How to choose a ficus pot?

Ficus is one of the most popular home and office plants. Its decorative shape fits into any interior and adds impact to any style. In care, these indoor plants are quite capricious, and their growth rate and appearance directly depend on the pot in which they grow.

The assortment list of pots offered by manufacturers for planting home flowers and plants is quite wide, as is the choice of materials from which they are made. Among them are containers made of ceramics, plastic, wood and even metal. Ficus is a rather picky flower in terms of the material of the container in which it grows. It feels great and develops well in both clay and plastic containers.

If there is a choice, then preference should be given to clay containers., not covered with a glossy glaze, since the clay has a porous structure, is breathable and improves root respiration. It should be borne in mind that over time, the clay pot can become covered with a white coating from the salts contained in the water, or turn green, since it absorbs moisture well. Also, the appearance of clay containers for flowers may seem unaesthetic.

A clay pot covered with glaze has a more attractive appearance than a product with a porous ceramic surface. However, such a container does not conduct light well and has a greater weight, which can make it difficult to care for the plant. If you decide to use glazed ceramics, take care of a sunny spot for the plant. At the same time, nothing terrible will happen if the ficus is planted in a plastic pot. At cost, it can be anything, the main condition is that the plastic does not emit substances harmful to the environment and plants. In addition, plastic products are brighter, with a beautiful design. The weight of the flower together with the earth in plastic is much less than in ceramics.

Glass plant pots are rare. If you come across a beautiful glass specimen, and you decide to plant your flower there, remember that this is a rather fragile vessel that requires careful handling. At the same time, it is worth paying tribute to the spectacular appearance of the glass container, which can be colored, transparent or matte. Wooden pots for ficuses are usually chosen in the form of a tub, in which the ficus fits very harmoniously into various natural and eco-styles. The tree is perfectly saturated with water, so often wooden tubs are used as pots, in which clay pots with ficuses are installed. Along with clay, wood is a natural material that excludes environmental pollution.

It should be noted that during the selection and purchase of a pot for ficus, the presence of a drainage system is of great importance to drain excess liquid, which is detrimental to the root system of the plant. These pots are often designed with a spout to drain the water. In the absence of drainage in the pot, the risk of losing the plant is maximum, especially if it is made of materials that do not pass or absorb moisture, such as: glazed clay, plastic and glass.

A pot for ficus should be chosen the most ordinary one, without any special structural refinements. It would be ideal to plant it in a container of the correct shape, which is created by the approximate equality of the parameters of height and width. This rule applies to almost all types of ficus, such as the “Benjamina” ficus and the rubbery ficus. At the same time, round pots should be avoided, since the roots of the ficus can be damaged during transplantation. When they are injured, the plants get very sick.

After purchasing a ficus, it is necessary to evaluate its native pot and the availability of a stock of free space in it. If the roots of the plant are already getting cramped, then within a month it must be transplanted and do not wait for the roots to sprout out through the drainage hole. In addition, the ficus itself increases in size, there is a possibility of the pot overturning, since the upper part of this plant can grow quite powerful. When choosing a pot for ficus, you must follow the 2 centimeters rule, that is, there should be 2 cm of free space for root growth. Otherwise, there is a risk of inhibition of plant growth, since the ficus will throw all its strength into building the root system, and only after filling the pot with roots, it will begin to grow above the ground. Also, too large a pot increases the likelihood of root rot, since in this case the likelihood of overflow increases.

Ficuses should be transplanted at the moment when the root system has completely filled the pot and met its walls. In the case of ficuses, the following rule or pattern can be derived: each subsequent pot should be 2 cm larger than the previous one. It should be borne in mind that some types of these plants grow incredibly quickly. For example, rubbery ficus requires transplanting once a year, other species are transplanted once every 1 to 3 years. And also observations show that the older the plant, the less often it requires a transplant. If you think that the ficus has grown to the required size of the crown and root system, then you can carefully take it out of the pot, cut the roots and crown and return it back to the same pot, leaving it the same 2 cm for the growth and development of the root system.

Bonsai is the ancient Chinese art of growing small copies of large trees. Ficus "Benjamina" is great for making bonsai at home. To do this, you need to choose the right pot, taking into account the aesthetics of the appearance of the plant and the characteristics of its growth. The bonsai pot should be flat and more like a tray. The height of such a bonsai tray is usually 10 cm and is optimal for the formation of the root system necessary for the plant. In the process of growth of the ficus in this technique, its trunk thickens, and aerial roots grow.

The width of the container often depends on the size of the plant's crown: the larger and wider it is, the larger the width of the bonsai tray should be. In the case of growing ficus bonsai, it should be noted that the surface of the root system is very small in relation to the aboveground part, and a container made of breathable materials such as wood or unglazed clay is best suited in this case. Most often, bonsai are grown in clay trays. Aesthetically, it looks very harmonious.

When choosing the color of the pot, you should take into account the style direction of the interior design and the color scheme of the room in which the pot with the plant will be located. Green leaves of ficuses are in perfect harmony with pots of white and light shades of various colors, as well as containers of brown clay with unusual patterns.To add brightness to the interior, it is diluted with bright yellow, bright green and pink pots. According to the teachings of Feng Shui, ficuses fill the atmosphere with tonic energy, which directs the inhabitants of the house in the right direction and makes them act more actively.

For information on how to properly transplant ficus into a new pot, see the next video.