Historians say: the ancient Greeks were very musical people, but negligible notes of their works have survived. It’s good that there are images left on ceramics, stone and... in living nature. Thanks to the ficus lyre, today we can imagine the musical instrument beloved by the ancients - its outlines follow the leaves of the plant.
Ficus lyreformes comes from tropical Africa , reaches a height of 30 meters there, feels good in an apartment as a houseplant, limiting its growth to two meters, which, you see, is also quite a lot for a “brick box”.
Description
The plant belongs to the mulberry family, which includes almost a thousand different ficus plants. The lyre-shaped one stands apart among them, prefers solitude and even at home grows poorly if it is placed too close to other green pets.
In the natural environment, it often begins its life as an epiphyte - it settles in the crown of some tall, large tree and, without receiving nutrients from it, reaches with long aerial roots to the soil.
The main decoration of the ficus is the leaves: dense, leathery, up to half a meter long, 30 cm wide.
In the middle they narrow, as if forming a “waist”, and along the edges they are slightly wavy. Light green veins form a beautiful relief pattern against the dark background of the “lyre”.
The flowers are inconspicuous, but the fruits (they are called “syconia”) are large, green, with variegated specks. Unfortunately, all this can only be observed in the natural environment, since the home ficus lyreate practically does not bloom . But it brings benefits - it cleans the air well of harmful impurities.
What to do after purchase?
Simply bringing a lyre-shaped ficus home, setting it up and watering it will not work. So he could die. And you shouldn’t forget about it for a few days after purchase either. In the store, the ficus lyreate was looked after; it seemed to be “used” to it. Therefore, you cannot slow down and think that if you leave him without care for a while, nothing will happen.
The first thing you need to do at home after purchasing a lyre-shaped ficus is to remove its packaging, protective film and everything else that blocks the access of oxygen and air to the plant as a whole.
Next, you need not to take a photo of the ficus lyreate, no matter how beautiful it may be, but you need to remove the dried branches and leaves with pruners. The fact is that they grew only thanks to a large amount of fertilizer, and in room conditions, even with proper care, they will no longer grow.
And, of course, you need to treat the plant with a drug against diseases and pests as a preventative measure to prevent the development of infectious and fungal diseases.
Kinds
Of all its fellows, the lyre-shaped ficus is recognized by experts as the most elegant . Only a few varieties are suitable for indoor cultivation, differing from each other only in height and leaf size.
Columnaris
This type is the tallest. It grows very quickly, stretches upward.
It has a strong brown trunk. An adult plant resembles a column in its outline.
Bambino
The miniature Bambino has a height of no more than 25 cm, and the maximum leaf length is 15 cm. The ficus is very compact, ideal for indoor cultivation and even (unlike its tall relatives) pleases its owners with flowering and fruits reminiscent of hazelnuts, which look very original .
Little Fiddle
This is a medium-sized plant - it grows up to one and a half meters in height, its leaves are 25 cm long. Ideal for decorating offices and public buildings.
Ficus Lyrata Phyllis Craig
With proper hairdressing care, this ficus looks very neat. It is compact, its height is about 35 cm. By the way, its beautiful shiny leaves are the same length.
Home care
Compared to other ficuses, the lyre-shaped one is quite demanding in terms of care and does not forgive the owner for negligence: if the conditions at home are not close enough to natural, the plant may react by shedding its main wealth - leaves.
Lighting, temperature
In tropical conditions, this plant becomes an epiphyte and settles in the crowns of tall trees for a reason: below, closer to the ground, there is a huge competition for light.
Obviously, the craving for sunlight is “in the blood” of indoor specimens too.
Good lighting is the key to ensuring that the plant grows quickly, strong and healthy.
Windows facing east are most suitable for him. It is better to protect the ficus lyreate from direct sunlight to avoid leaf burns.
As for the air temperature, in summer it is necessary to maintain it at 23-26 degrees, and in winter 17-20 degrees is enough.
