How to transplant a ficus at home and when is the best time to do it?

Thanks to the unpretentious nature of ficuses, even beginners can grow a beautiful and tall tree at home. If the plant is properly cared for, watered and replanted, it will delight with its elegant appearance and will become the main decoration of the house. As you know, ficus trees are quite susceptible to changing places. Flower growers quite rightly have a question: can they be replanted or not? We will talk about the need and conditions for transplantation in this article.

When is a transplant needed?

To determine when it is necessary to replant a ficus, you need to monitor the plant. Main signals:

• The roots begin to grow through the drainage hole - there is not enough space for the root system.
• In general, the condition of the leaves and above-ground parts of the plant deteriorates.
• There are problems with the soil - mold appears or pests appear.
• A flower's disease becomes an obvious need to change its place of growth.

Roots have sprouted

Note ! The right time to transplant a ficus is from March to August. But it is better to replant it in the spring.

Timing is of the utmost importance

When can and should you replant a ficus?

There is one main rule - until the young plant is 3 years old, it does not need to be replanted.

Upon reaching this age, the plants are replanted every year, large specimens, after 2-3 years. But the old specimen is replanted once every 5-6 years.

The first signs of a necessary transplant are quickly drying out soil in the pot, which collects in clumps. Roots appear from the drainage hole; the flower requires immediate replanting.

It is important to know! The pot should not be very large, 3 cm larger than before is enough. Ficus loves close quarters. And until the roots entwine a lump of earth, it will not grow upward.

How often to replant ficus

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This procedure is perceived by the plant as stress, so it should not be abused. Ficus should change the old place to a new one once every 3-4 years. But there are exceptions when the process of changing the pot is required much more often. In order not to make a mistake with the transplantation regime, you should carefully monitor the plant - it will tell you.

Need for transplant

What kind of land is needed for ficus: basic requirements

Many types of ficus grow in nature on rocky places. Their roots have adapted to soil with good breathability and are primarily afraid not of drying out, but of stagnant water. But they do not grow in excessively dry places, preferring tropical forests with high humidity. These features must be taken into account when selecting soil for ficus:

• light, breathable soil with inclusions of small stones;
• mandatory drainage at the bottom of the pot;
• neutral or slightly acidic soil pH.

The soil for a small ficus should be looser; mature plants do well in denser soil.

Required soil composition

Based on these features, experienced gardeners have compiled the most suitable soil mixtures for ficus plants. They include five main components:

• leaf humus;
• peat;
• turf land;
• river sand;
• fine stones.

Leaf and turf compost provide nutrition to the plant, peat increases the looseness of the mixture and increases its acidity to the values ​​​​necessary for ficus of 6.5-7 pH. The last two components prevent water stagnation, given the flower’s love for watering. They are also the basis for the drainage layer necessary for ficus.

Drainage

According to flower growers, the drainage layer in a ficus pot should occupy at least one fifth. It consists of two parts – lower and upper.

drainage layer in a ficus pot

The lower part is formed by fairly large particles, from 0.5 to 2 cm in diameter.

The best filler for drainage is considered to be materials that can absorb excess moisture after watering. After some time, they begin to release it into the dried soil. Unglazed ceramics, red brick, and expanded clay have these properties.

Coarse river sand is used for the top layer. It is washed to remove clay particles and debris, dried and calcined so as not to introduce pathogenic microorganisms from an open reservoir into the limited space of the pot.

Laying the drainage begins with selecting a clay shard that is suitable in shape and size. It is placed with the convex side up in the center of the pot, covering the drainage hole. This measure prevents soil from spilling into the pan, but does not prevent the outflow of water. Then lay out a layer of broken brick, ceramics, whole and crushed expanded clay. Sand is poured over the large fractions, separating the fertile soil from the pebbles, and compacted by hand.

How to choose a pot and soil

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First you need to choose a suitable pot. What to look for when choosing:

• The container should be 4 cm larger in diameter than the root system if the pot is round, or 2 cm larger on each side of the previous perimeter if the shape is square.
• The material of the pot can be anything - ceramics, plastic, clay. But natural material is considered preferable.
• The depth of the container must be selected in accordance with the size of the plant’s root system.

The soil should be like this: leaf soil + turf soil + peat + coarse sand. When preparing the soil mixture, you should adhere to the proportions of 2:2:1:1, respectively.

Pot option

You can use agroperlite instead of sand. The modern component will improve all the qualities of the soil - breathability, balance moisture, and provide additional loosening of the soil.

Soil disinfection

If the substrate will be made independently, then care must be taken to properly prepare each component. To do this, the land is completely disinfected. There are 4 main ways:

• Freeze the soil for 2 weeks at temperatures below -10 °C.
• Calcination in the oven. Place the sheet in the oven for 3 hours at 180°C.
• Rinse the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and then dry the material.
• Rinse the soil with boiling water. You need to do this several times, and then dry the base well.

