Lyrate ficus. Houseplants

In every living room or office there must be a plant. After all, they make our air more pure. One of such plants, which also perform decorative function, is a lyre-shaped ficus. His homeland is West Africa. This species of ficus grows in the plains and tropical forests. It is worth noting that this plant is very easy to grow at home. After all, it does not require special care.

What should be the lighting?

Lyrate ficus in autumn and winter passes into a state of stagnation. After all, it is at this time that the level of illumination, as well as the duration of the daylight, are significantly reduced. Of course, this species has no expressed rest period. To crown the plant evenly, it is necessary to rotate it around the axis by 90 ° at least once a week.

At the same time the ficus is lyrate, care of which is quite simple, requires special illumination:

1. From the beginning of April to the end of September, the plant needs scattered light at 11 to 17 hours a day. The rest of the time - direct sunlight, not counting, of course, the night time.
2. From early October to the end of March, ficus also needs direct sunlight. Ideally, lighting should be present up to 8 hours a day.

Temperature is also important

To lyrate ficus grows well, it is worth observing a certain temperature regime. So, in the daytime this indicator should be from 25 to 30 ° C, and at night - from 16 to 18 ° C. Such changes only contribute to the development of the plant. If the temperature in the room exceeds 35 ° C, the vegetative development of the ficus practically ceases.

Watering is a must

You should water the lyre-shaped ficus only if the soil is slightly soaked. If for this purpose raw water from the tap is used, then it must stand for at least 24 hours. This will reduce the chlorine content in it. The roots of the ficus lyrate are very sensitive to this substance.

Soil and transplantation

To lyric ficus, whose photo is impressive, grows well, it is necessary to prepare the ideal soil for it. For this, it is necessary to connect three parts of turf soil, one part of peat and the same amount of perlite or coarse-grained sand. Before use, this mixture should be sterilized.

As for transplanting this plant, it is worth using a container that will be about 20% larger than the previous one. When carrying out such a procedure it is necessary to prepare the ficus lyrate. Pruning roots is necessary in the case when they began to grow up. There is one rule. Crop is not more than the third part of the roots. In addition, it is necessary to remove all damaged and decayed areas.

Transplant the plant should be once a year. The ideal time for this procedure is April or May. It is during this period that the active growth of the ficus is resumed. It is also worth choosing the right pot. It should be remembered that too much capacity for a large plant just turns.

Is it worth it to fertilize?

To feed lyroid ficus is exactly at the time when vegetative development begins. Similar processes start in March and end in September. However, there are exceptions, for example, high temperature in the room or prolonged overcast days. At such times, the plant can not be fed.

You also need to be careful when carrying out fertilizing. The plant is very sensitive to various chemicals. If the solution falls on the leaves, a burn may occur. Therefore, any, even minor droplets of fertilizer when getting on the green part of the plant must be removed.

If the plant is kept in optimal conditions, then it should be fed every 14 days. If all the rules of cultivation are not respected, then you can apply fertilizers only once every 30 days.

For top dressing, mineral mixtures and solutions that are suitable for ornamental foliage plants are ideally suited. However, fertilizer concentration should be made 50% less than indicated in the instructions.

Leaflets also need care

Many housewives wipe the house ficus with chemical polishes to remove dirt from it. In this case, this should not be done. Otherwise, a leaf will appear on the leaves of the lily-shaped ficus.

In summer and in the spring you can arrange a shower for the plant. Water at this should be warm. The procedure should be performed every 30 days. After the shower, all the leaves need to be dried. You can use a regular napkin for this. If you do not remove moisture from the leaves, then they will remain unattractive and the plant will lose its attractiveness.

In winter and autumn, you can not make the ficus of souls. During this period, the leaves can be simply wiped with a damp cloth.

Can I put on the street?

When the present summer comes and the air temperature is as close as possible to the recommended one, the lyre-shaped ficus can be put on the street. Do not immediately put the pot with a lyre-shaped ficus under direct sunlight. For him it is very dangerous. The plant should gradually get used to the changes. Therefore, initially the ficus should be put in the shade, and after a few weeks - under diffused light.

How to trim a ficus lyrate?

Sometimes it is not only pruning roots. In fact, the plant grows fast enough. Therefore, it is important sometimes to prune the lyre-shaped ficus. Formation of the crown is another important condition. Usually, for the restriction of growth, the above-ground part is cut, making slices over the interstice.

As for air horses, they can be removed if necessary. In this case there are no restrictions.

When cutting, it is worth to be careful, since the plant emits sticky juice of white color. If this liquid gets on the skin, there is a strong irritation. If the juice is on the leaves, then it should be erased immediately, without damaging the ficus. The liquid dries very quickly and is very difficult to remove.

Ficus lyrate: reproduction

This question, perhaps, worries many fans of such plants. When reproducing this species in a vegetative manner, it is necessary to take into account that roots will be formed on it for a very long time. In this case there are exceptions. The most problem-free way to reproduce the lily-shaped ficus is the use of air leaks.

In this case, the planting material is a young growing shoot. This can be a central stem, and lateral lapping. The main thing is that it develops. Planting material should be slightly lignified and green, but not soft. Of course, the worst option is the use for reproduction of a completely covered bark of the stem.

In the diameter of the planting material should not exceed 15 millimeters. The smaller the thickness of the stem, the more careful it is to plant it.

So, first you need to choose a growing shoot, the length of which is from 15 to 25 centimeters. We leave on it one growth bud, and also several leaves. All the rest must be removed, exposing the plot to 10 centimeters. After that, you must select one of the leaf nodes, which is located as close to the center.

At this point you need to make an incision. Use only sterile tools. A flash must be made under the knot. In this case, the stem, whose diameter is 4 millimeters, you need to make an incision depth of 1 millimeter, and with a diameter of 15 millimeters - from 1 to 2 millimeters.

The place where the notch was made must be washed with pure boiled, but cold water. Then you need to apply a little bit on the incision, which stimulates the growth of the roots.

Now you need to soak for 30 minutes in the water moss sphagnum. After the specified time, it should be wrung out. Place with a notch should be wrapped with damp moss and polyethylene film, and then firmly fixed with wire.

Grow from the seeds

Have you decided to make the lychee ficus? Reproduction by leaf here is impossible, but there are still seeds. With this method, you need to be patient, since germination can take several weeks and up to 3 months. In this case, for better germination, the seeds of this ficus need light. Therefore, they should not be buried. It is enough to press a little into the ground. Optimum illumination is partial shade or diffuse light. But the temperature should be 25 ° C.

Finally

Now you know how to care for the ficus home. If you follow all the rules, then the plant will grow very quickly. The main thing is to water and feed it in time. Do not forget that lyrate ficus love light. In a dark place this plant will simply perish. With regard to pests, for lyrate ficots are the danger of herbivorous mites, aphids, scabies and mealybug.