Ficus INGENS

Ficus INGENS - Red-leaved rock fig, Ficus ingens.

Can be grown in bonsai style!

Ficus is a genus of plants in the mulberry family (Moraceae), within which it forms the monotypic tribe Ficeae. Most species are evergreen, while some are deciduous. The most famous representative of the genus is the common fig tree, known as the edible fig, or fig. Also well-known is Ficus benjamina, grown indoors as an ornamental plant.

The plant is quite widespread, numbering nearly 900 species, including trees, shrubs, and lianas. Its native lands are countries with a predominantly subtropical or tropical climate (Southeast Asia, Borneo, Ceylon, Java), where ficus height reaches 30 m (98 ft), and leaf length reaches 1 m (3.3 ft).

Leaves can be alternate, entire, lobed, glossy, or pubescent. The inflorescences of ficuses have an unusual structure: an expanded pear-shaped or capitate axis is hollow inside, with an opening at the top. The flowers are located inside the wall of the inflorescence and are pollinated by insects. After pollination, small fruits begin to develop from the flowers, forming a multiple fruit (syconium). In domestic conditions, ficuses bloom extremely rarely.

The red-leaved rock fig is an evergreen or deciduous tree up to 10 m (33 ft) high with a rounded or wide canopy reaching 30 m (98 ft) in width. The bark is gray and smooth. The leaves are ovate, lanceolate, or oblong-lanceolate, truncate or slightly cordate at the base, with entire margins, flat or slightly wavy, 5-17 cm (2.0-6.7 in) long and up to 8.8 cm (3.5 in) wide, medium to dark green above, light green beneath. Young leaves are reddish. Fruits are stalked, solitary or in pairs, axillary, spherical or slightly pear-shaped, up to 1.3 cm (0.5 in) in diameter, creamy green, pink, or red.

Seeds are sown on the surface of a mixture of leaf mold, peat, and sand, moistened from a spray bottle with a growth stimulant, covered with film, and germinated in light, but not in direct sun, at a temperature of 25-30 °C (77-86 °F). Seedlings require ventilation. Overwatering and desiccation of sowings must be avoided.

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Ficuses are conservative and do not like being moved from one place to another. It is best if the room is sunny and has plenty of fresh air. In summer, the ficus can be taken out to a balcony, but it must be protected from direct sunlight. With insufficient lighting, plant growth slows down, and leaves drop. With abrupt changes in lighting, the leaf color changes.

In summer, the optimal temperature for maintenance is 25-30 °C (77-86 °F), and in winter 16-20 °C (61-68 °F). In winter, a warm and dry room with supplemental lighting and regular misting is preferred for the ficus. A ficus requires more light the higher the room temperature is. The plant reacts sharply to chilling of the soil: it may shed its leaves, so placing it on a cold floor is unacceptable. Sharp temperature fluctuations are undesirable. The ficus's need for watering depends on external conditions.

In summer, generous watering is required, but it is important to let the soil dry out between waterings. Warm water is recommended for watering in sufficient quantity until it begins to flow out of the drainage hole. After 30 minutes, water must be drained from the saucer. In winter, watering should be careful; an excess of moisture is especially possible if the ficus is kept in a cool room.

If the ficus is grown in an inert substrate, fertilizer must be applied year-round. If traditional soil mixes are used, fertilizers (organic or mineral) need to be applied every 2 weeks in spring and summer. In winter, fertilizers are not used.

When the pot becomes cramped (the root ball is completely braided with roots, the soil dries out quickly after watering, roots are visible from drainage holes), repotting is required. It is best done in spring or summer - at this time of year the plant adapts more easily. Young plants require a specific soil consisting of a mixture of leaf mold, sand, and peat. Adult plants need denser soil, so sod soil or humus is added.