Features of Ficus Melanie

Rubber ficus Melanie is one of the permanent residents of apartments and houses. The plant is characterized by undemanding and unpretentious care, as well as a high number of useful and medicinal properties. Ficus rubbery Melanie is popular due to its compactness and miniature, which is why it is often located in offices and at various enterprises.

Content
  1. Melanie variety characterization
  2. How to contain ficus Melanie
  3. Temperature for growing
  4. How to propagate ficus
  5. What can harm the plant

Фикус Мелани

Ficus Melanie

It is believed that ficus Melanie is able to heal boils, non-healing wounds and carbuncles, and plant leaves are used in the treatment of many diseases and oncology. and ficus melanie care, people give themselves clean air, poise and tranquility. People believe that rubber-bearing ficus is able to promote family well-being and happiness.

Characteristics of the Melanie variety

Ficus Melanie is suitable for at home, as well as to work as decoration.However, you should be careful with growing it in a house with children, because the poisonous juice of the plant can cause allergies and unexpected reactions of the body. Ficus has aerial roots, and slightly pointed flower leaves resemble a large ellipse and have a leathery structure. Dark green leaves are arranged in turn. Younger foliage has a brown or reddish hue, as are stipules, which fall and leave small scars.

Ficus Melanie, whose dimensions are quite compact, is also interesting because of the possibility of fruiting, because the plant leads to the formation of medium-sized fruits – syconiums. Despite their similarity to figs, the fruits are not subject to consumption. Melanie leaves have another feature: the presence of small pores with juice, which have irritating functions. Upon contact with the sheets, you can cause not only allergic reactions, but also serious dermatitis. A similar effect is due to the chemical components included in the juice. They protect the rubbery ficus Melanie, especially germinating in the wild, from the effects of infections and harmful insects. Thanks to the juice, the leaves of the plant can heal much faster. Before acquiring Melanie, you should remember the main features of care.

  1. Firstly, the ficus does not accept excessive lighting and dry air: the bush flower should be kept in a room with good humidity.
  2. Secondly, Melanie needs a quality and properly selected pot. It is important to ensure that the plant is not flooded with water, because this can lead to rotting of the root system, after which the leaves deteriorate and fall off.

Even the care of this plant variety at home is even possible novice gardeners. Unpretentious ficus with due attention will delight the owner daily. It should be remembered that if the leaves turn yellow, and the plant itself grows more slowly, it is time to radically change the care.

How to contain ficus Melanie

The content of any culture, in particular the Melanie variety, is based on several important factors, which are most important to consider in indoor conditions. To plant care led to rapid development and flowering, you need to follow simple truths:

  1. Feed ficus periodically. How many times do you need to do this? It is enough once a couple of weeks in the spring and autumn. In cold weather, top dressing is added to the soil.
  2. If the plant does not grow or the development of lateral shoots has slowed down, top trimming is necessary. In addition, pruning is considered a “rejuvenating” procedure for ficuses. You can also develop shoots by tilting the trunk to the floor and further fixing it in this position. The fact is that such actions contribute to the transfer of dominance to the lateral buds and stopping the growth of the crown.
  3. It is important to provide any kind of ficus with proper lighting: make sure that it is scattered, but not too bright. Due to excessive light, foliage may fall or deteriorate. If you place the plant in a darkened corner, then it will begin to grow more slowly. If you stay in the shade for a long time, the lower leaves will completely dry.
  4. Melanie blooms better in a good fertile soil with a porous structure. You can dilute it with turfy soil, leaf humus and sand.
  5. Transplantation should take place in late spring or early summer in order to ensure proper care of the plant.A transplant is performed when the root system fills the land lump. You can use transshipment to accelerate growth.
  6. Variegate ficus Elastika (also called a plant) needs periodic spraying and the absence of drafts in order to keep the leaves healthy.
  7. Leaving should be daily – it is important to wipe them with wet sponges or napkins to maintain their “glossiness” and bright color. The same applies to stomata cleaning, which ensures oxygen supply and an efficient photosynthesis process.

Ficus, which ages, “gives out” itself by the death of the lower leaves and exposure of the trunk. To preserve the plant’s beauty and brightness, you will need pruning, which is best done in February. Ridding the bush from the top, you can prevent further branching, because only 1 kidney will develop. To get a luxuriant lush bush at home, you need to trim the 6 upper internodes at once.

Temperature for growing

Like many types of ficuses, Elastic requires a certain temperature mode. It is important to keep the temperature between 24 and 28 ° C. If you exceed 30 ° C or find a mark below 5 ° C, there is a risk of the plant dying or stopping its development.

To organize a shower, the leaves will need polyethylene and a container with earth. After the pot is wrapped in polyethylene, and the leaves are wiped with a cloth.With a regular home-made shower, it is possible to provide a ficus with a healthy look for a long time and full oxygen supply. By the way, Melanie can reach the age of 50 if she receives the necessary care and protection measures.

How to propagate ficus

It is better to propagate Elastika by cuttings, waiting for the end of February early spring. To do this, cut off lateral or apical shoots with several leaves, observing the direction “obliquely”. The poisonous juice that has appeared is washed off with water (it is necessary to work with it only with gloves). Next, the stem is dipped in a special mixture that promotes root formation (successful propagation is guaranteed by the use of “Kornevin” or “Heteroauxin”).

After the shoot, it is planted in the ground and covered with glass outside to create greenhouse conditions. Variegated species, unfortunately, take root much worse than others, due to “capriciousness”. In this case, reproduction occurs by air layering: when the stem is cut by one third, and the incision is equipped with a match that prevents overgrowing. The last step is to wrap the section with wet moss and cover with a plastic film, which allows you to see the appearance of the first roots. As soon as their formation has occurred, the cuttings are cut and planted.

What can harm the plant

Most often, the plant begins to deteriorate due to poor care or lack of nutrition and vitamins (which often manifests itself as a loss of color saturation and further decay of the leaves). If the leaves become covered with yellow spots and become dry and lifeless, then it is necessary to reduce watering, allowing the soil to dry, and then sometimes loosen the substrate. When wrinkling leaves, you should look for the cause in the excessively dry air in the apartment.

Pests can also lead to problems with the plant. The most dangerous effect of the spider mite, mealybug, thrips and scale insects. In the first case, the attack starts from the bottom of the leaves and manifests itself in the presence of a white web and falling leaves. For treatment, spraying with feverfew is used for a week. As for the scab, it affects the entire surface of the leaf, sometimes covering it with a number of “guests”. The infected ficus stops growing and gradually turns yellow. A wet sponge and insecticide are used to remove the guards.

Ficus home care / Ficus elastica melanie (hybrid)
Ficus elastica Melany Bonsai, May 2017
Ficus transplant at home Part 1

The mealybug is found very simply, because it is similar to snow lumps. An insect forms a sticky liquid, s because of which there is a fungus, which prevents the normal development and growth. Pest sucked all the life energy of ficus, because when they appear urgent need to use a brush and insecticide. As for thrips, the veins and the entire surface of the foliage are affected by colonies of pests that form reddish blotches. The harmful effects of thrips leads to the death of the sheets, so you need to resort to the help of insecticides. A preventive measure is to grow a flower in the summer, with free access to air and periodic spraying.

As it turned out, caring for Melanie at home is quite simple and affordable even for beginner growers. Moreover, if you follow all the recommendations and advice of specialists, you can extend the life of the flower for a long time and provide yourself, as signs say, with love, happiness and true well-being.

You can bookmark this page

Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

View all posts by Anna Evans →