What to do for the ficus to give lateral shoots. Formation of the crown of a rubber-bearing ficus, how to prune a plant at home

Rubber ficus has long been successfully grown by amateurs in indoor conditions, but many questions usually arise about the formation of the crown of an indoor tree. The formation of a ficus has its own subtleties and nuances, which should be remembered when starting pruning. This article is all about how to properly prune ficus.

A chaotically overgrown plant must be pruned.

Indoor tree pruning is performed when the trunk and crown are accidentally damaged (for example, when a plant falls) or when the height and shape of the crown is formed. Should you prune wood indoors? Of course, in nature, rubber-bearing ficuses can reach heights of up to 40 meters and more. In indoor conditions, a fast-growing specimen of ficus can rest against the ceiling, which will interfere with the further formation of the crown. In the early years, a large tree only grows upward, so pruning can stimulate the development of side branches. But pruning is not always necessary to form the crown of the ficus.

Shaping the crown without trimming

The upper shoots are cut off until the crown takes a round shape.

Unusual shape: interesting

Young ficuses can be formed into an extraordinary plant. To do this, several cuttings of the same age are planted in one container, which can be easily braided into a braid. Of course, cuttings from old branches are not suitable for this purpose, because the branches must have a certain flexibility so as not to break when weaving.

From the bottom, large leaves are removed from the trunks - the trunks, which can easily grow together with each other, will give a special charm to the plant. When weaving, you can give the pigtail a certain shape - spectacular holes between the trunks, for which pieces of foam, cork, stones or other materials are temporarily inserted into the braid. After the shape of the holes is fixed, you can remove these inserts.

Braided ficuses spend a lot of energy on creating the shape of the trunk, therefore they give very small increases in height. If you limit the growth of roots by planting the plant in a low pot, you can preserve the intended shape of the ficus for a long time.

Crown formation by pruning

You can cut off the top of the main trunk with sharp scissors.

If you choose the classic option for shaping the crown of a rubber-bearing ficus - pruning, it is important to correctly perform all the techniques for forming a room tree.

The timing of trimming varies:

Formative pruning can only be done when the tree is actively growing, i.e. in autumn and winter, this operation is not performed.
Sanitary pruning is carried out as needed when damage to the trunk or branches has occurred on the plant.

To perform high-quality pruning, you need to prepare the following tools:

Garden pruner.
Garden shears (large).
Small scissors with sharp blades.
Alcohol solution for tool processing.
Garden var for processing cut points.

How to cut a ficus yourself, what should you pay close attention to?

You cannot start work without hand protection from the milky juice of ficus, which is very poisonous.
It is not recommended to radically cut the plant at a time, removing more than 30% of the crown.

The flower grower, at his discretion, chooses the shape of the crown, guided by common sense, based on the individual characteristics of the plant.

New shoots of ficus develop from the apical or axillary buds, while the upper bud is developing, the lateral ones are dormant. To stimulate the branching of the crown of the ficus, it is necessary to give an impetus to the development of axillary buds, which is achieved by pinching the main trunk. You can remove the dominant bud in the spring, when the ficus enters a period of intensive growth.

Thin green branches can be trimmed leaving a straight area, old branches covered with mature bark are trimmed at a 45-degree angle.

Pruning of the upper shoot is carried out over the bud, from which new shoots will subsequently develop.

Caring for the plant during the formation of the crown is reduced to watering with warm, settled water, a month after the operation, it is worth carrying out the first feeding of the plant.

Photos of a properly cut ficus are very pleasing - the plant begins to grow a dense crown and an extensive network of skeletal branches. In nature, rubber plants begin to branch naturally at a height of 4 meters.

After pruning, the plant is constantly turned towards the light source so that the crown can form evenly.

It is possible to form indoor ficus without pruning, for this you need to correctly direct the growth of young shoots, if necessary, fixing individual branches. Such an operation will avoid injuries to the young plant, and also reduce the risk of infection in the area of \ u200b \ u200bthe cut.

Young trees, whose branches have not yet completely lignified, are best tolerated by the imposition of fixing devices. Usually this method is used for young indoor trees growing in one trunk.

It is worth starting to form the crown when the growth of a young tree reaches 0.7 m.After that, the apical part of the shoot is pinched or cut off. Very often, pinching does not give the desired effect - a replacement shoot begins to develop from the lateral bud, as a result of which the plant grows in one trunk (see photo).