On a note! You can use ready-made disinfectants to prepare the soil mixture.

Pot sizes

Despite the large size of the plant itself, its root system is quite compact. It makes no sense to select a huge tub for it, since the root system will not develop all the available soil, and it may become moldy.

Each next pot should have a diameter larger than the previous one by 2 centimeters. For plants about two meters high, the capacity of the tub should be at least 20 liters, the soil in it should be refreshed annually.

Preparing for transplant

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Before replanting the ficus, it must be prepared for this procedure. It is necessary to stop watering a few days before transplanting. Then the soil in the old pot will dry out a little, and the plant can be easily removed from the container by collapsing the walls of the pot.

Preparing for transplant

When the plant with the earthen ball is removed, you can begin to prepare the root system. To do this you need:

1. Soak the earthen lump in water.
2. Inspect the root system for damaged or damaged areas.
3. Remove bad roots and sprinkle the sections with activated carbon powder.

Timing for transplanting Ficus Benjamin

With the lengthening of daylight hours, around the end of February - beginning of March , Benjamin's ficus begins to grow actively. Young leaves appear on it, they are distinguished by size and appearance. New leaves are small and shiny, glossy, while older leaves are dull. This applies to both variegated and green-leaved varieties.

Photo: young and old leaves

Is it possible to replant ficus in winter?

Sometimes, in rare cases, you can replant ficus trees in winter.

If you have a plant, you have created comfortable conditions for it: temperature, watering, lighting, there are no pests on it, but after a month the ficus continues to shed leaves, or the leaves turn black and fall off, then most likely the problem is in the roots. An urgent transplant is required to save him.

In this case, replanting in winter is acceptable and even necessary!

Transplant methods

There are several methods of transplantation, each of which has its own distinctive features. For example, to root a shoot during the propagation period, planting in a ready-made substrate or germination in water is used. The same methods apply when used instead of a shoot cutting.

The ficus transplant itself is carried out as follows:

1. A new container is prepared with a drainage layer and a new substrate.
2. The plant is prepared in accordance with the above rules.
3. A hole is made in the soil for the root system. The shoot is installed and the root is sprinkled with substrate.
4. Press the soil in the area of ​​the stem. Provide minimal watering. It is better to use a spray bottle for spraying.

Transfer

Possible mistakes gardeners make

When transplanting, flower growers sometimes make mistakes that can affect the growth and development of ficus. The main ones:

• Recommendations regarding soil composition, consistency, and acidity are not followed. These needs are determined by the wild environment in which the plant grows. Therefore, if you could not find the necessary components to make up the substrate, it is better to buy a ready-made mixture;
• no drainage layer has been made. Under such conditions, the root rots - ficuses cannot tolerate excess water;
• wrong pot size. In a pot that is too large, the soil will turn sour, as indicated by an unpleasant odor. This harms the plant, dwarf varieties;
• watering with fertilizers immediately after transplanting. During this period, the root system is not able to accept nutrients in such quantities. What is in the new soil is enough;
• Frequently moving the flowerpot injures the plant. After transplantation, it is better to leave it in its original place if it felt good there. Ficus plants should not be placed in an environment that is very different from the previous one.

Fulfillment of all requirements during transplantation creates conditions for the normal development of ficus. In this case, the plant thanks the owner with its beauty and bright greenery. If one or more conditions are ignored, the bush becomes sick and dies.

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Care after replanting a plant

Regardless of what type of ficus was transplanted, it must be properly cared for, otherwise the plant will die.

Additional Information ! After transplantation, there may be a cessation in the growth of the above-ground part and partial loss of leaves.

Principles of caring for ficus after the procedure:

• Temporarily stop fertilizing, as the new soil is quite fertile.
• In the first month, reduce watering to once a week, but at the same time spray the crown daily.
• Place the flowerpot in a slightly shaded place so that the flower adapts to new conditions.

How to transplant a ficus at home without mistakes

To minimize the number of errors when replanting a ficus, you need to:

• Select the correct primer based on the composition of its components.
• Choose a good and correct pot.
• Lay a drainage layer.
• Choose the right time for the transplant.

On a note! A common mistake made by inexperienced gardeners is improper preparation of the plant or excessive pruning of the root system.

You should never replant a ficus in winter, as this can destroy the plant. The remaining options for the procedure are acceptable for the plant. The main thing is to choose the right container and substrate.

Soil for ficus

Many, without further ado, buy ready-made soil in the store and transplant into it. This approach is not always justified, since often the package contains nothing useful except low-lying peat and additives that the plant does not need. The presence of sand, for example, impairs the air permeability of the soil and prevents the root system from absorbing water.

The best soil option for ficus would be a mixture of the following components in approximately equal proportions:

• turf;
• very fine crushed stone;
• garden black soil;
• horse manure or compost;
• high peat

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The mixture is thoroughly mixed and disinfected. It is not advisable to take turf near roads and in urban areas; it is better to take it in the forest or in a park area.