Description of deltoid ficus, rules for indoor care, recommendations for reproduction, diseases and pests that affect the plant and methods of dealing with them, facts to note.
Tips for breeding ficus deltoid at home
If you want to get a new plant of mistletoe figs, then you should rooting cuttings or layering, sowing seeds.
The first method is the most commonly used in home cultivation of deltoid ficus. You can get cuttings in the spring from those tops of the branches that were left from pruning, or cut it for reproduction from the ends of the shoots. The length of the workpiece should not exceed 10-18 cm and it is desirable to have at least a pair of healthy leaf plates on it. If there are more leaves, then they are removed at the bottom. The cut of the cutting should be rinsed under running water, as it may ooze "milky juice" for a long time or remove it when it hardens well. Then the cut of the cutting is treated with a root formation stimulator (for example, heteroauxin) and the workpiece is planted in a pot filled with peat-sandy soil. You can replace such a composition with peat with perlite or a mixture of leafy soil and coarse sand.
Some put the cuttings in a vessel with warm boiled water - this method will also allow the formation of root shoots. But then you will have to change the water to a new one every two days because of the oozing "milky juice". In any case, after the cuttings are placed in a container, they are covered with a plastic transparent bag or placed under a cut plastic bottle. Such a shelter will create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with high humidity. The place where the container with cuttings is placed should have bright, but diffused light and a temperature of about 25 degrees.
Rooting care will consist of daily airing for 10-15 minutes in order to remove accumulated condensation, as well as, if necessary, moisten the soil if it begins to dry out. After a 10-day period, the cuttings are usually rooted and transplanted into separate containers with more nutritious soil. Shelter is not required. Some growers propagate deltoid ficus using seed material, sowing it in a container filled with a moistened peat-sand composition. At the same time, greenhouse conditions and a temperature of about 25 degrees are also recommended. The first can be achieved by placing a piece of glass on a pot with crops or wrapping it in plastic wrap. Care is the same as when rooting, only watering must be done carefully so that the soil does not erode. The container with the seeds is placed in a place so that direct sunlight does not fall on them, but the light level is high.
When the first shoots appear, the shelter is removed, and young deltoid ficuses are accustomed to indoor growing conditions. When a pair of healthy leaf plates develops on each seedling, it is possible to transplant in separate pots with a diameter of no more than 7-9 cm. After a while, when the plants grow up, they are transplanted into pots with 10 –12 cm and then grown according to the above rules.
Diseases and pests that appear during indoor cultivation of deltoid ficus
Like many representatives of the ficus genus, mistletoe figs can be affected by scabies, mealybugs and red spider mites. For pest control, both folk remedies (wiping the leaves with soap, oil or alcohol solutions) and treatment with insecticidal and acaricidal preparations are applicable.
If the leaves come into direct sunlight at lunchtime on spring and summer days, sunburn can be triggered. If the substrate is flooded, the leaves quickly wither, their color becomes pale, a yellow color appears and gradually the foliage falls off, the root system begins to rot. If the top dressing is scarce, then the leaves turn yellow, become smaller in size and fly around. When kept in a strong shade, the branches are very lengthened, growth stops, the foliage becomes smaller. Also, leaf discharge can be observed with a sharp temperature drop or under the influence of a draft. You can't change the place for the pot too often, otherwise the foliage will begin to fly around.
Facts to note and photos of deltoid ficus
In the traditional medicine of the Malays, deltoid ficus occupies a rather large place and its properties have been known for a long time. The herb can help heal wounds and relieve rheumatism, and has antidiabetic properties and acts as a postpartum tonic. Modern pharmacological research has shown that fig mistletoe has many health benefits.