The method of bending the apical shoot is often used, which is securely fixed. A replacement shoot develops from the lateral bud, as soon as it grows to 5 cm, the trunk is returned to its original state. The next operation is performed to stimulate the growth of lateral branches, for which a puncture is made with a darning needle to a depth of 1/3 of the trunk diameter. It is best to start from the top, gradually descending down the trunk, after the shoot grows back in the place of the first puncture. The emerging juice is carefully removed with wet cotton wool or a cloth. The work of pruning the ficus should be done with rubber gloves - the plant sap is extremely poisonous.

The rubbery ficus occupies a prominent place in an apartment, office or public institution. Rubbery or elastic, and also rubber, it is called because its juice flowing from the wounds hardens, and resembles in this form a substance such as rubber or latex.

In India, the homeland of this tree, it grows to an enormous size, covering up to 250-300 square meters with the shade of its crown. Breeders have bred a small and convenient tree on the basis of this tree. And to make it look compact and exotic, a system for trimming its crown has been developed.

Having got acquainted closer with this representatives of the mulberry family, every lover of indoor plants will take up the cultivation of ficus.

Similar to this tree are:

Fig or fig, fig tree;
Mulberry or mulberry, mulberry;
Breadfruit;
A cow tree that tastes like milk;
Paper tree, from which the highest quality paper is produced;
Anchar or upas is a poisonous representative of the mulberry family, the hero of A.S. Pushkin's poem.

Few of the home growers call ficus rubbery - just ficus. Indoors, the height of the plant is regulated by pruning, and depending on the tastes of the owners, it can be from 1 to 2 meters, although in its homeland the tree reaches the height of a 10-storey building. A young tree in the jungle grows very quickly and forms aerial roots.

In India, and in our country, the ficus is considered a tree of prosperity and prosperity. Ficus, according to home growers, perfectly cleans the indoor air from germs and bacteria.

The leaves of a young plant are pinkish in color, with age they acquire a thick green color, petiolate, are arranged alternately on the stem. Their size is up to 35 cm in length and up to 25 in width. Indoors, ficus does not bloom.

Ficus pruning

When grown indoors, the plant requires crown-forming pruning. If you cut only the top of the tree, there will be no effect. The ficus does not branch, and the trimmed top bud will grow to one side. The plant will be one-sided and will not decorate the room.

Trimming time

For the formation of a beautiful crown, rubber-bearing ficus is pruned at the beginning of March, at this time the rapid vegetation of the tree begins.

A properly performed pruning operation in early spring will awaken the axillary buds, which in turn will give rise to lateral ramifications.

If, for some reason, it was not possible to cut the plant at the beginning of spring, this event is carried out only when urgently needed, if the ficus quickly began to grow.

With winter or late autumn pruning, one single upper bud will awaken, which will give the ficus a one-sided shape, and the decorativeness of the plant will be significantly affected by this.

Crown care rules

For competent spring pruning, the tool must be sharpened and desensitized;
From the top of the plant are separated from 3 to 5 leaves, approximately 20 cm;
The thin stem should be cut parallel to the soil in the pot, above the top bud. If the stem is thick, the cut is made at an angle of 40-45 degrees;
When cutting off lateral shoots, they must be cut without hemp, since rot and mold may appear on it;
The juice on the cut is removed with a clean napkin, and the cut site itself is treated with anti-putrefactive and antifungal drugs, for example, trichodermine;
When lateral buds begin to grow, it is better to transplant the rubbery ficus into another, more voluminous container. The transplant is performed one month after circumcision.

Important! The juice of rubber-bearing ficus is poisonous, pruning and other work with the plant is carried out using protective equipment (rubber gloves, glasses).

Features of growing ficus

There is no doubt that the plant is grown indoors because of its decorative effect, that is, its beautiful crown. And in order for this part of the ficus to really please the eye, one must not forget about such things:

Indoors, a plant height of more than 2 meters is not allowed, and the ficus does not please with lateral shoots. A flower can develop quickly if you provide it with a growth of 30-40 centimeters per year;
The exterior of the plant mainly consists of its glossy large leaves, which can have an even dark green color or a variegated white-green pattern;
Indoors, the ficus is unlikely to bloom, it needs pollination with exotic insects.

Lighting

Since the homeland of the plant is India, the country is warm and humid, the ficus loves diffused light and high humidity. It is advisable to place pots with plants near their eastern western windows. If the flower is placed in partial shade, its growth will be rather slow, and at the same time the leaves will fall off in the lower part of the stem.

Attention! When placing ficus indoors, you do not need to place it in a draft.

Temperature

The optimal indicators of the temperature regime are:

During active growing season - 20-25 0 С;
In winter, 15 0 C is quite enough for ficus, but not lower.

The soil

Rubbery ficus is very fond of well-loosened soil with proper drainage. Prepare the soil from peat, turf, sand, leafy earth.

