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Ficus robusta is a tropical plant that represents the mulberry family. His homeland is the countries of southeast Asia and the southern islands of Indonesia. The plant is unpretentious, care and breeding can be done even by beginners. Experienced florists recommend starting with him to start your collection of indoor flowers.
Ficus Robusta
What does the ficus Robusta look like, which family does it belong to?
Robusta belongs to the rubbery species of ficus or, as they are also called, Elastica. Family - Ficus.
Appearance Description:
- Leaves are evergreen, slightly drooping down. The shape is oval, pointed at the ends. Color - dark green, surface - glossy. There is a vein in the middle of each leaf plate, its color can be light green or red. Leaf length - up to 25 cm, width up to 15 cm.
- The trunk is green.
- Height - from 1 m.
- Flowers - expressionless, no more than 1 cm in diameter.
Ficus is one of the most common indoor plants with an evergreen lush crown.
Additional Information! Ficus Elastica Robusta is a very massive member of its species. In the natural environment of growth, its height can reach 60 m, diameter - up to 2 m.
Healing properties
Robusta is a plant that is recommended to be placed in every home. He is able to absorb negative energy, cleanse the atmosphere of anxiety.
Robusta purifies energy, bringing peace and comfort
The leafy plates of the plant are used to prepare tinctures that are used in the treatment of arthrosis, rheumatism and arthritis. Folk remedies based on ficus help to get rid of papillomas and warts, wen.
Briefly about the history of appearance
It is not known exactly how and when the flower got to Europe. The homeland of ficus is India, the southern regions of China, Nepal, Burma, Indonesia.
Folk omens and superstitions
Exotic appearance and the ability to cleanse the air from accumulated phenolic and benzene compounds contributed to the appearance of "supernatural abilities" in indoor ficus:
- cleansing the aura of the home from negative energetics;
- protection from evil spirits;
- maintaining the financial balance in the house;
- balancing the irascibility of the owners.
Did you know? Suspension bridges are woven from the aerial roots of giant elastic ficuses in Indonesia.
Proper care and maintenance contribute to the emergence of a new family member: Robusta will thank you for taking care of clean air, a feeling of warmth and comfort in the house.
Ficusa Robusta: home care
Taking care of a flower is easy. You just need to adhere to certain rules.
Temperature
Ficus rubbery - home care
The optimum temperature regime for a flower is +18 ° C… + 25 ° C.
Attention! At higher or lower temperatures, the leaf plates of the ficus begin to fall off.
Lighting
The light should be diffused. Ficus is most comfortable on the north side of the room. In winter, you can additionally use fluorescent lamps.
Watering
Water the flower sparingly and regularly. The soil should be allowed to dry out a little. Recommended watering regime: in summer - every 3 days, in winter - every 5 days. The water from the pallet must be drained so as not to provoke decay of the roots.
Spraying
In summer, the plant needs to be sprayed once a week, in winter or when the air is dry - 2 times.
Humidity
The ideal moisture content for ficus is from 50%.
Priming
The soil should be neutral in acidity. It is important that the soil is light, loosened, with the addition of sand. The optimal solution is to purchase special soil for ficuses.
Top dressing
Complex mineral fertilizers are applied under the flower every 15 days from March to the last days of November.
Plant care
In order for the plant to delight the grower for a long time with its magnificent appearance, one should adhere to the rules of caring for the Robusta ficus.
Microclimate
Robusta is characterized by easy adaptation to new conditions. Ficus is completely not picky about lighting. The plant feels comfortable in fairly shaded areas. However, to maintain the appearance and brightness of the foliage, it is recommended to place the plant in a lighted area. The use of artificial light gives a good effect.
Temperature indicators required for a plant vary from 18 to 25 degrees Celsius. Exposure to cold air often causes foliage to fall off. It is forbidden to place Robusta ficus in close proximity to radiators. Rubber ficus does not react well to dry and too warm air and in such conditions it quickly loses moisture. The humidity in the room where the ficus is grown should not be lower than 50%.
Watering and feeding
Ficuses should be watered year-round. In winter, the plant requires less moisture. Before watering, the water must be settled for a day. Pay attention to the condition of the soil. Severe waterlogging can cause rotting of the root system. Watering the ficus is carried out exclusively as needed, and it is better to dry the soil a little than to fill the plant with water.
The use of fertilizers is required in the phase of active plant growth, which can be observed from the first decade of spring to late autumn. The most effective is the use of dressings with a base in the form of nitrogen components. Fertilizers should be applied at intervals of ten days.
When and how it blooms
Ficus lyre - home care
The flowering of the robusta ficus has no decorative value. Its inflorescences are small, no more than 1 cm in diameter, collected from several yellow flowers with a green tint and are almost invisible among massive leaf plates.
Robusta blooms extremely rarely and barely noticeable
In the natural environment, flowering can begin in May - June.
