what to do with an ugly ficus plant
Ficus Bonsai Care guidelines
Placement
The ficus is an indoor tree that does non endure frosty conditions. It can be kept outside in the summer as long as temperatures are above lx°F (15°C). Information technology requires a lot of calorie-free, preferably total sunlight, then be sure not to place it in a shady location. The temperature should be kept relatively constant. Figs can endure low humidity due to their thick, waxy leaves, merely they prefer college humidity and demand extremely high humidity to develop aerial roots.
Watering
The Ficus should exist watered normally, which means it should be given water generously whenever the soil gets slightly dry. The Bonsai Ficus prefers room temperature soft water and it can tolerate occasional over, or underwatering. We advise daily misting to maintain humidity, but too much misting tin create fungal issues. The warmer the placement of the fig during winter the more water information technology needs. If information technology'due south kept in a libation place it but needs to be kept slightly moist. Continue reading about watering Bonsai copse.
Watering
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Fertilizing
Fertilize every ii weeks during summertime, and every four weeks during winter if the growth doesn't end. Liquid fertilizer tin can exist used as well as organic fertilizer pellets.
Pruning and wiring
Regular pruning is necessary to retain the tree'southward shape. Prune dorsum to 2 leaves after 6-8 leaves accept grown. Foliage pruning (defoliation) can be used to reduce leaf size, as some Ficus Bonsai species commonly abound large leaves. If a considerable thickening of the trunk is desired, the Ficus can be left to grow freely for one or ii years. The strong cuts that are necessary afterward don't affect the Ficus' wellness and new shoots volition grow from one-time wood. Larger wounds should exist covered with cutting paste. Continue reading about pruning Bonsai trees.
Wiring and bending thin to medium Ficus branches is like shooting fish in a barrel due to their flexibility, merely y'all should check the wires regularly as they tin can cut into the bark very rapidly. Strong branches should be shaped with guy-wires because they can be left on the tree for a much longer period.
Repotting
Repot your Ficus tree during the spring, every other year, using a bones Bonsai soil mixture. Ficus tolerates root-pruning very well. Continue reading nearly repotting Bonsai trees.
Propagation and grafting
Cuttings tin can be planted at whatever fourth dimension of the year, simply they have the highest success rate during mid-summertime growth. Air-layering will work best during spring, in Apr through May. In most cases, springtime is the all-time fourth dimension for planting Ficus seeds.
Ficus copse tin fuse by placing branches, roots, or trunks together and applying some pressure level. This technique is known as approach-grafting and it tin can be used to form appealing structures. You can tie many young plants together to fuse them and build a single strong torso. Fig tree branches and roots tin likewise be grafted quite hands. If the growing conditions are ideal, y'all can even take aerial roots from i part of the tree and graft them into a different position. For faster healing, or closing of large wounds, young plants, shoots, or aerial roots tin be grafted across wounds. An experienced grower tin work on fig copse with a nearly unlimited range of creative liberty, which considerably increases the appeal of growing Ficus retusa every bit a Bonsai establish.
Buying a Ficus
Acquisition of ficus ginseng Bonsai: Ficus plants are bachelor as inexpensive Bonsai or pot plants in almost every home-improvement store or nursery. Mass-produced cheap Bonsai usually come with a lot of problems, like ugly scars from rusty wire that dug into the bark, unattractive shapes, often poorly grafted branches in odd positions, bad soil, and sometimes inappropriate pots without drainage holes. When you buy from specialized Bonsai traders yous'll most often find high-quality Bonsai that have been well cared for. They offer everything from young plants, pre-Bonsai, and pre-styled Ficus trees up to loftier-value Bonsai trees.
Pests and diseases
Fig species are quite resistant against pests, but they are notwithstanding susceptible to several problems depending on their location, and time of yr, especially in the winter. Dry air and a lack of lite weakens the Bonsai Ficus and often effect in foliage drop. In poor conditions similar these, they are sometimes infested with scale or spider mites. Placing customary insecticide sticks into the soil or spraying insecticide/miticide will get rid of the pests, merely a weakened Ficus tree's living atmospheric condition must exist improved. Using constitute lamps 12 to 14 hours a day, and often misting the leaves volition help in the recovery process. For more than detailed information on these techniques, cheque out our Bonsai tree care department.
Ficus bonsai tree
Leaves of the Ficus
Ficus ginseng bonsai
Large ficus retusa with aerial roots
Willow foliage Ficus bonsai
General data about the Ficus Bonsai tree
Depending on where you await, at that place is different data as to the verbal number of existing Ficus tree species. Nosotros know that in that location may exist between 800 and 2000 different species. The most popular one for Bonsai is the Ficus Retusa. It's oftentimes shaped with an s-curved trunk and has dark green oval leaves. Similar Ficus varieties include; The Microcarpa, Tigerbark, Willow leaf, Golden Gate, Religiosa, Benjamina, and Taiwan. The Ficus Ginseng is another popular tree with a thick, pot-bellied trunk, like to the Ginseng root. Sometimes it is grafted with Ficus microcarpa leaves (combining it to a Ficus microcarpa ginseng). If you lot need help identifying your tree, take a look at our Bonsai tree identification guide.
Some figs trees can grow very large with a crown circumference of more than than 1000 ft (300 thousand). All fig Bonsai species share a milky latex sap which leaks from wounds or cuts. The tropical figs are evergreen trees, pocket-sized shrubs, or fifty-fifty climbing plants. Some of them tin produce dainty flowers, while most Ficus species accept hidden flowers in small receptacles from which their fruits grow. Just specialized pollinating fig wasps can pollinate those subconscious flowers. The fruit can be yellow, green, reddish, or purple-blue and are between a few millimeters to several centimeters, as the edible fruit of Ficus carica.
Virtually Ficus Bonsai trees tin produce aerial roots in their natural habitat, also called 'banyan tree', which are often presented in appealing Bonsai creations with many aerial root pillars or root over stone styles. To enable aeriform root growth in our homes a humidity of nearly 100% must be achieved artificially. You tin can employ a drinking glass cover, a fish tank, or a structure with transparent sheets for this purpose. Aerial roots grow downward vertically from the branches and develop into strong pillar-like trunks when they attain the soil. In tropical climates, a single tree can get a wood-like structure and cover an enormous expanse.
The leaves of most Bonsai Ficus species take special pointed tips from which the rainwater drips off. The leaves can vary in sizes of between 1–20" (2-50cm). In well-nigh cases, fig-trees have smooth grayness bawl on their trunk, just there are a few species or varieties with special bark patterns, like the Ficus microcarpa Tigerbark. Something to exist aware of is that Ficus Ginseng Bonsai plants are poisonous for animals, peculiarly if they consume the leaves. If you have pets, make certain to place your Ficus out of their accomplish.
Source: https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/ficus