But you can also buy the substrate in a flower shop, called "soil for palm trees."

Watering and fertilizing

Watering the ficus is necessary as the soil dries up in the pot. The frequency of the procedure is determined by the temperature of the air and its humidity in the room. Excess moisture in the soil causes leaf discharge. And with insufficient air humidity, it is necessary to systematically sprinkle or wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.

For water procedures with ficus, it is better to use rain or snow water. The plant is fed with a complex fertilizer with a high nitrogen content.

How a dense crown of ficus is formed.

When the owners of the plant want to achieve an extensive, dense crown, they do the following:

The main stem of the ficus is bent down and pinched until the upper bud germinates;
The main stem is pierced with a needle a third of its diameter, piercing lower each time.

Diseases and pests of ficus

The plant is resistant to the visit of harmful insects, but spider mites and scale insects can covet large beautiful leaves.

You can kill them with insecticides or a solution of laundry soap.

Pathogenic diseases of ficus practically do not touch.

Reproduction

It is not difficult to grow a young ficus. The cuttings obtained by cutting are germinated and planted in prepared containers. This procedure is well known to every home grower.

If the plant begins to grow poorly, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, the owner is to blame, the ficus in this case is not enough:

Lighting;
Fertilizers (top dressing);
Potted room for root development.

Pruning

Pruning promotes good growth and abundant flowering of plants, it is necessary to get a beautiful crown or shape of plants, to remove standard or bushy specimens.

Pruning is done in three cases:

If you want to rejuvenate the plant
- if you want to form a plant
- sanitary pruning

The best time for pruning is spring. Pruning is done after a dormant period. The cut is made over the leaf facing outward, otherwise new shoots will grow inward. The cut should be made a few millimeters above the kidney and go from it to the side, slightly obliquely.

Sanitary pruning. All yellowed, shrunken shoots and leaves that have lost their decorative effect should be cut off. Weakened old shoots are often easy prey for fungi and bacteria, and a haven and breeding ground for insect pests. In addition, an unhealthy appearance of an escape may not indicate old age, but about illness or pest damage. If it is not removed in time, the disease will spread to healthy parts of the plant, which once again proves the need for sanitary pruning. The basic rule is to remove all unhealthy or aged parts of the plant. You need to cut the shoot up to healthy tissue (or - if the shoot starts underground - remove it to the very base).

Anti-aging pruning. It is especially suitable for those plants that can develop long shoots that lose their leaves over time, or are exposed to heat or dry air in winter. With anti-aging pruning, shoots are removed almost to the very base. But at the same time it is necessary to ensure that 2-3 living kidneys remain on the "stumps". It's okay if you remove up to 90% of the shoot length. After all, the more intensive the pruning, the more active the subsequent growth of the remaining shoots. If you are sorry to part with all the shoots at once, you can rejuvenate the plant in stages, first cutting off half of the shoots, and when they grow up, cut the rest shortly. Rejuvenating pruning is best done shortly before or early in the growth period. Don't forget to feed the plant after pruning anti-aging, as the plant will have to grow at a faster rate than usual. Many strong, healthy shoots grow after rejuvenating pruning. Therefore, sometimes such pruning is carried out in order to get a lot of high-quality cuttings.

Formative pruning. This is the most difficult type of pruning to give the plant the desired shape. Formative pruning is a creative process that requires close observation of the plant. The highest achievement of the art of formative pruning is 6onsai and the creation of living sculptures from plants. At home, it is useful to form tall and highly branched plants that, without this procedure, give a thickened and ugly crown, for example, ficuses, citrus fruits, laurel, hibiscus, roses, fuchsias, etc. When formative pruning, it is important to choose the right direction for the growth of future shoots. If you want to grow a horizontal branch, then the topmost bud left on it should be turned downward or to the outside of the crown. If you have planned vertical growth, then pick up the bud, directed upwards or in the center of the crown, and cut a little higher than it. Guides often recommend using wire to give the branches the desired direction of growth. Keep in mind that plants are very willful creatures. Changing the direction of growth of branches using wire is quite difficult. But there are those who willingly change their shape. So, from small-leaved ficuses it is possible to obtain "sculptures" of any given shape using wire frames. And one more note: the younger the branch, the easier it is to change its direction with the wire. The best way to wire shaping is not yet lignified or semi-lignified shoots.

Formation of a standard tree. To form a standard tree, a strong rooted cutting is taken, growing vertically upward. Remove side shoots until the plant reaches the height you want. When this height is reached, cut off the top of the plant. Wait until 5 - 6 lateral shoots develop, which will be the top of the standard tree. Their tops are pinched several times. Remove all leaves at the base of the stem. The result will be a standard plant with a well-developed crown.
The dimensions of the standard tree.
Desktop standard tree: 30 - 45 cm.
Low standard tree: 45 - 80 cm.
Standard standard tree: 80 - 105 cm.

