Ficus Benjamin is found in almost every home. Many are attracted by the spectacular appearance of the plant, as well as the ease of care. Ficus is a long-liver. If you properly care for the plant, then its maximum height will be no more than 2 meters. This is possible only with the correct pruning of Benjamin's ficus. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight several basic rules of such a procedure.
What is pruning for?
Trimming Benjamin's ficus is performed for several reasons:
- Rejuvenation. Pruning old branches of plants allows you to accelerate the growth of new stronger shoots. This serves as a powerful incentive for the further development of ficus.
- Creating a beautiful design. Crohn plants can be given almost any shape. This will make ficus a highlight of the interior. The appearance of the plant is worth considering in advance. In this case, take into account the peculiarities of shoot growth.
- Sanitary treatment. In the process of removing excess shoots, as a rule, all dried and diseased leaves are removed. A thorough inspection of the plant for pests is also carried out. This allows timely processing of insects.
Pruning Benjamin's ficus not only allows you to improve the appearance of the plant, but also improve the growth of shoots, and improve it in general.
Choose the time to trim
Pruning Benjamin's ficus at home should be done while the plant is at rest. Otherwise, the procedure can greatly weaken it. It is not recommended to trim the shoots during the period of active growth of ficus.
The most favorable time for the procedure is the beginning of December - the end of March. If pruning is carried out for the purpose of sanitization, then it can be carried out throughout the year.
What is required for this
To trim Benjamin's ficus at home you will need:
- secateurs equipped with sharp blades;
- scissors designed to trim smaller shoots;
- garden var or activated carbon;
- alcohol based solution.
Before proceeding with the procedure, it is necessary to sanitize the cutting tools. For this, the blades are treated with any alcohol solution. This will protect the plant from the penetration of bacteria and viruses into its tissue.
Some recommendations
Is it possible to trim Benjamin's ficus at home? Photos of a neat and well-groomed plant immediately attract the attention of gardeners. And to get a similar result, you need to follow some recommendations:
- If you want the crown to take a certain shape, then it is necessary to trim Benjamin's ficus, until its age reaches 3 years. A more mature plant needs a lot of recovery power, as well as careful care.
- Before the procedure, ficus should be prepared. To do this, the plant is well watered, and the leaves are cleaned of impurities.
- When trimming thin shoots, it is recommended to make a straight cut, and thicker ones - obliquely.
- After sanitary or spring trimming of ficus Benjamin, it is necessary to process all places of the cut. To do this, you can use a garden var or activated carbon. Juice emerging from the wound must be blotted with a napkin. This procedure will prevent infection of the plant.
- Before trimming the shoot, evaluate the final result. Any awkward movement can ruin the shape of the crown.
- First of all, shoots that worsen the appearance of the plant and thicken it are removed. All dry branches are also completely cut.
Correctly trimmed Benjamin's ficus can make its appearance more attractive, as well as protect it from pests and diseases.
Trimming Types
The formation and trimming of ficus Benjamin can be carried out in several ways. Each of the methods has its own characteristics. A correctly performed procedure positively affects the health of the plant, and also allows you to rejuvenate it. The following types of pruning are available:
- anti-aging
- sanitary
- formative.
It is recommended to make a cut over a sheet directed outward. Otherwise, with an incorrect procedure, young shoots will develop inside the crown. It is recommended to make a cut above the kidney by several millimeters.
Sanitary pruning of an adult plant
Benjamin's ficus must be periodically cleaned of damaged, dry leaves. This event is called sanitary pruning. When it is carried out, shoots and leaves that have lost a healthy appearance and have turned yellow are removed. To some extent, such pruning is also formative. Do not forget that weakened and old shoots attract bacteria and pests. The appearance of the plant is able to indicate the presence of a certain disease. If you do not respond to the signal in time, the disease will gradually spread to the healthy parts of the shoots. As a result, the ficus may die.
Sanitary pruning should be carried out throughout the year. The main rule of this procedure is to remove damaged, diseased and old parts of the tree. The slice should be located near healthy tissue. If the damaged area is partially underground, then it must be removed to the very bottom.
Anti-aging pruning
This type of pruning is suitable for Benjamin's ficus with long, fast-growing branches. Plant shoots eventually lose almost all foliage. This is due to high temperature or insufficient humidity. They should be removed almost to the very bottom. The rest should have at least two kidneys. Do not be afraid to almost completely remove the old shoot. Even if the remainder will be 10% of its entire length. The better and more intensive the pruning will be, the better the ficus will grow.
