How to make a ficus lush. Formation of the crown of a rubber-bearing ficus, how to prune a plant at home

How to form a beautiful tree from a ficus seedling? There are many options for pinching and trimming for best results. Simple rules for working with various types of ficus will be of interest to all growers. In another article, read about what is needed for this.

How to properly pinch Benjamin's ficus and rubber

For home design, Benjamin's ficus is especially interesting. It forms branches extending from the main trunk, which can be cut off annually, giving the plant the most unusual shape. In addition, Benjamin's ficus has a flexible stem, which can be easily bent in different directions during growth.

Pruning and pinching is best done during the active growth of the plant - in spring or early summer.

Most species grow upward with one shoot and do not form lateral branches without pinching. Therefore, if you want to get lateral shoots from the main trunk, it is important to correctly pinch the growth points.

How to form a ficus at home in the form of a ball, in a tree, in the form of a pigtail from several trunks

From several seedlings planted nearby, you can weave pigtails and spirals, which look very unusual and beautiful. A ball-shaped crown can be obtained from a standard tree.

For two or three years, all the lower ones. Should remain from the five upper branches, from which you can begin to form a ball. Every month in the warm season, the tops of the branches are pinched, stimulating the growth of lateral shoots.

To braid a flexible trunk in the form of a pigtail, plant several ficus seedlings of the same size in one pot.

When the ficuses grow up to 30 centimeters in height, cut off the lateral shoots in the lower part of the trunks with a clean blade or secateurs and intertwine the seedlings with each other. The trunks are tied with a soft woolen thread. As it grows, the weaving is updated all the time until the tree grows to the required height. Do not forget to remove the threads, otherwise they will grow inside the trunks.

How to form a ficus in a spiral

To form a ficus in a spiral, two seedlings are planted in a flower pot next to it. When their trunks are at least 30 centimeters in height, they begin to weave in the form of a spiral, cutting off the interfering side shoots. The intertwined trunks are fastened with twine or woolen thread.

If the stems do not bend well, you can open hot water in the bathroom by letting in steam, and bring the plant into the bathroom for half an hour (do not put it under hot water).

For ficus weaving, it is important to choose days suitable for the lunar calendar for working with the plant, when the moon is in the fertile signs of the zodiac.

- popular indoor plants, characterized by a high growth rate and foliage growth. Therefore, they are favorite objects for the formation of small indoor trees with a crown of various shapes.

It is not at all difficult to grow a decorative ficus. By regularly carrying out its formative pruning, you can get a beautiful tub plant and even a tree grown in the "bonsai" style.

In the article you will learn everything about the formation of the crown and trunk of the Benjamin ficus at home, as well as about pruning and pinching the plant.

Basic rules for pruning

Formative pruning of Benjamin's ficus is carried out in early spring, in late March or early April. Before the start of active growth, there is enough time for the sections to be delayed, and the plant to recover from the stress received.

To carry out pruning, you will need a garden pruner, charcoal or activated charcoal, a clean napkin and a disinfectant (alcohol or potassium permanganate solution).

Before the procedure, you need to disinfect the pruner with alcohol. or a solution of potassium permanganate to exclude the ingress of any infection and the development of the disease.

Thick branches are cut at an angle as close to the bud as possible. Thin shoots are cut above the bud, shortening them by 1/3.

After pruning, wipe the sections of thick branches with a clean napkin to remove the flowing milky juice. Then the slices are covered with crushed charcoal or activated carbon.

Sections of thin shoots can be left untreated, but it is better to remove the flowing sap, as it may leave white spots on the leaves of the plant.

In addition to formative, there is also a sanitary and rejuvenating pruning of Benjamin's ficus. Consider how to shape Benjamin's ficus.

Sanitary pruning

Sanitary pruning of a plant can be carried out not only in spring, but at any other time of the year as needed. It consists in removing dry, diseased and poorly developed shoots.

Dry branches should be removed as they look ugly... They are also removed for safety reasons: sometimes dry branches become sources of various fungal infections.

If any ficus disease occurs, the affected areas of the shoots are cut off and burned. For this, one should not wait for spring, such pruning is carried out as soon as possible.

Poorly developed shoots are removed, since they are not very decorative. They also increase the density of the crown, not letting light inside it.

Anti-aging pruning

This type of pruning is carried out to return the decorative appearance to very old ficuses or plants, the shoots of which, for one reason or another, have lost their vitality.

