Distinctive features of rusty-red ficus, how to grow a plant at home, rules for self-propagation, tips on combating pests and diseases, facts to note, varieties.
Tips for breeding rusty red ficus indoors
To get a new Australian ficus, cuttings are performed with the arrival of spring, although the method of rooting cuttings can also be used.
From the tops of the shoots, pieces with a length of about 8-10 cm are cut. Also, there should be at least six healthy leaves on the workpiece. The four lower leaf plates should be cut off so that moisture does not evaporate from them during rooting. Since milky juice may ooze from the cut for some time, it is washed under running water or placed in a jar of water, periodically changing it. When the liquid has ceased to be released, then after treating the cut with a root formation stimulant (for example, Kornevin or heteroauxin), the cuttings are planted in pots filled with a peat-perlite (peat-sand) composition or a mixture of equal parts of leafy earth and river sand.
A container with cuttings is placed in conditions of high humidity and heat - such a mini-greenhouse. To create it, twigs are wrapped in a transparent plastic bag or a cut plastic bottle is placed on top. The rooting temperature is maintained at about 25 degrees. The place in which the cuttings are placed should have good illumination without direct sunlight. When caring for the planted branches, it is recommended to remove the shelter daily to remove accumulated condensation and if the soil is dry, then moisten it.
After the expiration of 10-14 days, the cuttings usually take root and the shelter can be removed, accustoming the plants to the conditions of the room. After waiting a few more days, when the adaptation takes place, young rusty-red ficuses can be transplanted one by one into pots with a diameter of 10 cm or more fertile soil.
Also, Australian ficus can be propagated by rooting layers. This is how a long and healthy shoot is selected. An incision is made on it in 1/3 of the thickness and the "wound" is sprinkled with a root formation stimulator. Then you can go in two ways:
- Place another container with soil next to the parent plant, and bend the treated branch to the substrate in the pot. There, the layering is fixed with a rigid wire or hairpin, so that the place of the cut can be sprinkled with soil. Then the soil is moistened and the layering is looked after as well as the rusty-red mother ficus. When it is clear that rooting has passed (if you look at the cut, young roots will be visible), then the layers are carefully separated from the parent plant.
- A pebble or a match is inserted into the cut so that the edges do not grow together and sprinkle with hormonal stimulant powder. Then the cut is wrapped with moistened moss and tied with a thick and strong thread. Above, the entire "structure" is wrapped in a plastic bag, which is attached to the trunk of the southern ficus with adhesive tape. When the root processes begin to be seen through the bag, and they fill the entire interior, then the layering is carefully separated slightly below the cut. After removing the package, the plant is planted in a pre-prepared pot with drainage and soil. The cut on the parent plant must be lubricated with petroleum jelly, since young lateral shoots can form in this place.
Diseases, pests and difficulties in caring for rusty red ficus
If the rules of keeping are violated often, then it is possible to be infected by harmful insects, such as spider mites, aphids, scale insects or thrips. It is necessary to spray with an insecticidal and acaricidal agent. After a week, the treatment is repeated to finally get rid of new insects and their eggs.
If the level of illumination is low, then the shoots of the rusty-red ficus begin to become very thinner, and the size of the foliage becomes smaller - the plant should be moved to a brighter place. Also, a reaction can occur from an insufficient amount of applied dressings. But it should be borne in mind that if Ficus rubiginosa changes its location abruptly, then foliage may be reset.
When growing Australian ficus at home using the bonsai technique, the following difficulties are noted:
- The leaf plates darken, they are covered with a gray spot of various configurations, while its area increases and "creeps" onto the trunk. The substrate becomes moldy and covered with moss. Such symptoms indicate waterlogging of the soil in the pot. It is necessary to dry the ground and adjust the irrigation, based on the temperature and humidity in the room. If the disease has gone far, then the plant is transplanted. The ficus is taken out of the pot, the soil is washed off, if there are spoiled roots, then they are cut off, sprinkling the places with a powder of activated or charcoal. Then transplant into a new sterile pot with disinfected soil. After transplanting, spraying with 1–1, 5% of the fungicide preparation is performed and the rusty ficus is wrapped in a plastic bag, in the lower part of which holes are made to remove condensation. This content is 10–15 days, after which the package unfolds and the southern ficus is kept for the same amount of time when the package is open.
- The bark on the branches and trunk gathers in folds, the foliage loses its tone, becomes discolored, discolored and flies around. The reason was the strong drying of the substrate, it is necessary to quickly raise its humidity. To do this, a pot of rusty-red ficus is placed in a bowl of water for 10-15 minutes (until bubbles appear above the soil surface). Then the container with the plant is removed and covered with a transparent plastic bag for a couple of days so that the humidity rises well.
- The foliage begins to fly around abruptly en masse. In all likelihood, watering was carried out with cold water, or the plant is in a very shaded place, the same reaction will be to the action of a draft.
- The leaf plates begin to dry out, starting from the top and curl. This reaction of bonsai goes to too bright lighting. It is necessary to protect the Australian ficus from direct rays of the sun - rearrange it to another place or hang curtains.
- After watering, water remains on the surface of the substrate for a long time. Ficus southern gives a signal about the need for replanting, or when changing the soil, an unsuitable (too "heavy") composition was used. It is recommended that from the pot, carefully, without touching the root system, remove 4/5 of the entire soil and replace it with a more suitable one. Until the moment when transplantation is possible, the tree must be placed in a larger flowerpot, laying river sand on its bottom. The substrate is regularly loosened.
Facts to note about rusty red ficus
This type of ficus is often confused with rubbery ficus (Ficus elastica), but the foliage in the latter case is slightly large.
Even forming a banyan tree, the southern ficus will never reach the size that Bengal ficus trees can take. But since the plant is distinguished by increased endurance, it can withstand violations of the rules of care by its owners. But it should be borne in mind that if the Australian ficus is grown using the bonsai technique, then with errors of this kind, a miniature tree can die almost immediately. Therefore, the owner must carefully monitor those "messages" that the plant can give.
Rusty red ficus varieties
Among the many species and varieties of Australian ficus, one can note those that are most often used in indoor cultivation.
Varieties of rusty red ficus:
- Var. rubiginosa - differs in leafy plates with a pubescent surface.
- Var. glabrescens has a completely smooth foliage surface, regardless of age.
- Var. lucida and Var. variegate is eye-catching with its variegated leaves.
Rusty red ficus varieties:
- Australis and El Toro have dark, rich green or emerald green foliage.
- Florida - This plant has leafy blades of a light green hue.
- Irvine with more intense green leaves.
