Ficus Benjamin: pruning and care

Ficus Benjamin occurs in almost every home. Many are attracted by the spectacular appearance of the plant, as well as ease of care. Ficus is a long-liver. If properly to care for the plant, then its maximum height will be no more than 2 meters. This is possible only with the correct trimming of the fig tree of Benjamin. Therefore, there are several basic rules for this procedure.

Why do I need pruning?

Trimming Benjamin's fig tree is performed for several reasons:

• Rejuvenation. Pruning old plant branches allows to accelerate the growth of new stronger shoots. This serves as a powerful stimulus for the further development of the ficus.
• Creating a beautiful design. The crown of a plant can be given almost any shape. This will make the ficus a highlight of the interior. Appearance of plants should be thought out in advance. In this case, it is necessary to 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. Also, a thorough examination of the plant for the presence of pests is carried out. This allows for timely processing of insects.

Trimming Benjamin's fig tree not only improves the appearance of the plant, but also improves the growth of shoots and makes it healthier overall.

Choose the time for trimming

Trimming Benjamin's figurine at home should be done at a time when the plant is at rest. Otherwise, the procedure can greatly weaken it. It is not recommended to cut the shoots during the active growth of the fig tree.

The most favorable time for the procedure is the beginning of December - the end of March. If the pruning is carried out for the purpose of sanitizing, then it can be carried out throughout the year.

What is required for this

To trim a Benjamin figurine at home, you will need:

• Secateurs equipped with sharp blades;
• Scissors designed to cut smaller shoots;
• Garden var or activated charcoal;
• Solution based on alcohol.

Before proceeding to the procedure, it is necessary to disinfect the cutting tools. For this, the blades are treated with any alcohol solution. This will protect the plant from the penetration into its tissues of bacteria and viruses.

Some recommendations

Can I trim the Benjamin ficus at home? Photos of a neat and well-groomed plant immediately attract the attention of flower growers. And to get a similar result, you need to follow some recommendations:

• If you want the crown to take on a specific shape, then trim the ficus of Benjamin is necessary until his age is 3 years old. A more adult plant needs a lot of energy to recover, as well as careful care.
• Before the procedure, the ficus should be prepared. For this, the plant is well watered, and the leaves are cleaned of contaminants.
• When pruning thin shoots, it is recommended to make a straight cut, and thicker ones - obliquely.
• After the sanitary or spring pruning of the Benjamin ficus, it is necessary to process all the cut points. To do this, you can use garden var or activated charcoal. Juice, which appeared from the wound, it is necessary to get wet with a napkin. This procedure will avoid infection of the plant.
• Before you trim the shoot, evaluate the final result. Any embarrassing movement can spoil the shape of the crown.
• First of all, shoots are removed, which deteriorate the appearance of the plant and thicken it. Also, all dry branches are completely cut off.

Properly trimmed Benjamin ficus allows you to make its appearance more attractive, as well as protect against pests and diseases.

Types of trimming

The formation and trimming of the Benjamin ficus can be carried out in several ways. Each of the methods has its own peculiarities. Properly performed procedure positively affects the health of the plant, and also allows it to rejuvenate. There are the following types of trimming:

• Rejuvenating,
• Sanitary,
• Forming.

Make a cut recommended above the sheet outward. Otherwise, if the procedure is not properly performed, young shoots will develop inside the crown. The cut is recommended above the kidney by a few millimeters.

Sanitary pruning of an adult plant

Ficus Benjamin should be periodically cleaned from damaged, dry leaves. This event is called sanitary pruning. When it is carried out, shoots and leaves that have lost their healthy appearance and yellowed are removed. To some extent, such a pruning is also forming. 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 the time does not react to the signal, then the disease will gradually spread to 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 the damaged, diseased and old parts of the tree. The cut should be located near healthy tissues. If the damaged area is partially under the ground, then it must be removed to the very bottom.

Rejuvenating pruning

This type of pruning is suitable for Benjamin ficus with long fast growing branches. The shoots of the plant eventually lose almost all the foliage. This is due to the high temperature or insufficient air humidity. Remove them should be almost to the very bottom. The rest must have at least two kidneys. Do not be afraid to almost completely remove the old escape. Even if the remaining part is 10% of its entire length. The more qualitative and intensive the pruning will be, the better the ficus will grow.