Additional Information! At home, ficus blooms in the rarest cases.
Changes in care during flowering
If the rubber plant Robusta bloomed indoors, he needs to increase watering and spray the bushes more often.
Plant appearance
The rubber-bearing ficus Robusta can really be distinguished from other species by its characteristic description. It has huge glossy leaves that can grow about 20 cm wide and up to 45 cm long. The leaves of the plant have a standard oval shape, there is a sharpness at the ends. Young leaves have an interesting burgundy-green color, and adults have a dark green color.
A thick light green central vein is visible on the surface. The petiole is identical in color. New leaves tend to form in special covers, which later fly around. Foliage has edges tucked inward. For ficus elastica during flowering, yellow-green inflorescences and seconium fruits are characteristic, which are almost invisible due to their tiny size.
Pruning
The rapid growth of ficus must be controlled by regular cutting off the top. This measure helps to form a beautiful crown and rejuvenate the plant.
The procedure is carried out in early March, when the growing season begins. Rules:
- shoots are removed at a height of 3 to 5 leaf plates;
- thin branches are cut straight, thickened stems - at an angle;
- cut sites are processed with crushed activated carbon.
When removing shoots, hemp should not be left in order not to provoke the development of fungal diseases.
If the ficus is not cut, it will grow very quickly to the ceiling.
How ficus Robusta reproduces
Reproduction of ficus is easy, carried out by seeds, cuttings and air layers.
Germinating seeds
Purchased seeds are soaked for several hours in a growth stimulator. It is necessary to put the seed on the nutrient soil, moisten it with a spray bottle, cover it with a thin layer of soil. The first shoots will appear in about 7-10 days.
Attention! You can only expect germination when using quality seeds.
Rooting cuttings
This is the most convenient and frequently used method. Procedure:
- Cut off the stems from the top, each should have 2-3 leaf plates.
- Wash off the plant sap from the cut and dry it in the air for 1 hour.
- Plant the cutting in a nutritious soil mixed with sand, dropping it into the ground at an angle.
It is recommended to place a support under each handle, for example, a thin stick.
Air layering
Old stems and woody shoots are suitable for layering. How to propagate ficus with air layers:
- Make an oblique cut on the branch.
- Insert a match into it so as not to overgrow, wrap it with moistened moss, wrap it with foil on top.
- Spray the moss regularly to keep it hydrated until roots appear. Water is added under the film through a syringe.
The roots will form in about 2 months. A branch with roots is cut off and inserted into the nutrient soil.
The preferred way to breed ficus is by cuttings
Other options
You can plant a ficus using a sheet plate. You need to choose only strong specimens, without any damage.
The leaf plate is cut off with a part of the shoot, the cut is placed in a container with clean water or wrapped in wet cotton wool.
Attention! Only a piece of the shoot should be in contact with water. The sheet plate should not touch the water. When the roots appear at the shoot, it is planted in a small container with nutritious soil, and covered with a plastic bottle on top. After rooting, the leaf must be planted in a permanent place.
Benefit and harm
The branches of the plant secrete milky sap. It's great for mining rubber.
Drops of snow-white dense juice flow out when the stems and leaves of the plant are cut.
On one of the branches, a curved cut is made under the bark. A container is placed in place of the wound. To prevent the juice from curdling, the incision is closed with a bandage previously moistened with alcohol. Vinegar is added to the container and the resulting mixture is mixed well. Flakes appear in the concentrate, which are washed under running water and rolled into elongated strips.
Rubber is subjected to various tests, since it does not dissolve in water and does not swell during precipitation. Such rubber can be easily processed into rubber or glue. More than 60% of natural rubber is used for the manufacture of tires. Large-scale rubber production is used in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Transfer
It is necessary to transplant as the flower grows, when roots are visible on the soil surface. Rules:
- The next pot should be 2-4 cm larger in diameter from the previous container.
- Young ficus is transplanted annually, flowers from 4 years old - 1 time in 2 years.
- The root collar does not go deep into the ground.
Attention! The ficus purchased in the store is transplanted without fail after a few days, when the plant is acclimatized in a new place.
Possible growing problems and diseases
It is easy to care for a flower, but a gardener may still face certain difficulties.
By the state of the leaf plates, you can understand what is bothering the plant.
The flower sheds buds and leaves
The appearance of such a symptom may be due to the fact that the plant is renewing itself. But more often this symptom occurs due to improper watering and lack of nutrients.
Leaves turn pale
This indicates that the room temperature is too high.
The tips of the leaves dry
The reasons for the condition are excessive lighting, lack of watering.
The lower leaves fall
This indicates the appearance of pests or depletion of the soil.
Pests
Most often, the plant infects a spider mite or scale insect. The flower is treated with soapy water. When the case is neglected, insecticides are used.