Sometimes, with a strong and prolonged drying out of the soil, almost all the branches of the tree dry up... In this case, the ficus should not be thrown away, it is necessary to carry out anti-aging pruning.

This procedure is carried out in early spring before the beginning of the growing season. All dead branches are cut, and living ones are cut in half. Moreover, not only the main shoots are cut off, but also the shoots of the second order. All sections are carefully sprinkled with activated carbon.

When the crown is completely dry, Benjamin's ficus can be cut "into a stump" by removing all branches and cutting off the trunk. The remaining stump should be no higher than 7-10 cm. Gradually, the plant will restore the crown, growing new young shoots.

Types of crowns and ease of formation

There are several types of crowns that can be created by pruning Benjamin's ficus:

• Shrub;
• Stamp;
• Longline bole;
• Sculpture.

Most varieties can also be used to grow miniature bonsai trees.

Although Benjamin's ficus is a tall tree, it is very easy to grow a bush from it. To do this, a central shoot is attached to a young plant. As a result, side branches begin to grow actively. Within a year, you can get a lush and beautiful plant.

Stamp forms are distinguished by a pronounced trunk and crown. Distinguish between a single and long-tiered bole with a crown divided into several tiers, between which there is a trunk without shoots. Growing such a tree is a lengthy process that can take 3-4 years.

The sculpture is created from small-leaved varieties. The tree is given a pre-conceived shape. Pruning is done annually and very carefully, and the shape of the tree needs to be adjusted regularly.

This article is often read:

Bush

To form a bush, both undersized and tall ficuses are used. Small-leaved varieties are very popular: from them the bush turns out to be more lush. For the rapid formation of a bush crown, 2-3 cuttings are simultaneously planted in a pot close to each other.

After planting, as soon as a rooted stalk 15 cm high begins to grow, it is pinched from above, leaving at least 5 leaves. This stimulates the growth of 4-5 side shoots.

When the lateral shoots reach a length of 10-15 cm, their tops are also cut off.... In this case, the remaining upper buds should be directed not inside the crown, but outward.

All sections must be wiped with a napkin to remove the white juice, and sprinkled with activated charcoal.

After the second pruning, when the shoots of the third level reach a length of 10-15 cm, a rather dense bush is already obtained. With a strong density, you can cut 2-3 branches from the middle of the bush, thin it out.

When growing a bush crown, you need to evenly illuminate the plant or periodically turn it towards the light in different directions so that the shoots grow evenly.

Stam

Stamp crowns are forms with a pronounced trunk. For growing a stem, a single cutting is planted. In the process of its growth, all formed lower lateral shoots are removed, leaving 3-4 upper ones.

If you want to grow a standard tree 50 cm high, then the length of the lower part of the trunk without branches should be 15-20 cm.

Usually desktop specimens are up to 50 cm high, and floor ones are much higher: 90-100 cm.

After the lower part of the trunk is formed, they begin to build up the crown. When the plant reaches the desired height, the upper shoot is cut off 5-10 cm.

After that, side shoots begin to grow intensively. They need to be left only within the crown. If they form in the lower part of the plant on the trunk, then they must be removed.

The stem crown of ficus can be given various shapes... The spherical crown is very popular and beautiful, but the oval shape, extended upward or to the sides, is no less decorative. When creating a crown in the shape of a ball, it is necessary to leave shoots of the same length when pruning.

Tiered bole

The tiered bole is a tree shape with a crown divided into parts. A bare trunk without branches remains between its tiers. Such a tree can have 2 or more tiers.

Sometimes the tiers are built up gradually... First, a common standard tree with a round or oval crown is formed. Then the pruning is carried out in such a way that the central shoot grows, directed upwards.

Gradually, it will be possible to form an extension of the trunk from it, and then a new layer of the crown. This is the longest process of forming a longline stem.

It is much faster to plant 2 cuttings at once and fasten their trunks with wire. Gradually below they will grow together into a single trunk. Above, the plants will be split.

Each of them can be grown like a regular bole, but their crowns will be at different heights. If you plant cuttings with different leaf colors, you can get a very beautiful tree with different colors of the crown tiers.

Longline stem can be grown from one cutting... It should grow upward, forming an elongated, tall, single stem. After the formation of the lower part of the trunk, its crown must be divided into 3 parts.

The lower and upper parts will be two tiers of the trunk, the central part - the bare trunk located between them. In the center, all side shoots are removed, the top of the tree is pinched. The longlines are formed like a regular single bole.