Bush formation. In a young plant at a height of 6 - 7 cm, pinch off the top of the main shoot. Lateral shoots, after reaching a height of 10 - 12 cm, are also pinched. When a beautiful bush is formed, it is necessary to periodically pluck or cut the shoots directed inward, preferably at the very beginning of their appearance.
Arc formation. Dangling and climbing plants form long shoots that can be shot in a wire arc. For this, the arcuate support is carefully inserted into the pot. The shoots are distributed along the wire, in some places they are loosely tied up.
Pyramid formation. Some plants can form a beautiful pyramid. Plants such as fuchsia, ivy, pelargonium grow well upward, a screw support can be made for them.

Pinching. In order for cuttings or young plants to branch well and not stretch upward, you need to slow down their growth in height by pinching off the tops of the shoots. The plant is usually pinched over the first pair of leaves.

Pruning for the winter. Tub plants, which are kept in a dark basement in winter, should be properly pruned in the fall, and all remaining leaves must be removed. Remember: the root system should not dry out.

The crown of most varieties of ficus without pruning will grow in a chaotic manner, reaching a size that is not suitable for the room. Timely removal of lateral and apical shoots allows you to give the plant a decorative effect, reduce its length and width, and make it more compact.

Pruning and shaping of rubber-bearing ficus is carried out annually or once every 3 years, depending on the age of the plant. In addition to formative pruning, you can use the feature of plant shoots to create unique compositions - flexible stems and air layers are tied with a pigtail, a plait, intertwined and directed growth in the opposite direction.

Is it possible to cut rubber ficus

Pruning ficus rubber is needed not only to make the tree decorative, but also to heal the plant. It is necessary to remove excess shoots regularly so that it is healthy, lush, leaves and stems have enough room for growth, all aerial parts of the bush receive enough light and moisture from the air.

Removal of branches is carried out for sanitary purposes - sick, rotten, dry, broken branches pull out nutrient components, taking them away from healthy parts, and can also reduce immunity and cause disease.

With the help of formative pruning, the ficus can be made to branch or grow compactly. The flower grower himself determines which crown diameter is suitable for growing in rooms of different areas.

How to form the crown of a rubbery ficus

You need to cut the ficus in accordance with the following rules:

Crown formation is carried out in the phase of active development from early spring to late summer. If you remove the shoots in winter, the plant will be deformed next season.
If the ficus has recently undergone a transplant, you cannot touch healthy shoots when creating a crown. Sanitary pruning can be done at any time.
It will be bad if you cut off the apical shoot far from the second kidney from the top. In this case, the exposed remaining part of the trunk dies off. If you take away the apical shoot along with the buds late, the ficus will not bloom. It is optimal to remove the apical shoot at the second from the top kidney, leaving no "empty" parts of the trunk.
Be sure to use sharp tools. If the cut is uneven, pathogenic bacteria can enter the tissue. You can use a pruning shears, garden shears, or a sharp knife. It is advisable to treat all blades before cutting with alcohol or other disinfectants.
Cutting points on the cutting also need processing; garden var is suitable for this.

You can form a crown in the following way:

Think about what shape you want to give the entire plant, and indicate the approximate height and width. Young plants can be pruned annually, and if the ficus has already reached 3-4 years old, carry out the procedure no more often than once every 3 years.
Make a cut exactly over the place where the apical bud will be. A fresh shoot grows from it, and if part of the cuttings is exposed, then the crown will not have a rounded appearance, since the bare trunk gradually dies off.
Make a cut at an angle of at least 45 degrees on old thick branches, on thin shoots - at an angle of 90 degrees.
The crown can not only be cut, but also thinned out. During the procedure, pay attention to the location of the upper kidney. Make sure it faces outward. If you leave the bud horizontal, the branches will grow in width and vertically in height.
The classic form for trimming the crown is tiered. The ficus will be in the shape of a ball or oval. To do this, cut the top and bottom of the crown in the same way, leave the central branches longer. The lowest branches and apical shoot are cut at the root.
Ficuses also grow in the form of a trunk. To form such a crown, cut off all but the five shoots at the top of the trunk. When the plant reaches the desired height, pinch the top bud from the crown, then shorten the side trunks as it grows, forming a ball.

When growing a bonsai tree, you need to form not only the crown, but also the root system. Too long roots are removed during the annual transplant, the tops and side shoots are cut off so that the plant height does not exceed 50-70 cm.

