Ficus elastica  or rubber tree - an evergreen tree with unassuming brown bark, covered with large oval leathery leaves. This ficus able for many years to maintain its decorative and can quickly rise to the ceiling. To appeared on the lateral branches cut top (you can then implant). Young leaves of this species of ficus brownish, growing up with the color changes to dark green. Ficus elastica letter Adults can reach 30 cm in length. Appeared varieties with variegated leaves, they are spots of yellow and white.

Buying ficus. When buying a ficus need to know that it is not desirable to purchase the plant in the winter - temperature drops when moving lead to defoliation;

- look at the roots through the holes in the bottom of the pot, if visible blackened roots - do not trust;

- choosing a ficus in the store, slightly shake it, if it fall off a few leaves - take another copy;

- after moving home, wipe it leaves or rinse under a warm shower. Sometimes the leaves are treated to impart shine, then they do not breathe and the plant is sick;

- in any case, place it apart from other plants - rare, but there are pests;

- a few weeks later transplanted plant. If you find the roots of a plastic grid - carefully remove it.

Lighting and location. All kinds of figs like a bright spot, but not under the scorching sun. Varieties with variegated leaves need good lighting for ficus with green leaves suit ambient light and partial shade.

It is important to know that the rubber plants do not like movements. It is advisable to immediately determine the place where it will grow.

Temperature. Ficus - thermophilic plant. The optimum temperature for content ficus - 20-26 °C in summer and 15-20 °C in winter. You can not lower the temperature below 12-15 °C.

Deciduous species such as Ficus carica (fig) during winter dormancy from October to February contain at a lower temperature 8-12 °C. For all kinds of figs important warm soil, soil from hypothermia, they shed their leaves. Differences in temperature also leads to loss of leaves as rubber plants need to be protected from cold drafts. 

Irrigation. Summer watering abundant, but between waterings should be given the soil dry out a bit. Winter need careful watering. Very little watering during the cold season deciduous rubber plants.

Miniature rubber plants require more frequent watering. They have weak superficial root system and absorb moisture from the top layer of the substrate, and it dries quickly.

Ficus watered with a thick trunk rare, but abundant (in a pot drainage necessarily to excess water glass).

Humidity. Not really naughty on humidity, but very dry air lose their leaves. Humidity is desirable to provide increased, especially for dwarf ficus. Useful spraying the leaves and showers. Water for spraying takes heat paperback (hard water leaves white stains on the leaves of salt).

Feeding. Ficus fed organic or mineral fertilizers in the spring and summer, every 10-14 days. Winter ficus not fed, better that it did not grow at this time, as due to lack of light can form weak elongated leaves and shoots. After transplantation during the month also did not fertilize.

Soil. Ground for figs to be acidic or neutral. You can use ready mixes for figs and put them on their own.

For young figs are part of the leaf, peat and sand in equal proportions. Adult figs can be used with soil mixtures: turf, leaf and sand in 2:2:1 or soobnoshenii turf, leaf, peat and sand in equal parts. It is advisable to add pieces of charcoal to protect the roots from rotting.

Bottle of rubber plants with thick stems rising from arid regions in stone yanystyh soils, they preferably added to the substrate pebbles or brick crumb.

Transplantation. Ficus transplanted in spring (young plants every year, old transplanted trans - 2-3 years or as necessary). If the pot is too small, the roots begin to get out of the drainage holes, the water is not retained when watering.

Be sure to make a good drainage layer: expanded clay and pieces of charcoal in the soil will protect the plant from stagnant water and rotting roots.

Period of rest. Ficus carica (fig) for a period of rest during the cold season shed leaves and requires low temperatures contents. Bottle of rubber plants also lose their leaves. Watering they need very little. Other figs are often slow to grow due to lack of light and temperature drops.

Reproduction. The easiest way to propagate by cuttings.

Winter cuttings are cut from single-seat and two-year shoots in early spring, before bud break, in light sandy soil. Green cuttings are planted in late spring-early summer in the sand and to contain rooted in a humid environment under glass or other glass shelter. Both are in a warm place cuttings root easily. Rooted cuttings are planted in pots.

Cut the stem on the best mezduuzliyu (where the shaft is attached sheet). Horizontal put in warm water and dried to stop the discharge milky juice. Planted in loose moist soil for figs mixed with sand. To handle better entrenched in the thick stalks recommend doing rozschip bottom or cut. Cuttings root best when polyethylene, but make sure that the water droplets on the leaves do not fall.

Cuttings of Ficus benjamina, Ficus elastica Ficus tiny and well rooted in water.

Pests. In very dry air to settle Ficus pests: quadraspidiotus perniciosus, mealybug, spider mites, thrips.

- fall leaves - too dry, was extreme temperatures (cold draft, for example) or the Gulf of soil;

- new leaves grow small, old yellow and fall off - a plant lacking nutrients, it is necessary to transplant;

- the edges of the leaves turn yellow and the leaves fall - overflow, you need to have time to dry soil;

- the leaves are dry and shriveled - dryness of the soil and the air, sunburn;

- sometimes fall off the lower leaves - the norm, but the barrel does not have to be completely naked;

- brown spots on the edges and tips of the leaves - too hot or overfeeding fertilizers.