If you are afraid to damage the tree, then remove the shoots in stages. For starters, you can trim one part of the branch. The rest can be deleted after a while. It is recommended to carry out rejuvenation of ficus before the beginning of its active growth. After manipulations, it is recommended to feed the plant.
It is worth noting that the correct pruning of ficus Benjamin not only allows you to form a beautiful crown and give the plant a well-groomed appearance, but also serves as a source of strong, and most importantly, healthy cuttings. They can be used for breeding ficus.
Crown forming
Such processing of the plant is carried out to give the crown a certain shape and appearance. It is worth noting that forming pruning is a laborious process. Such a procedure requires a creative approach, as well as constant monitoring of the instance. The highest stage of such pruning is Benjamin's ficus bonsai. In an apartment, experts recommend processing highly branched plants.
In the process of forming pruning, special attention should be paid to the direction in which shoots grow. If the branches need to be given a horizontal position, then the last bud should be directed down or to the side. It all depends on which final option you want to see. If the last kidney "looks up", then the branch will grow in the vertical direction.
What shape can be given to the crown?
Some experts argue that you can change the crown of a plant using wire. This can be done at home. However, a natural process is a better option for a plant than a forced one. Crown ficus can be made in the form:
- stuba
- bush
- arcs
- the pyramids.
It is worth considering a few facts. The younger the tree, the easier it is to form its crown. Many species of Benjamin ficus need pruning. If this procedure is not carried out, then their branches will grow in a chaotic order. Naturally, the plant will not have a neat appearance.
We form a standard
The choice of shape for the ficus crown is of particular importance. After all, the cropping method depends on this. If you want to form a crown in the form of a stem, then you should choose the main trunk of the ficus. The shank should be well-rooted, strong and upright. On it you need to remove all young shoots until the stem reaches the required height. After this, the top of the handle should be cut off.
It is necessary to start forming a stamb after the appearance of 5 lateral shoots. This will be the top of the ficus. At the same time, you need to pinch it several times. It is also regularly recommended to remove leaves that appear on the base of the stem. After such manipulations, a strong and beautiful crown will begin to form.
How to make a ficus in the form of a bush
Demonstrating the procedure for trimming the ficus of Benjamin, the photos are presented above. To make the plant look like a small bush, you need to follow some simple rules. To begin with, it is worth picking a plant. The height of the ficus should not exceed 7 centimeters. The specimen should identify the main stalk, and then pinch off its crown. Side shoots also require special attention. They should begin to pinch when the height of the main handle is equal to 12 centimeters.
When forming a bush, it is worthwhile to completely remove those shoots that grow inside the ficus. Gradually, the result of cropping will become more noticeable.
How to form an arc
Ficus Benjamin has several varieties. These are not only beautiful specimens growing up. Among them, there are plants that hang down. To tidy up such a ficus, you can let it grow in an arc. You can make the design of wire. It is installed in the container where the plant is located. The shoots must be neatly distributed over the structure. If necessary, the branches of ficus Benjamin can be tied up.
How to make a crown pyramid
If desired, the crown of the ficus of Benjamin can be shaped into a pyramid. The main thing is to properly trim it. A crown is formed, as when creating a bush. Periodically required correction of its shape and removal of excess shoots. Also do not forget about plucking the tops.
Ficus Benjamin: home care
Pruning takes away plant strength. Therefore, after the procedure, careful care is required. To do this, you must:
- Reduce watering. After all, after trimming the ground part of the plant becomes smaller. Consequently, ficus will not consume much moisture.
- To accelerate plant growth, you can spray it with suitable growth regulators. The most effective is Epin. Use the drug in accordance with the instructions.
- Protect ficus from direct sunlight. After pruning, the plant weakens. Direct sunlight can cause burns on young twigs.
- Pinch the shoots as they grow. Otherwise, the created form will be violated.
- Timely dressing. Fertilizing should be in the period of active growth of the plant.
- It is not recommended to constantly move and rearrange the flowerpot with the processed specimens. Ficus Benjamin is a moody plant. Any change in conditions affects the condition of the foliage.
Compliance with all these rules will allow you to maintain the shape of the crown of ficus Benjamin for a long time. Thanks to this, the plant will be an ideal decoration for a living room.