Bonsai

Almost all varieties of Benjamin ficus can be used to grow bonsai. But the Viandi variety is most suitable for this purpose. It has a slow growth rate and a wavy curved trunk. The cuttings of this variety are the fastest growing bonsai.

The technology of growing these dwarf trees for Benjamin's ficuses and for other species is practically the same. Bonsai are grown in low, wide containers filled with depleted soil, which promotes a slow growth rate. The roots of the tree are pruned 2-3 times a year, after which it is planted in the same container. Plants are also pruned 2-3 times a year.

In addition to pruning, great importance is attached to the formation of the trunk and branches.

The branches and trunk are wrapped with thick copper wire, and then gradually bend it so that the plant takes on the desired shape. Usually, after such procedures, after 4-5 years, the plant looks like a real tree in miniature.

Sculpture

It is very difficult to grow a crown in the form of a sculpture; work on it takes a long time. Only an experienced florist can create a tree in the shape of an animal or bird. It is easier to make a crown in the form of a geometric figure - a cone or a cylinder.

Even the formation of a simple geometric crown takes several years.

At the same time, it is necessary to prune the plant annually in the spring, cutting off the branches in such a way that the crown takes on the desired shape.

Usually, branches are left pointing outward, and the crowns growing deeper are cut out.

In this case, the outer part of the crown branches out strongly, so it becomes easier to give it the desired shape.

Shaping the trunk - ficus braiding

Not only the crown of Benjamin's ficus looks very beautiful. Trees grown by the ficus weaving method are a real work of art.

These are tall plants, the bare trunks of which are intertwined. The most decorative element of such a plant is precisely the trunk, its crown is formed, as a rule, of a simple spherical shape of small size.

Many varieties of ficus are suitable for growing a plant with an intertwined stem, but they should have straight and thin shoots. The Viandi variety, which is often used for growing bonsai, is not suitable for weaving, as it has twisted curved shoots.

In order to weave the trunks, 2 or more cuttings are planted in one pot.... They must be of the same size so that one of them does not grow faster than the other and clog it. For the same reason, it will not work to weave varieties with different growth rates into one trunk.

There are a variety of ficus weaving patterns. The simplest of these are the spiral and the braid.

For a spiral, you need to plant 2 cuttings in one pot, to braid a braid, you need 3 plants. There are also more complex weaving methods, which will require many more cuttings, sometimes several dozen. Such trees are usually grown only by professionals, they are very expensive.

To grow a "pigtail", 3 cuttings of ficus with a size of 15 cm or more are planted in a pot close to each other. As soon as they begin to grow, you can start weaving. The lowermost part of the cuttings should not have lateral shoots. If there are any, they must be removed, and then the first weaving of the trunks should be carefully done.

In order for the intertwined trunk to retain its shape, the cuttings should be fixed... A thick woolen thread or copper wire is suitable for this. Shoots are fixed above the weave. After that, the plant is looked after as usual until the cuttings have grown enough to make the next weave.

Every 2 months, check the fixation points and, if necessary, loosen the thread or wire. In the process of growth, intertwined plant trunks thicken, and fixation can cut into them and injure the bark.

When the braid reaches the desired height, it must be tightly fixed with a wire or metal bracket above the place of the last weave. The fixation will be reliably hidden by the overgrown crown of the tree. After a few years, when the trunks are firmly fused together, the wire can be removed.

To perform other, more complex, weaving patterns, you may need not only wire, but also a metal frame around which the trunks of many plants are woven.

Now you know how to form a Benjamin ficus crown. You can find out about the superstitions associated with Benjamin's ficus.

Or ficus elastica at home, you need not only to properly care for it, but also to form a crown.

Ficus belongs to tropical plants, reaching 40 meters in nature. It braids around all the nearby trees thanks to the aerial roots, which eventually form a banyan tree.

Indoors, rubbery ficus grows from 50 centimeters to one meter per year. If the flower is properly looked after, then it will give an additional leaf per week. Due to the fact that the plant does not bush much, but constantly stretches in height, it is necessary to constantly restrain its growth by pinching or pruning. Do not try to transplant the flower into a spacious pot so as not to disrupt its growth. This will lead to the growth of the root system, but the bush itself will stop growing.