ATTENTION : you cannot place a pot of ficus on a cold windowsill - the root system of the plant may die. This trouble can also be expected from drafts in the apartment.
Watering
Watering requirements may vary depending on the season (they should be more abundant in summer) and room temperature.
However, a few general rules remain the same.
For example, water requirements. left to stand for a week before watering . If this rule is neglected, light green stains may appear on the leaves.
Excessive watering is undesirable. In order not to harm the plant, half an hour after watering, drain the excess liquid from the pan. And before the next watering, they inspect the top layer of soil: stick a finger into it to a depth of 2 cm and, if it is wet, do not water the plant - it has enough moisture.
TIP : To prevent water from stagnating in the soil, you need to provide access to air. This can be done by regular loosening between waterings.
A guest from the tropics needs high (at least 70 percent) air humidity . This indicator is achieved in different ways. You can purchase an electric humidifier, spray the ficus lyrata from a spray bottle, and organize a shower for it in the summer. And to prevent too much water from getting into the soil, it is first covered with film.
It is also very important to regularly wipe the leaves with a damp sponge soaked in water (no chemicals - otherwise the plant will get burned). This procedure is necessary for normal photosynthesis.
Fertilizers
Feeding is carried out when the plant is active - from March to September.
They do this twice a month .
Sometimes the schedule is violated due to “objective circumstances” - cloudy weather or too high indoor temperature.
This time is not favorable for fertilizing.
As fertilizers, mixtures designed for decorative deciduous crops are purchased, and the concentration is made half as weak as recommended in the instructions.
Ficus generally has a difficult relationship with chemistry: if a drop of solution gets on a leaf during feeding, it must be quickly removed so as not to burn it.
Transfer
The lyre-shaped ficus grows quickly, so it has to be replanted annually until it is 4-5 years old. After this, they usually get by with one transplant every 3 years.
And the need for it is evidenced by the growing root system of the flower: if the pot becomes too small for it (the roots crawl out of the drainage hole), then it is necessary to ensure that the plant moves to a new, more spacious one.
It’s good if its diameter is 2-3 cm larger than that of the old pot . This video explains how to transplant a plant into a pot with automatic watering:
Transplantation is carried out in the spring, usually in March. They act carefully, using the transshipment method. After completing the procedure, the plant is watered. And then they give him peace for about half a month: any interference in the life of the plant at this time can provoke “leaf fall,” which will deprive the green pet of its attractiveness.
Beneficial features
Photo of a plant in a pot
Ficus lyreate will fit well into any interior thanks to its interesting appearance and “grooved” foliage. But in addition to its decorative qualities, the plant is valued for its ability to purify the air from toxic impurities, saturate the environment with oxygen, and also for creating a favorable energetic atmosphere in the house.
In addition, ficus is widely used for the manufacture of various medicines used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases.
Reproduction
Most often, ficus is propagated by cuttings - stem or leaf.
In the first case, the stem should be viable, green or woody, the best diameter is from 0.5 to 1.5 cm, length is from 10 to 15 cm.
It is not advisable to use scissors; it is better to use a well-sharpened knife to achieve neat cuts.
The released milky juice is washed off, the cutting is dried and placed in a container of water to which activated carbon has been added. In a month, roots should appear.
IMPORTANT : there should be no leaves at the bottom of the cutting - if they touch the water, the process of rotting will begin.
Propagation by seeds is too long a story. For seedlings to appear, at best it takes a month, at worst – three. To make the process go faster, you should not bury the seeds too deeply, and you also need to ensure a temperature of at least 25 degrees.
You can propagate ficus lyreate by layering; to do this, select a strong shoot, make cuts on it, wrap it in damp moss and a plastic bag. When roots appear, they will tear the bag and come out. This will mean that the cutting with roots can be cut and rooted in a separate pot.
Transfer
Ficus lyreata should be replanted either annually or every two years. The pot should be larger than the previous one, as the ficus is growing and needs space.
