Ficus binnendijkii

 

Mulberry family. Ficus binnendijka is native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia, the length of its distribution from the foothills of the Himalayas, through Nepal, Burma, Thailand, and to Vietnam, Java Island, Borneo, Sumatra, Philippines. It has become widespread in other parts of the world in countries with a tropical climate, is also popular in the United States, grown on the streets in parks and gardens. It grows everywhere except in the wettest and driest habitats on all major islands, best in rocky and rocky open areas.

These are evergreen trees or shrubs that grow in nature about 20 m in height, at home about 1.5 m. It has a powerful root system, very aggressive in favorable conditions. The leaves are shiny, dark green about 25-30 cm long and 6-7 wide. Like all ficuses, when cut or broken, sticky white milky juice is released from any part of the plant.

Description Vitaly Alenkin: Ficus binnendijkii Miquel - the bark of young shoots is light green. Young shoots quickly lignify. On the trunks and side shoots of middle-aged plants, the bark is dark brown, rough, with white strokes, partially exfoliated in the form of small gray pieces (ribbons). In adult plants, the bark is light gray with white strokes.

Young leaves on the tops of shoots are tubular twisted, in light green stipules. The latter, after opening the leaf, dry out and fall away. Fully formed leaves are lanceolate (outwardly resemble oleander leaves), slightly concave along the midrib (see "boats"), smooth to the touch, stiff, glossy with a pointed apex and triangular base, from 25 to 30 cm long and up to 4-4.5 cm wide. The leaf blade is dark green above, matte green below, with a pronounced powerful yellow-green central vein. Petiole 3-4 cm.

Фикус алиFicus binnendijka Ali 'Alii'
Its leaves are much wider than those of the original species of ficus binnendiik; the rest of the characteristics are the same. This variety is more often used than the view in landscaping apartments, offices, winter gardens.
Фикус биннендикаFicus binnendian Amstel King 'Amstel King'
The leaf blade is wider and reaches 7 cm. In fact, the cultivars Amstel King and Amstel Queen are very difficult to distinguish.
Фикус биннендикаFicus binnendian Amstel Queen 'Amstel Queen'
Variety (more correctly cultivar) with an intermediate width of leaf blade between Amstel King and Ali.
Фикус биннендикаFicus binnendian Amstel Gold 'Amstel Gold'
The leaves are very showy in color; scattered on a light yellow-green background are areas of green of different shades, from dark green to light green.

Among the florists, you can hear the names "ficus oriole" related to ficus binnendijka. The leaves of this ficus do resemble willow leaves in shape, but this is a folk name, not a botanical one.

Caring for ficus binnendiyka

Temperature: moderate, optimal in the range of 20-25 ° C, in winter, content is possible at lower temperatures of about 16-18 ° C, with irrigation restriction, limit 13 ° C at dry content. With sharp changes in temperature, it can shed leaves.

Lighting: bright diffused light, light partial shade. With a lack of light, the shoots are pulled out, the leaves thin out. From direct sunlight in the hot midday can get burns. Variegated varieties like 'Amstel Gold need more intense lighting, with some sunshine in the morning or evening.

In general, the ficus binnendiyka (ficus Ali) is very undemanding to light, for example, on the northern windowsill of a window, even shaded from the street by houses or a balcony, it will grow without losing leaves, but only very slowly, growing 2-3 cm in height about a year, while on a bright window it can grow 10-15 cm in a year.

Watering: moderate in summer, the topsoil should dry out completely. In winter, with a decrease in illumination and temperature, watering is limited to such an extent that the soil dries completely. Ficus Ali and other varieties of Binnendiyka tolerate severe drying, but die from waterlogging.

Humidity: Leaves can be sprayed, especially in summer in hot dry weather and in winter when central heating is working. If the dimensions of the pot allow, then you can wear a ficus binnendian in the shower every two weeks, while covering the ground from water.