How to form a crown of rubber ficus without pruning

There are ways by which the ficus is forced to branch out the lateral shoots and at the same time do not resort to pruning:

1. It is necessary to tilt the trunk down and fix the top with ropes to a support inserted into the ground. This action will affect the kidney, which will be at the very top. It will give growth to a strong branch. The top of the ficus will stop actively reaching up. If you gradually align the trunk of the ficus, then you can achieve the growth of several more additional branches. The procedure is best done with young trees, they lend themselves well to it.
2. An incision can be made a third of the depth of the trunk above the dormant kidney. Manipulations are carried out only with a disinfected knife. In this place, the bark is removed. As a result, the root nutrition of the awakened kidney is weakened. This operation is called kerbovka. It is carried out only in the spring.
3. Artificial plant hormones - cytokinins - can stimulate branching. With their help, the apical dominance of the apex is replaced by the lateral axillary dominance. Also, these hormones prevent foliage from falling down below.

Pruning ficus rubber at home

It is advisable to prune the ficus in the spring, when it is actively growing. If you do the procedure at a different time, then only the upper bud will wake up, and the bush will become one-sided. Before pruning the ficus, you must wait for its height to be at least 70 centimeters. If there is no desire to change it, then it is enough to simply pinch the top. When the rubber bush is too tall, you can cut it above the desired branch above 5 centimeters. When pruning, you must understand that after it the bush stops growing in height, so you must determine for yourself how deep it should be, since you can no longer fix anything afterwards. When you start pruning rubber-bearing ficus at home, you should know:

• the procedure is carried out with well-sharpened tools, it is enough to treat them with alcohol or ignite them with fire;
• thin shoots are cut only with a straight cut, but the trunk itself is cut obliquely;
• if you make an incision, then on one side it should pass directly above the kidney, and on the other side it should go out at its level;
• for pruning, it is best to use a knife and pruner to avoid injury to the ficus, thin branches can be cut with scissors.

After manipulating the plant, it is important to remove all the milky juice that has come out. He wipes off with a damp cloth. If this is not done, then the juice hardens and clogs the vessels, which stops the growth of the rubber-bearing ficus.

Another important point! When a plant needs a transplant, it should be postponed for two weeks after pruning, as the procedure causes stress in the ficus. It will also facilitate the branching of the ficus tree. To do this, use a pot larger by 3 centimeters with an obligatory good drainage layer. In an adult ficus plant, the top layer is simply changed.

To stimulate the active growth of additional shoots, the elastic is fed with mineral fertilizers. Before fertilizing, the soil must be moistened.

As soon as additional shoots appear on the plant, they are pinched to make the crown dense and compact. To achieve the desired direction, the shoots are corrected with a wire. You can plant a rooted top in one pot, which will additionally help form a beautiful crown.

How to get an unusual crown of a rubbery ficus

If everything is in order with your imagination, then according to your taste, you can form a crown of various types in the plant. We bring to your attention its most common forms:

1. Stamp. This shape looks like a small tree. To get it, you need to strengthen the stem and remove all the foliage to the place you need. After a while, the support is removed, and the stem is shortened to 5 centimeters. The tops in the second and third internodes are pinched, and the lower branches are removed by the third part. This pinching and pruning is done regularly to maintain the desired crown shape.
2. Ficus braiding. If you want to get a pigtail or a spiral, then two or three young plants must be planted in one pot. The spiral shape is made of two stems, gently twisting them together and gradually twisting them together. The pigtail is woven from three ficuses. When performing ficus weaving, it must be borne in mind that over time the stems will thicken, so it is not worth pulling the stems tightly together. All branches that appear on the sides are removed.
3. Fence. This shape is obtained by placing young ficuses in a row and at equal intervals in a container. To maintain the desired shape, they are fastened together with a string or dense thread. To prevent the appearance of scars, the fastening is sometimes weakened. In places where the stems are connected to each other, they remove the bark, wipe the juice and fasten the plant with a film. Then you need to turn the composition towards the sun.
4. Circular lattice. To get this shape, you need to plant young plants in a circle.
5. Spiral barrel. The spiral can be grown by gently wrapping the trunk around the support as it grows. All branches on the sides are removed.
6. Original. If you plant a coconut column in the center of the composition, and ficuses will grow around it, then over time, the aerial roots of the plant will braid it with sufficient moisture. As a result, a monolithic structure is formed, it will look like a banyan tree.

This is not the first time I have been asked this question in the spring.
I had a similar experience, so I will share how I stimulated my old ficuses for this feat.
During the winter, many ficuses lose their foliage due to the difficulties of wintering in an apartment. Dry air due to the heating system, little light, and at the same time cold windowsills are the main scourge for indoor plants that winter in the cold climate of our country.