If you are afraid to damage the tree, then carry out the removal of shoots in stages. To start, you can trim one part of the branch. The rest can be removed after a while. It is recommended to rejuvenate the ficus before active growth begins. After manipulation, it is recommended to feed the plant.

It is worth noting that the correct pruning of the fig tree of Benjamin allows not only 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 a fig tree.

Pruning for crown formation

Such processing of the plant is carried out to give the crown a certain shape and form. It is worth noting that shaping pruning is a time-consuming process. This procedure requires a creative approach, as well as constant monitoring of the specimen. The highest step of such trimming is bonsai from the fig tree of Benjamin. In the apartment, experts recommend processing highly branching 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 kidney should be directed downwards or to the side. It all depends on which final option you want to see. If the last kidney "looks" upwards, then the branch will grow in the vertical direction.

What form can you give to the crown

Some experts say that it is possible to change the crown of a plant with the help of a wire. This can be done at home. However, the natural process is the best option for the plant, than the compulsory one. The crown of the ficus can be made in the form:

• A bast,
• Bush,
• Arc,
• The pyramids.

It is worth considering several facts. The younger the tree, the easier it is to shape its crown. Many species of Benjamin ficus need pruning. If you do not conduct such a procedure, then their branches will grow in a chaotic manner. Naturally, the plant will not have a neat appearance.

We form the bast

The choice of the form for the crown of the ficus is of particular importance. After all, this depends on the method of pruning. If you want to form the crown in the form of a stem, you should choose the main trunk of the ficus. The stalk must be well rooted, strong and vertical. On it it is necessary to remove all young shoots until the stem reaches the required height. After this, the tip of the cut should be cut off.

It is necessary to start forming the stem after appearance of 5 lateral shoots. This is the tip of the ficus. You need to pinch it several times. It is also regularly recommended to remove the 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 trimming procedure of the Benjamin Ficus photos are presented above. To make the plant look like a small bush, it is necessary to observe several simple rules. To begin with it is necessary to pick up a plant. The height of the ficus should not exceed 7 centimeters. The specimen should reveal the main stalk, and then pinch its top. Particular attention is required and side shoots. They should begin to pinch when the height of the main cut will be 12 centimeters.

When forming a bush it is worth completely removing those shoots that grow inside the ficus. Gradually, the result of pruning becomes more noticeable.

How to form an arc

Ficus Benjamin has several varieties. It's not just beautiful specimens growing up. Among them there are plants that hang. To fix such a ficus, you can let it grow in an arc. The construction can be made from wire. It is installed in the container, where the plant is located. Shoots must be carefully distributed around the structure. If necessary, branches of the Benjamin ficus can be tied up.

How to make a crown-pyramid

If desired, the crown of the Benjamin ficus can be shaped like a pyramid. The main thing - to properly carry out its pruning. Crown is formed, as when creating a bush. Periodically, a correction of its shape and removal of unnecessary shoots is required. Also do not forget about plucking the tops.

Ficus Benjamin: home care

Pruning takes away power from the plant. Therefore, after the procedure requires careful care. For this you need:

• Reduce watering. After a trimming, the ground part of the plant becomes smaller. Consequently, the ficus will not consume a lot of moisture.
• To accelerate the growth of plants, you can spray it with suitable growth regulators. The most effective is "Epin". Apply the drug in accordance with the instructions.
• Protect the ficus from direct sunlight. After pruning, the plant weakens. Direct sunlight can lead to the formation of burns on young twigs.
• Pinch shoots as they grow. Otherwise, the created form will be broken.
• Timely top dressing. Fertilizers should be applied during the period of active plant growth.
• It is not recommended to constantly move and rearrange the pot with processed specimens. Ficus Benjamin is a whimsical plant. Any change in conditions affects the condition of the foliage.

Observance of all the above rules will preserve the shape of the crown of the fig tree of Benjamin for a long time. Thanks to this, the plant will be an ideal decoration for a living room.