
The bark is cut and removed on the trunk in the right place, a strip about 1 cm wide. The trunk in this place is wrapped with moss sphagnum wetted in water (it is fixed with a thread only for the convenience of photography)
Фикус бенджаминаFicus Benjamin Air Tap
We cut the plastic cup along the walls into two halves (cut the bottom to half and make a hole along the diameter of the trunk) and fix it on the trunk, fastening it with tape. We fill the ground and water.
Фикус бенджаминаFicus Benjamin Air Tap
It is advisable to use a transparent cup so that you can notice the appearance of the roots. The earth in a cup must be watered regularly, it should not dry out. Roots on this branch appeared after 3 weeks.

Ficus crown formation

Ficus benjamin itself has a beautiful crown, many varieties do not require any special shaping. However, if the trunk of the ficus is exposed, the formation of new shoots and leaves by pruning can be stimulated. To do this, you can cut off part of the shoots, in whole or in part, sometimes it is enough to pinch the ends of the lower branches to start growing new buds. Pruning should be carried out in spring - early summer. The younger the ficus tree, the easier it is to form by pruning.

In addition to trimming and pinching, the crown of ficuses is formed by bending with wire (to form bonsai and pre-bonsai). Ficus shoots are quite flexible, easy to bend, but the thin bark can crack or break off the wire, so it is applied loosely, and braided wire is used. There should be a gap between the wire and the stems of the ficus - after all, the plant grows, and the branches gain thickness, with a dense winding, the wire will grow into the bark over time.

Фикус бенджаминаFicus Baroque is formed with wire, flexible ficus trunks can be bent quite abruptly, striving to achieve the chosen bonsai style.
Фикус бенджаминаIf you form ficus by splicing with a trunk, then braiding a pigtail of several trunks, be sure to leave gaps between them, on the outgrowth of the trunks in thickness. Drawing by Vitaly Alenkin.
Фикус бенджаминаTrunk fusion - several rooted cuttings are planted tightly to each other and wrapped in electrical tape. Part of the tape is removed and the joints of the trunks are clearly visible. Further formation is required.

Cuttings of some varieties of ficus benjamin branch reluctantly, lonely twigs look and gain power slowly, can stretch upward, even with sufficient lighting, begin to branch, reaching about 30-40 cm in height. Therefore, it is worth pinching, cutting cuttings at a height of about 20 cm.

You can plant several cuttings in a pot and, if the stems are pressed tightly to each other, then in a very short time they grow together. You can bring the trunks of ficus cuttings together with the help of ordinary electrical tape - it is quite plastic, and does not injure the bark, stretches on growing trunks without growing. About once a month you need to inspect the braid, if necessary, rewind. It is better, of course, to fuse trunks of small diameter, 5-7 mm, but you can splice and thicker, only the process will take several years.

Another way of formation is to weave trunks with a pigtail or in the manner of a hedge - openwork weaving from the trunks of ficus benjamin. This method is suitable only for young flexible plants. At the same time, several large cuttings should be planted in one elongated container at a distance of 5 to 10 cm from each other strictly in a row. Initially, each trunk grows vertically and forms a die (all lower branches are removed). Approximately 20-25 cm high, ficuses can be fixed, tilted by crossing the trunks with each other. Fix with duct tape or jute.

Video: Benjamin's ficus shower

The video shows how to wash dust from ficus leaves and prevent the tick. What to pay attention to during this procedure.

FAQs about ficus

By the way

Ficus Benjamin is very common in warm states of the USA, for example, in California, where it is grown as a hedge, in single or group plantings, in our country it is grown as a houseplant and greenhouse plant, in addition, it is very widely used in the style of bonsai.

Variegated ficuses

Very often there are questions about what affects the intensity of the variegated color of benjamin ficus. It's better not to express it than Vitaly explains it, so I'll quote:

Variegate leaves do have areas containing chlorophyll (green spots) and areas without chlorophyll (white spots). Green, photosynthetic areas consist of chlorenchyma tissue, which includes chloroplasts - cells with the green pigment chlorophyll. These cells participate in photosynthesis, i.e. with the help of carbon dioxide and water in the light, they synthesize the organic substances necessary for growth and development.

White, non-photosynthetic areas consist of cells devoid of chloroplasts. In the leaf, these cells serve as accumulators of organic matter produced by chloroplasts.

Creating carbohydrate molecules requires a certain amount of light. This molecule contains the necessary energy that is subsequently spent by the plant on growth and development.

Thus, the ratio of white to green spots on variegate leaves directly depends on the conditions of the plant. Lack of light leads to a decrease in the synthesis of organic substances, and, therefore, the plant begins to "starve" and fight.

The consequence of this struggle is greening of the leaves in order to increase chloroplasts and chlorenchyma, in general, for a greater synthesis of carbohydrate molecules!

