I would like to introduce you to a relatively niche ficus plant, its name is love ficus, the leaves are like an oversized heart, and its Chinese official name is Umbrella Ficus. This is a large-leaved indoor foliage plant that has only become popular in recent years, and it grows better outdoors.
People call it the love ficus, few people will know that it is also called "umbrella ficus", its maintenance method and rubber tree is basically the same, but its leaves are much thinner than the leaves of the rubber tree, the petiole is longer, and the overall look will be lighter.
As long as you understand the ficus plants (such as rubber trees, ficus ficus, triangular ficus, weeping ficus and alpine ficus, etc.), you will find that the environment in which they grow is basically the same, and the maintenance methods are similar, that is, to maintain a warm and humid environment all year round, pay attention to regular watering, give more light, and there is basically no big problem.
1.Sunlight
Ficus is particularly fond of sunlight, as long as the light is sufficient, it will grow very fast, but after growing a potted plant, it is necessary to avoid long-term exposure, especially when the temperature is higher than 35 degrees, it is necessary to shade properly in the afternoon.
Once you have grown an indoor potted plant, you can place it on a south- or east-facing balcony with more than three to five hours of light every day, and it will grow very quickly.
2.Potting soil
Ficus is not too picky about the soil, but to ensure that the potting soil is well drained, it can be cultivated with common general-purpose soil or sandy soil, or it can be planted with cactus soil or succulent soil, and the soil should not be moist for a long time when maintaining it indoors.
3.watering and humidity
Ficus loves water, and if the soil is dry for a long time, the leaves can easily hang low. The soil below three centimeters under the potting soil is relatively dry, and it can be watered slowly and thoroughly. Be careful not to let the soil moist for a long time, otherwise it is easy to contract root rot.
The foliage plant with large leaves has certain requirements for humidity, the air is too dry, its leaf condition will be relatively poor, and the relative humidity should be at least guaranteed at more than 50%. Relative humidity of 60% to 85% grows best.
4.Temperature
The ficus likes a warm environment all year round, and the temperature is 18 to 33 degrees Celsius to grow the fastest. If the temperature is below 15 degrees, the growth will be slowed down, and if the temperature is lower than 10 degrees, it will basically not grow, and the minimum temperature should be kept above 4 degrees. When it is low temperature, watering should be properly controlled.
5.Fertilization and pruning
If you keep it indoors for a long time, the demand for fertilizer is relatively small, and you generally only need to bury a few spoonfuls of slow-release fertilizer around the potting soil in spring and autumn (give fertilizer once a year).
If it is kept in a sunny place, it grows faster, and it can be supplemented with general-purpose fertilizer every one or two months during the spring, summer and autumn growing season.
The Ficus doesn't need to be pruned much, if it grows too tall and wants to control the heightOr if you want it to grow more new branches, you can wait for its trunk to grow to a certain height, then cut off the top branch, and it will branch below the incision.
6.Reproduction
Ficus is generally propagated by cuttings, you can cut off the longer branches, each branch is about 12 to 15 cm long, remove the bottom leaves, keep the top one or two leaves, to avoid water loss is too serious.
The bottom of the branch is cut in the potting soil, you can choose a smaller pot, the soil should be more clean and breathable, and there is little fertility soil. After the cuttings are well watered, they are kept in a place with scattered light, and the environment is kept warm, and after about three or four weeks, they will slowly take root and sprout.