How to pinch a ficus

In order to pinch the plant, you will need a pruner or knife, a disinfectant solution (peroxide, alcohol), a soft napkin, and a container of water.

Then follow the instructions:

It is best to perform the procedure in the middle of spring. It is during this period that many new shoots are formed, and the wounds on the trunk, which appear during pruning, quickly heal.
Once the plant has reached the height you want, pinching can be done. Disinfect or heat a knife or other tool over a fire.
If the top shoot of the tree is thin, you can cut it below the bud by making a straight cut.
If the length is longer than you need, determine the required height, then find the sheet below that point. Cut the shoot 5 cm above such a leaf by making an oblique cut. The lower level of the cut will be at the level of the kidney on the opposite side. The upper one is directly above the kidney.
Then moisten a soft napkin and remove the milky juice that appears along the cut.
Fertilize the plant after a month. Before this period, feeding is not recommended, since the plant's immunity drops out after transplanting, it can be stressed.

Pinching will allow the plant to sprout new side shoots and stop growing at the height you want. Without this, the tree will hit the ceiling in 4-5 years.

Creation of unusual shapes

The formation of the crown of rubber ficus can be performed not only in the form of an oval or a ball. There are other pruning methods that can produce uniquely shaped trees for room design.

Stamper tree

Formation of rubber ficus at home in the form of a trunk:

A stamp shape can only be created from an unformed ficus without lignification on the trunks.
Side shoots must be removed regularly until 5 upper branches remain.
When the tree reaches the desired height, pinch the apical shoot, remembering to remove the lateral shoots.
As long as the stems remain flexible and without bark, support should be provided. Keep the trunk upright throughout the growth period.

The stem can be multi-tiered. For such a formation of the crown, divide it into 4-5 parts. From the odd ones, make the tiers of the crown, and from the even ones - the gaps between the tiers, for which the shoots are cut shorter by 5-7 cm of the rest.

Fence

A hedge from a rubbery species of ficus can be made as follows:

pick up at least 5-7 seedlings and a long, low container for planting;
place all seedlings in a pallet in one row or in a circle, the distance between the shoots should be at least 10 cm;
the fence is formed from the crown - cut at the same height.

It is important to properly cut the ficus for the growth of the "fence". During the procedure, remove shoots in the same parts of the trunk so that the crowns of the ficus are equally dense and there are no holes in the “fence”.

Spiral

To form a bonsai in the form of a spiral, not the crown is cut, but the root aboveground part and trunks:

after planting the cutting, install a support - a wooden stick - in the center of the pot next to the stem;
braid the flexible stem around the support as it grows;
cut side branches;
when there is good wood in the trunk, carefully remove the support.

You can create a spiral from one or more shoots. If you plant 2-4 seedlings at once, during the braiding of the support, they must be placed parallel to each other so that there is no pinching of the trunks of one of the trees.

Scythe

You can give the ficus the shape of a pigtail as follows:

pick up seedlings up to 10 cm long (the same height);
the thickness of one should not exceed one and a half centimeters;
plant sprouts nearby in a pot so that in the future you can braid the stems into a braid;
all small branches on the sides are removed, the apical cuttings remain;
before starting weaving, moisten the soil so that the stems become flexible;
periodically braid a braid from the stems, tie the end of it with a wire so that the stems do not start growing in the other direction;
it is necessary to regulate the strength of weaving - weakly twisted stems will create gaps in the pigtail, and too tight weaving can lead to damage to the entire plant;
so that the holes in the pigtails are the same, you can place pencils or sticks of equal diameter between them.

So that the shoots grow together into one large trunk and the pigtail has no gaps, you can remove the bark in small parts at the joints of the stems. After about 6-8 months, the composition of the post will grow together into one thick trunk.

Plant care after pruning

After pruning, the ficus can be transplanted, but the procedure can be performed no earlier than 2 weeks later. An adult plant does not need to be transplanted at all, it will be enough to change the topsoil to a new nutrient substrate. If the flower has undergone the procedure successfully, after 2 weeks you can start feeding.

You can carry out pruning no earlier than from the beginning of March until the end of summer. At rest, the plant is not pruned. Watch the growth of new branches, as well as the height of the ficus, carrying out timely pinching so that it always has a lush, uniform crown.

Or ficus elastica at home, it is necessary 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 lateral shoots and at the same time do not resort to pruning:

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.
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.
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 kidney 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 over 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 rubbery 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. 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 feeding, 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 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 the most common forms of it:

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.
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 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.
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.
Circular lattice. To get this shape, you need to plant young plants in a circle.
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.
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.