How do you care for a bonsai ficus? A few practical tips for you
In home life, a small bonsai may seem insignificant, but the beauty it brings is endless. And the ficus is especially a favorite of many people. The beauty of the ficus lies in its tangled roots, its proud posture, and its towering, upright stance. So, if you love nature, do you also want to grow such a ficus?
A bonsai ficus refers to a potted ficus bonsai made with ficus as the material, aiming to display the strange forms of the ficus trunk and roots, stems, and leaves, through pruning, branch shaping, wiring and tying, and grafting, carefully cultivated, and with its growth and development controlled over the long term, so that it becomes a unique artistic shape. The bonsai ficus is one of the most common bonsai, evergreen all year round, with a graceful posture. It is also relatively simple to care for, making it the first choice for beginner bonsai growers.
1. Humidity and moisture: Improper moisture is very harmful to the ficus. Based on how the soil in the pot feels by hand, the principle of "dry then wet" should be followed. Do not water frequently; when you water, water thoroughly. Too much watering will cause root rot and make it drop its leaves. The ficus is more difficult to care for in the north, and at home you should spray the leaves with water more often to increase the humidity in the air around it.
2. Temperature: The suitable growing temperature for the ficus should not differ too much between day and night, (a difference of 10 degrees) can very easily cause leaf drop and death. Usually pay attention to placing it in a place with light and good light transmission, and in summer pay attention to appropriate shading.
3. Growing soil: Use loose, well-draining leaf mold soil. It is best to place moss on top of the bonsai that is the same size as the pot. This is first for appearance, and second it plays a very good role in drainage and air permeability.
4. Fertilizer: The ficus likes fertilizer as it grows, but applying fertilizer too many times will harm the growth of the ficus. The amount of fertilizer should also differ according to the season. Right now it is winter, so it is best to apply less fertilizer or no fertilizer. The fertilizer should be controlled at 0.2%-0.4% soybean cake water. Or chemical fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer.
5. The main pests of the ficus are aphids, red spiders, scale insects, etc. Spray the leaves with omethoate 500PPMag, or spray to kill with a 50% phosmet wettable powder 1000-times solution. Using laundry detergent water or essential balm water 0.1%ag is also very effective.
6. Pruning and care: During the peak growing season, pinch out the growing tips and remove buds from the plant, and do one major pruning in autumn; after that do not prune, because the plant grows slowly in winter and it is not suitable to prune in winter. The pruning of the ficus should be done by a specialist, cutting off leggy branches, twin branches, diseased and weak branches, crossing branches, etc., so that the whole plant produces a layered beauty.
The beauty of the ficus decorates a small home, making the whole home look warm and springlike. Does such beautiful soft decoration also make you tempted? So now that you know how to care for a ficus, and have also seen such incomparably beautiful pictures of bonsai ficus, let us also get started.