Fertilizer feeds: from March to August, every two to three weeks they are fed with fertilizers for ornamental and deciduous plants.

Reproduction: cuttings that easily root in water in good lighting, as well as air branches. Cut the cuttings about 15 to 25 cm long. Just put in a jar of water, it takes from a month to three to form the roots. But this is much faster than rooting in a greenhouse in the ground. To prevent the water in the jar from blooming, change it every 2 days.

Appearance formation: ficus binnendijka - a large plant, with good care, an adult plant requires periodic pruning in order to maintain a compact shape. You can grow ficus in the form of a stamp, or braiding the trunks of several cuttings planted in one pot. Even if you do not form Ali's ficus in any way, it will still grow into a beautiful lush empty.

How to transplant ficus Ali

Young ficuses are transplanted annually in the spring, into fresh land. But if it turns out that the roots did not grow too much, a lot of free land, plant in the old pot, only replacing the land with fresh .

Old ficus binnendijka is transplanted every 2-3 years, but you can add fresh fertile soil annually by removing the upper 2-3 cm of old land.

The soil for ficuses should be loose and nutritious. Such a mixture is suitable: turf 2 part, 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. The pot should be quite stable, and not too spacious. Pot volumes are increased when the roots fill almost the entire volume.

FAQs about ficus

By the way

The most common variety of Fikus binnendika Ali. Very often the name vido is omitted and shortened to ficus Ali.

About

air humidity

Ficus bennendika is very tolerant of dry air in apartments. Spraying and showering have purely hygienic purposes, and also serve as a prevention of spider mite damage.

Here is how Vitaly answers the question of why several new leaves from the purchased ficus are very fragile and, as it were, wavy:

At first, Ali will develop twisted leaves due to lack of humidity, but this does not mean that you need to rush around him with a splash. Over time, the plant will get used to the humidity that you have and will grow beautiful straight leaves.

Growing problems

Growing ficus binnendika for 8 years along with ficus benjamin, I would like to note some features of its content, without claiming authority:

In ficus binnendika, unlike benjamin, cuttings are more reluctant to take root. In order for the stalk to give roots for sure, you need to cut off a twig of at least 15-20 cm and leave 3-4 leaves on it. And you need to cut cuttings in May-July. Root in water or moist vermiculite, in a bright place. It improves rooting by heating the handle so that the water temperature is about 24-25 ° C.

Фикус биннендика

Unlike ficus benjamin, binnendika is more often affected by the tick, especially in winter during the heating season or in summer, displayed on the balcony in hot weather. At the same time, ficus may begin to dry the tips of the leaves. The only salvation is hanging batteries with wet towels, or installing an air humidifier right under the ficus.

Excessive watering is destructive for ficus Ali, as for all other ficus, the plant easily rots, sheds leaves. Ficus also suffers from sharp fluctuations in temperatures, for example, if it stands in the garden and on the balcony in summer, and gets colder at night. Also, the plant reacts painfully to drafts. In winter, opening the window, rearrange the ficus from the streams of cold air, otherwise the branches dry out, curl, the leaves fly around.

Ficus Ali is very tolerant of lighting, but this is not a small plant, and it grows quickly under good conditions. After a while, it is no longer cleaned on the windowsill and you have to look for places in the room for him. I would like to warn against putting a pot on the floor, near the balcony door (it can be dark there, if the leaves are not at the glass level, and it is cold - drafts).

The temptation is great to put a pot of ficus against the wall of the room, for example, next to the sofa. Ali's large ficus tree looks really impressively beautiful, but exactly as long as it has enough light. Then the beautiful tree can begin to "go bald." To prevent this from happening, it needs to be illuminated with lamps.

But you can use lamps with ordinary Ye27 or Ye14 cartridges, put a fluorescent or LED light bulb with a wide or narrow base. For ficus up to 50 cm high, a daylight lamp with a power of 20 W or LED, with a power of 5-7 W is enough.