But besides this, there is another reason - at the bottom, the trunks become bare over time due to natural reasons. The tree grows, the crown develops at the top, and at the bottom the trunk becomes bare. This happens to all trees in the wild.

So my ficus, having reached its maximum growth, as much as the room conditions and the size of the pot allowed it, bared the trunks in the lower part. And the top of his head rested against the ceiling. He felt cramped on the windowsill, but he couldn't put it on the floor either: it's too dark, because I live in the Urals - we have dark winters in recent years.

But I decided to try to fix the situation.

There are several ways to get a mature tree to grow young branches in the lower woody part of the trunk.

1.trimming the top of the head.
2. inclination of the trunk to a horizontal position.
3. stimulation of dormant kidneys by incision.

I didn't have one trunk, but several plants grew in a pot at once.
I went the simplest way. Cut off the top of the trunks.

But in order for young shoots to go from the lowest tier, they usually cut the tree low - almost a quarter, or even a third of the trunk.
But since I did not want to shorten the ficus too much, I decided to apply all three methods at once, but a little bit.

That is, the tops of the head were shortened by only 20 or 30 centimeters.

But she spread the trunks from the center to the sides with the help of a simple device. Any "wheel" that can be found in the house will do.
You can use such a support for flowers.

In this way, all individual trunks received sufficient light and at the same time a more horizontal tilt.

But I didn't stop there.
I lightly scratched the bark at the bottom of the trunk above the dormant buds where I wanted branches.
And she regularly sprayed these places with water with a drop of biostimulant - Epin.

And I also put the ficus on the balcony - where it was light. This is an important condition - to carry out all these events in the spring, when active sap flow begins and there is a lot of light.

Of course, here you have to take into account such a risk as direct sunlight. You need either a glazed balcony, or cut it when the ficus has gradually got used to outdoor conditions.

And then new branches began to appear!
And at the top and at the very bottom.

I left only those that did not grow inside the crown, but outside.

And those that grew strictly horizontally were bent and tied to the main trunk to correct their position.

There were also those who grew completely downward. I also straightened their growth.

Soon my ficus became "fluffy" again. And after standing in the summer on the balcony, he acquired thick bright green foliage.

You will need

• -sharp knife or secateurs;
• -alcohol, peroxide and any other disinfectant solution;
• -soft cloth;
• -tazik with water.

Instructions

The best time to pinch ficus is spring. It is in the spring that new shoots are formed most quickly. Wounds, which are inevitable with such procedures, heal quite easily in the spring. This reduces the risk of plant disease. Therefore, before the end of February or the beginning of March, the plant should not be touched.

Wait until the ficus reaches its optimal height. Disinfect the knife. It can be wiped with alcohol or doused with hydrogen peroxide. The knife should be very sharp, since the trunk of the ficus tree is quite difficult to cut. You can ignite the knife over a fire for a few minutes. There are two ways to pinch. If you are satisfied with the current height of the ficus and at the same time its upper shoot is thin enough, cut it off just below the growth point. In this case, you can make a straight cut.

Too large ficus must be cut differently. Determine the height you want and find the leaf or branch below that point. Cut the ficus 5-8 cm above this leaf. In this case, the cut should be oblique. Its bottom is at the level of the kidney, on the opposite side of the trunk. The top of the cut should be just above the kidney.

With a soft cloth dampened in water, wipe off the milky juice from the barrel. The cloth cannot be wrung out; it must be thrown away. The water itself will stop further juice production. Ficus does not require any further treatment of wounds, they will perfectly tighten themselves.

Wait a month and feed the ficus. After feeding, it should begin to grow vigorously. You can transplant it into a pot with a larger diameter (so that the old pot fits freely into the new one). But this may not be done, it is enough to change part of the soil in the first year. After the first successful operation, you can continue to form the crown of the ficus. To do this, pinch the side shoots in the same way next spring.

note

Ficus juice is poisonous. It is better to pinch and cut this plant with gloves. Try not to get the milky juice on the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth.

Keep in mind that after pruning and pinching, the trunk of the ficus does not grow.

Useful advice

When starting to form a crown, keep in mind that not all ficuses tolerate this well. Wounds usually heal quickly, but lateral shoots are not easy to develop on all plants. Therefore, watch the ficus before pinching the next shoots. If it is your ficus that does not particularly want to branch, you can make a lush crown in another way. Just plant a few cuttings in one pot.