The darker in the apartment, the greener the leaves will be and vice versa - the lighter, the brighter the pattern on the leaves will be expressed.

And young leaflets, just unfolded, stabilize their variegate color when they reach normal sizes. At this point, the cells of young leaves receive information from the plant about its condition (good and a lot of light, bad and little light) and already determine which tissue to form more - photosynthetic chlorenchyma or non-photosynthetic white spots.

Well, it remains to add, if the young leaves have already become green, they will not turn white. White can change to green during the development of leaves, but green, back to white - no.

Ficus benjamin varieties

As soon as you acquire a new ficus, you immediately want to know which variety it is and how to take care of it. In fact, there are a great many varieties of ficus benjamin, many varieties with pure green leaves have variegated variegated forms, with spots, strokes of different sizes and different stability.

Thus, the ficus of Benjamin variety 'Safari' is very unstable, the mottled marble color is easily lost, if there is not enough sunlight, leaves with pure green leaves begin to grow. If the ficus pot is moved to a lighter place, shoots with mottled leaves begin to appear again.

But some other variegated varieties of benjamins, for example, the variety'Starlight' - are more resistant to lack of light and even in light shade retain white spots on the leaves .

Various varieties of ficus benjamin also differ in growth rates - some grow very slowly, growing by several centimeters per year, under good conditions, other varieties, during the same time double the growth.

Many varieties of ficus are very similar to each other at first glance, some, even upon detailed consideration, raise doubts about the definition of the variety (for example, there is an opinion that the varieties' Safari'and' Eldorado'are two names of the same variety).

The differences are primarily in the form of a leaf (in some varieties it is more elongated, the leaves are narrow; in others, the leaves are wider, oval in shape); in the waviness of the edge (in some literally corrugated edge, in other varieties - light, barely noticeable waviness, in others pronounced waviness); the leaf plate can be straight along the central vein or bent boat, or, like the Barok variety, bent by a ring.

They also pay attention to the trunk - in many varieties it is straight, but in some in the nodes it changes direction, becomes zigzag, as if broken. The direction of shoots in most ficuses of benjamin is first upward, then they droop, and in such as the curly variety 'Baroque' or 'Nicole', the stems are directed upward and do not droop.

Growing problems

Ficuses can be considered unpretentious plants, they grow well and experienced growers and beginners. The main problems are related to improper irrigation or lighting.

Ficuses are photophilous, they require bright diffused light, with some direct sun, variegated varieties are required. Dark-leaved ficuses can grow in light shade, but growth is greatly slowed down, and the crown will not be thick. Ficuses grow well under completely artificial lighting.

Фикус бенджамина

But even the most light-loving ficus varieties, like Starlight, require shading during the hottest hours of the day in summer - on the southern and western windowsill. Use tulle or veil to create diffused light.

As for watering, ficus should be watered only as needed, i.e. when the earthen lump in the pot dries well.

The leaves of ficus are covered with a thin dense skin, which is much more reliable in protecting it from strong evaporation of moisture than, for example, in marantes. Therefore, the need for water is very small, even considering that ficuses have a rather large leaf mass.

The only exception to the rule is ficus dwarf, it does not tolerate overdrinking of the soil, its fibrous roots. But in ficus benjamin, nodules are formed on the roots that can store moisture.

Therefore, excessive watering often leads to illness or death of the ficus benjamin. The bad thing is that the plant reacts to rot roots with massive leaf fall, and it is quite difficult to dry thick roots, they slowly dry .

To save the plant, you need to get it out of the pot and dry the root system using old newspapers or rags (wrap them around the roots and press tightly). Often, mushroom mosquitoes become a signal about the waterlogging of the earth in pots with ficuses. This means that the plants need to be dried .

To what extent does ficus tolerate overdraft? You can dry the soil to a state: dust. I.e. the lump will be completely dry. In some varieties, leaves may begin to fall. But if you immediately water, the leaf fall will stop.

Pests of ficus benjamin

Pests rarely affect ficuses. Thrips, tick, mealybug and shield can harm them.

Of all of these, the shield is the most frequent pest, but fortunately it can also get rid of other insect pests of ficus, with the exception of the tick, with systemic fungicides - actara or confidor (watered with the prepared solution and sprayed with plants at the same time).

To prevent a tick from starting on Benjamin, you can rinse it in the shower with hot water once every two weeks (very hot - barely tolerable for your hand). If a tick does appear, you can fight it with drugs such as actellic, phytoverm or BI-58 biologics.

Фикус бенджамина

If you get a handle of ficus benjamin, before putting it in the water for rooting, wash the leaves with a sponge and soap foam. It is best to take baby or laundry soap, thoroughly wipe each sheet on both sides. Leave to lie down for 5 minutes. Rinse with clean water and put rooted.