Characteristics of ficus Benjamin, etymology of the name, how to grow indoors, rules for reproduction, difficulties arising in the process of care, curious notes, varieties.
Reproduction of ficus Benjamin with your own hands at home
You can get a new plant by cuttings, planting seeds or air layering.
Cutting blanks for grafting is carried out in the spring from the tops of the branches, the length of the cutting should be 8-10 cm and a couple of healthy leaves are left on it. The workpieces are planted in a peat-sand or peat-perlite substrate. In this case, the cuttings are covered with a plastic bag or a cut plastic bottle - conditions for a mini-greenhouse are created. The germination temperature is 25 degrees. You will need to ventilate every day and, if necessary, moisten the soil. If you put the stalk in water and cover it with plastic wrap, it is also possible to wait for the roots to appear.
Usually root shoots form after 1–2 weeks. After the cuttings have taken root, they are carefully transplanted into separate pots (with a diameter of 10 cm), but at first a shelter will be required for adaptation.
Seeds are also sown in a mini-greenhouse, in peat-sandy soil. The germination temperature is maintained at about 25 degrees. When a pair of true leaves develops on young Benjamin ficuses, a dive can be performed. When rooting an air layer on a healthy stem of a ficus, a circular incision is made, which is treated with a root growth stimulator, covered with moist moss and tied with a thread. Then this whole structure is wrapped in polyethylene - this will prevent the moss from drying out. After a couple of months, the bag will become all filled with roots and the shoot must be cut off slightly below the cut. Then planting is carried out in a pot with suitable soil. But there is a rule that it is better to engage in the reproduction of Benjamin's ficus in the summer months, since at other times the plant has an activation of growth or a dormant phase.
Pests and diseases of ficus Benjamin in indoor cultivation
It can be affected if the rules of keeping are violated by a mealybug, scabbard or spider mite. We need treatment with insecticidal preparations.
The main problem of Benjamin's ficus is leaf fall, which is due to the following reasons:
- the soil is flooded or overdried;
- the plant was exposed to drafts or the temperature fluctuated sharply;
- humidity is lowered;
- content at temperatures above 23 and below 17 degrees;
- lack of lighting levels;
- watering with cold water.
Direct sunlight can cause brown spots on the leaves.
Curious notes about Benjamin's ficus, photo
If we talk about the designation of the ficus Benjamin, then this plant is the woody symbol of the city of Bangkok (the capital of Thailand). To give the trunk thicker outlines and textures, it is recommended to plant 2-3 copies of such representatives next to it, while their trunks, while they are not too lignified, are woven into a pigtail or spectacular bundles. Over time, such trunks begin to grow together and acquire highly decorative growths.
The size of the ficus Benjamin can take huge, so a specimen growing in Sri Lanka in the Royal Botanic Garden (Peradeniya), which has a crown, with an area of about 2500 square meters, is recorded. Such a giant tree is 150 years old and its name in those places is "Turtle", because of the similar shape of the crown to the shell of this amphibian.
The plant is distinguished by the property of disinfecting the environment and affects the reduction of harmful microorganisms in the air by almost half. There are many versions of how this ficus got its name: the first is that the name of the British botanist Benjamin Deidoan Jackson (1846-1927) was historically marked in this way, who in his writings compiled an accurate description of more than 470 varieties of seed flora; the second - since in its parts the ficus has a large amount of organic compound benzoin.
Ficus Benjamin varieties
- Exotic. This variety was one of the first to be grown in culture. The sheet plate has a slight waviness along the edge, which does not look quite familiar in relation to the basic view. The leaf is flatish, soft to the touch, its color is deep green, its length reaches 6–8 cm with an average width of 3.5 cm. The distance between the nodes is 4 cm. It has a high growth rate.
- Daniel (Danielle or Daniella). The foliage of this variety has a darker shade of green color, the surface is glossy, flat and dense to the touch. The length reaches 6 cm, with the same width as that of Exotic, but the edge of the sheet is straight. The decorative foliage here is an intense color and glossiness. The growth rate is very high, so the annual growth can be almost 30 cm.
- Curly or Curly. If you rely on the translation of the name of this variety, then it means "curved" or "curly". The leaf plates are highly curved. The shape, color and size of each leaf, depending on the degree of illumination, varies greatly. They are straight, with a bend or twisted in a spiral, the edge can be either with waves or straight. In some varieties, the color is not only a green background, there is spotting of various shapes and shades of green, milky white or beige, often the entire leaf or most of it is painted in white. The length of the leaf varies in the range of 5–7 cm with a width of 1, 6–3, 5 cm. The length between the nodes of the leaves is 2–3 cm. The growth rate is rather low, has a tendency to branching and its crown is difficult to form.
- Fantasy (Fantasy). It combines the differences of the Kurli and Daniel varieties. The foliage has various shapes and colors, but the parameters are larger than those of Curli, there are shoots that are completely covered with dark and glossy leaf plates, like Daniel's.
- Monique. The color of the leaves is monochromatic, herbaceous color. The shape of the sheet is elongated, the edge is strongly corrugated. The length of the leaf is 6 cm and the width is 3-4 times less. Thin shoots tend to droop.
- Golden Monique variable form of the previous grade, differs in sheet length of 6 cm, there is corrugation along the edge. The color of the leaves is light green-golden, there are dark emerald irregular strokes along the central vein. When the foliage begins to age, its color changes to a simple and even green color scheme. The variety has good resistance.
- Naomi. Castings have a rounded shape and a pointed tip. The length of the plate is 5 cm, the edge is even or with a small corrugated edge, the surface is not concave, the color is dark green.
- Naomi Gold It differs in the color of young foliage - a salad-golden color, from the center there is a dark green spot. With aging, the leaf becomes a monochromatic rich green hue.
- Midnight Lady. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Daniel variety due to the rather dark green color of the foliage, but the surface has a slight corrugation.
- Safari. The leaves of this variety are small in size, their parameters are close to 4 cm in length, there is a small fold in the center. The color is dark green, but there are whitish-cream specks, dashes and specks on the surface, which makes the coloring resemble marble patterns. The growth rate is weak.
- Anastasia (Anastasia). It is a variegated variety - the entire leaf plate is shaded with a dark green color, but along the central vein and the edge along the entire perimeter there is a decoration of a light green strip. The length of the leaf is 4–7 cm, with a width of about 3 cm. The surface is shiny, with slight waviness. Plant care should be more thorough. The growth rate is high.
- Barok. This variety amazes with its original appearance - the leaf blade along the central vein has a bend, which is why it resembles miniature rings or tubes in outline. The color of the foliage is monochromatic, the edge is straight. The length reaches 4 cm. The variety is undersized, the growth rate is rather low, and very short internodes are formed. Since the stems do not differ in thickness, it is recommended to plant several specimens side by side in order to subsequently get a lush bush.