The pot must be ceramic. Replanting must be done with extreme caution so as not to damage the roots of the plant.
It would be best to add drainage under the soil and add fertilizer to the soil. But before that, you need to look at the packaging of the soil, because sometimes stores sell ready-made mixtures of soil with fertilizers, so you need to pay attention to this before purchasing.
Before replanting, be sure to cut off dry and unnecessary branches, as well as yellowed and wilted leaves, because they will only interfere with the plant’s development.
Pruning, crown formation
The formation of the crown is carried out in early spring, when the plant is in an active state. During the dormant period (from October to January) it is not disturbed. Pruning has a beneficial effect on the appearance of the plant - it begins to bush. For example, this video shows how the ficus lyrata has grown after pruning:
Even a bare tree can be tidied up by removing its top and allowing shoots to develop from the lateral buds. Using an elastic band or thin wire, you can even set the branches in the desired direction, and then, having achieved the desired result, remove them.
ATTENTION : if aerial roots form in the lyre-shaped ficus, they can be removed regardless of the time of year and the condition of the plant.
How does ficus lyrera propagate?
There are several ways to propagate ficus at home.
Germination of seeds
It is impossible to obtain seeds at home. You can only buy them. How to propagate by seeds:
- before planting, planting material is soaked in water;
- after a few days they are planted in the ground;
- water and cover the pot with film;
- shoots should appear in about 10-14 days;
- after this the film is removed.
On a note! Seedlings are planted when their height reaches 5-7 cm and several full leaves appear.
Rooting cuttings
Before cutting the cuttings, the soil is carefully weeded so that the plant is saturated with water. They begin planting the next day. Planting ficus cuttings:
- A powerful shoot is chosen for the cutting.
- Cut it at an angle of 45 degrees.
- The lower leaves are torn off, leaving 2-3 upper ones.
- The cutting is placed in a glass of water so that the juice comes out of it.
- Then dry it.
The cutting can be left in water and wait until roots appear. Then replant into the ground. Or immediately plant it in the soil and do not forget to water it regularly.
Propagation by cuttings
Air layering
How to propagate by air layering:
- select the location of the layering;
- from the top of the plant should be at least 60 cm;
- at this point, the leaves are torn off and two cuts are made (the distance between them is at least 3 cm);
- the cuts are treated with a root formation activator;
- then the place is wrapped in moss.
After a few weeks, a shoot should appear. There are no other ways to propagate ficus.
Diseases and pests
Most plant diseases occur due to errors in care:
- the leaves curl and acquire a brown tint - the ficus was exposed to direct sunlight and was not watered correctly;
- the lower leaves fall off - there is not enough light, watering is too rare;
- growth has slowed down - there are few nutrients in the soil or salinization has occurred;
- the leaves began to turn yellow and droop - watering is too abundant, liquid accumulates in the tray or pot.
By the way, excess moisture can also cause the development of a fungal infection. The plant will “inform” about this problem with dark scratches and stains on the leaf blade.
Among the pests that pose a danger to the lyre-shaped ficus are the mealybug (stems and roots suffer from it, and the plant becomes covered with dark spots) and the spider mite (it sucks the juice from the leaves and entwines itself with cobwebs). Treat the green pet with insecticides.
You can read about other varieties of ficus:
- Ficus Kinki - beauty and good energy in the house;
- Is it possible to keep ficus at home, is it beneficial or harmful?
- Ficus microcarpa is an original epiphyte.
Peace
After active growth, usually in autumn and winter, the plant goes dormant. At this time, the leaves of the ficus lyreate turn yellow and fall off, and there are no flowers at all. That is why it is not recommended to water it abundantly during this period.
It is best to leave the ficus lyreate in a cool room and moisten the soil rarely and through a tray so that it does not dry out at all. At the end of winter, the ficus lyreate should be gradually returned to the room, but not immediately, but slowly increasing the temperature in which it is located.
