Of those fruit trees that are grown in room conditions, figs stand out for their unpretentiousness. Care for indoor figs is a timely watering (you can not tolerate the drying of the soil in the pot), the annual pruning after a period of rest and transplant. However, the fig is not the plant that planted and forgot. If you do not take care of him, he withers and emerge from the emerald handsome man in disgrace to the mistress. We want to tell about this.
Transplant the figs
It is not difficult to get a seedling of a room fig tree. It is offered by many companies, grown up and amateurs. Cultivation and care begins with the primary transplantation of figs. When the seedling of the fig is purchased, it should be transplanted into a pot of at least one liter. At the bottom, it is necessary to pour drainage from broken red brick, pottery, clay pottery, expanded clay or crumbs of foam. Soil mixture should be prepared in advance from greenhouse, turf and coarse sand in the ratio 2: 3: 1.
When transplanting an earthen clod can not be violated, because the roots of the figs are fragile and easily broken. And the fracture site is the gateway for various infections and pests, especially the root nematodes are terrible. Transplanted plants should be watered abundantly and placed on a light window sill until the plant becomes fully rooted. But directly under the direct rays of the sun can not be set.
Fruit ripening
Within 1-2 weeks, the plant will grow actively. There will appear large palpate, coarse-rough, leaves on long petioles. At first the leaf is light green. With age, the color changes to dark green and the sheet coarsens. Fruits appear only on young shoots in the axils of leaves without visible flowering, the so-called figs (tiny flowers are inside the fruit and hidden from prying eyes). Their shape resembles an onion, they are quite large, up to three centimeters in diameter. When maturing, the fruits sharply increase in size, lighten slightly, wilt, become soft to the touch.
Full maturation lasts about five months. At the same time, the fruits of room figs become brown and become sugary. To taste like dates. And the smell just collected - a mixture of bird cherry and cherry. The fig is so unpretentious that it begins to bear fruit already at the stage of a rooted cut, that is, in the first year of planting.
Importance of watering
In the period of fruit formation and active growth of figs, one can not tolerate even a single drying out of its earthy coma. Drying immediately leads to the death of root hairs, the plant loses the ability to suck moisture out of the soil. Even further watering can not fully restore this ability. If the plant does not die, drying will certainly affect the taste of the fruit. Or, even worse, they will fall off. The reason for the fall of fruit can serve also as a lack of light. Therefore, for the figs, the windows of the southern, south-western exposure are best suited, although the plant also tolerates a slight shading.
Cropping figs
Care for the figs, or rather - for his crown - is simple. Figs are slightly branched and even a room view can grow to the ceiling of the room. Therefore, it should be cut off every year after a rest period of 10-20 cm. Cut the shoots strictly on the kidney, leaving no stubs, which only hinder the growth of new shoots. As a rule, after trimming, two buds nearest to the cut are awakened and moved to growth. This increases the number of fruiting shoots, and therefore, the yield is 1, 5-2 times.
Feeding of figs
We should not forget about fertilizing. They are carried out from the moment the plant wakes up after a period of rest and before the ripening begins once or twice a month with mineral and organic fertilizers. When using the above-recommended earth mix, one additional fertilizing with organic fertilizers per month is enough. We can recommend both ready-mixes and organic fertilizers of our own production. Excellent mixture of fresh cow manure and ash ash in a ratio of 1: 0, 1 per liter can. The mixture is poured with water over the hangers, covered tightly with a lid and placed for 5 days in a warm place. Before use, the fertilizer is diluted with water tenfold. Before feeding, the figs must be watered, so that there are no root burns - and only then add plenty of nourishment to the resulting infusion. You can use mineral fertilizers, if there is no manure and ash.
The rest period
Approximately in October, watering the room figs is reduced - a leaf fall begins. As soon as the leaves fall completely, physiological rest, which lasts up to two months, comes. The bush should be moved to a cool place for this time. In the period of rest, care is in rare watering. All rest lasts until February. Before the beginning of vegetation, the plants are transplanted into an even larger (by 0, 5-1 l) container, filling the voids with a fresh soil mixture. Renew watering.
Therapeutic properties of figs
Figs - one of the indoor plants, which also possesses medicinal qualities. Leaves, for example, help to cope with the lichen, apply them and with hives. Milky juice, formed by cutting stems, leaves and stems, is applied to warts. Decoction of leaf juice with mustard is applied to the affected areas when scabies.
Fruits of figs are rich in sugars, organic acids, vitamins, salts of iron and potassium. In folk medicine, the figs cooked in milk are recommended as a good remedy for treating inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. They also consider it useful in gastritis, constipation, with urolithiasis, and even with two dozen diseases. Have a fig and contraindications! Figs are harmful for inflammatory bowel diseases and for patients with diabetes mellitus.
Cultivating and caring for a roomy fig, treat him like a living being. Even plants like a kind word and care.