Ficus microcarp - capricious miniature plant

The homeland of the indoor flower is a ficus of microcarp - Southeast Asia. In addition, it grows in Australia and South China. In nature, this plant is an epiphyte, that is, grows on tree trunks, and can reach a very impressive size. The leaves are dense, oval, small (up to 10 cm in length and 5 in width), with pointed tips. The color of the foliage is dark green, and the bark is gray. The small fruit of the ficus initially has a light yellow color, and after aging become purple.

Ficus microcarp (bonsai) is a shade-tolerant plant. Direct rays of the sun he carries poorly, however, lack of light is harmful to the ficus: its leaves will begin to grow smaller. You can not place a flower near the radiators and draft. Having determined, based on these recommendations, a permanent place for your plant, try to move it as less as possible: it does not tolerate permutations and can even discard the leaves. This process is often observed after the plant is brought into the house for the first time - its cause is the adaptation of the flower to new conditions. To stop the loss of foliage, it is useful to spray it with a solution of the biostimulator "Epin".

Like most plants from the rainforest, ficus microcarp loves moisture. However, overmoistening is very dangerous for him: the roots of the flower can rot, and he will die. Therefore, watering this plant requires special care. For him, you can use only boiled, thawed or well-kept (no less than twelve hours) warm water. It is necessary to exclude stagnation of water in the pan. Between watering the substrate in the pot must dry out no less than 2-3 cm. An alarming symptom is the appearance of dark spots on the leaves: this indicates excessive watering. Sprinkle the ficus of the micro-carp one or two times a day, trying to get the bulk of the moisture on the foliage, and the stem is moistened as little as possible.

As for air temperature, the plant feels most comfortable at 17-23 degrees Celsius. It is very dangerous for the ficus of the microcarp to fluctuate temperatures: it can lose most of the foliage. In addition, it can be caused by drafts, lack of moisture, use of cold water for irrigation, and rearrangement of the flower from place to place. Thus, a micro-carp ficus, whose care requires certain skills, is a pretty capricious and whimsical flower, and one who wants to grow it must have patience.

Feed the plant from early spring to mid-autumn. To do this, use a universal fertilizer, which is introduced into the still wet after watering the land twice a month. From November to February, the ficus of the micro-carp is fed only once a month, the fertilizer dose should be twice as low as usual. In addition to fertilizing, introduced into the soil, you can add fertilizer and water for spraying the plant.

Transplant the ficus every two to three years. It practically does not grow, but the soil in the pot needs periodic renewal, otherwise the flower will begin to wilt. For transplantation, it is better to use a special primer for ficus. Care should be taken not to damage the roots. The pot must be with holes, the drainage is poured on the bottom in a layer of 2-3 cm. Feed the plant one month after the transplant. Most likely, after transplantation, it will lose some foliage - this is normal. Once the ficus adapts, it will stop flushing the leaves. If you bought a plant in a transport pot, it can be transplanted no sooner than 2 weeks later, when it will get used to the new conditions. In this case it is desirable to save most of the earthen coma, passing the ficus together with the soil into a new pot and pouring the substrate as necessary.