You will need
- - sharp knife or secateurs;
- -alcohol, peroxide and any other disinfectant solution;
- - soft cloth
- - basin with water.
Instruction
The best time to pinch ficus is spring. It is in the spring that new shoots form most quickly. Wounds, which are inevitable with such procedures, heal quite easily in the spring. This reduces the risk of plant disease. Therefore, before the end of February or the beginning of March, the plant should not be touched.
Wait until the ficus reaches the optimum height. Disinfect your knife. It can be wiped with alcohol or doused with hydrogen peroxide. The knife must be very sharp, since the ficus trunk is quite difficult to cut. You can ignite the knife over the fire for several minutes. Pinching can be done in two ways. If you are satisfied with the current height of the ficus and at the same time its upper shoot is thin enough, cut it off just below the growth point. In this case, you can make a straight cut.
Too large ficus must be cut differently. Determine the desired height and find a leaf or branch that is below this point. Cut the ficus 5-8 cm above this leaf. The cut in this case should be oblique. Its bottom is at the level of the kidney, on the opposite side of the trunk. The top of the cut should be directly above the kidney.
Use a soft cloth soaked in water to wipe off the milky juice from the trunk. The rag cannot be wringed out, it must be thrown away. The water itself will stop the further secretion of the juice. The ficus does not require any more treatment of wounds, they will perfectly heal themselves.
Wait a month and feed the ficus. After feeding, it should begin to grow rapidly. You can transplant it into a pot of a larger diameter (so that the old pot freely enters the new one). But this can not be done, it is enough to change part of the soil in the first year. After the first successful operation, you can continue to form the crown of the ficus. To do this, pinch the side shoots in the same way next spring.
note
Ficus juice is poisonous. It is better to pinch and cut this plant with gloves. Try not to get the milky juice on the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth.
Keep in mind that after pruning and pinching, the ficus trunk does not grow.
Useful advice
When starting to form a crown, keep in mind that not all ficuses tolerate this well. Wounds usually heal quickly, but not all plants develop side shoots easily. Therefore, watch the ficus before pinching the next shoots. If it is your ficus that does not particularly want to branch, you can make a lush crown in another way. Just plant several cuttings in one pot.
Every grower who grows wants to see beautiful branched trees, and even with intricately woven trunks.
But not everyone knows how to form a ficus at home.
Moreover, these plants grow only upwards and without human help they will not develop a lush crown. We will talk about the methods and rules for creating a dense green crown.
Did you know? The progenitors of ficuses are 30-meter trees typical of the Indian jungle with giant horizontal branches and rounded meter-long leaves. In their shade, they can hide up to 300 square meters of land.
Description and features of culture
At first glance, it seems that the process does not require additional skills and knowledge, in fact, all of the above requires talent and patience. Let's take a closer look at how to make a ficus branch.
Ordinary
Any work aimed at developing the side branches of the plant using conventional technologies should be carried out between February and July. If you ignore this rule, the plant may have enough strength to develop a single sprout; in this case, the ficus will grow in only one direction.
The method consists in pinching the apical shoots of a young ficus. Experimenting with old specimens can end up killing them, since it is very difficult to wake sleeping buds. 
Thus, a bush can be created from a straight trunk. For its uniform rounding, flower growers recommend exposing it to the sun in different directions, periodically turning the pot.
Some craftsmen resort to using cytokinins - hormones that slow down the aging process of the plant organism and without removal of the apical bud stimulate the development of its lateral branches.
This method is very effective, because during processing, hormonal substances do not delay deciduous processes, so that the lower zone of the flower remains covered with foliage.
You can do without additional funds by bending a thin trunk into an arc so that its top is directed downwards. Then the growth hormones will accumulate in the upper part of the bend, and the lateral buds will sprout. The disadvantage of this method is the slowdown in the development of stems.
You can also influence the shape of the indoor tree crown by adjusting the lighting. This method is good for correcting malformed plants. In direct sunlight, they can get severe burns, but diffused light from the south side is just what you need.
Another effective way to make a tree branch is - cut the bark over the kidney.
Botanists call the technology kerbovka and advise making deep and wide cuts at the bottom of a lignified trunk. 
Unusual (weaving, circular lattice, stem tree shaping)
Sometimes the beautiful plexuses of ficus stemscreated by flower growers are breathtaking. It turns out that you can create such masterpieces at home.
In order to get busy ficus weaving, the first step is to plant several equally developed sprouts up to 15 cm long in one pot. Their two shoots growing side by side will make a marvelous spiral, three - a braid, four or more - an unusual lattice. It is important to provide for places where thickenings form in the future, and leave gaps, as well as pinch off lateral sprouts.
To obtain flat fence, plants are planted through a certain distance on the same line. And when the stems reach the desired height, they are connected with special clamps or with a regular thread, polyethylene tape. Moreover, as they grow, the compression is slightly weakened so that unaesthetic scars do not form on the cortex.
To speed up the process, experts advise carefully cutting off the bark at the junction of the shoots to make a kind of grafting. 
Important! From excess or lack of moisture, the rubbery ficus leaves curl.
A circular lattice will turn out if you plant young plants in a circle. To get a trunk in the form of an extended spring, a peg is stuck in the center of the pot, and flexible stems are wrapped around it, removing side branches as necessary.
The pinnacle of perfection can be called the shape of ficuses curled around a moss (coconut) column. Its moist base constantly feeds the plant, stimulating the growth of aerial roots. This contributes to intensive interlacing and fusion of sprouts.
If these procedures seem too time-consuming to you, you can experiment with creating a bole shape. To do this, on a young flower, it is necessary to pinch off the apical bud after it reaches the desired height. Usually, for outdoor specimens, this is done at the level of 1 meter. Lateral branches are sheared in such a way that the cut passes over the kidney facing away from the bark.
But this is not the limit of flower growers' fantasies: a unique form can be created from a high ficus, forming a multi-tiered stem from it. To do this, the first step is to remove the upper point of growth, conditionally divide the trunk into several parts and give them a rounded shape. The spaces between the tiers are cleared of all branches and foliage.
Did you know? The oldest rubber-bearing ficus called "Homer's tree" grows in Buenos Aires. He was planted back in 1781. From time to time, the branches of the green giant sagged heavily, so they were reinforced with concrete supports.
How to form a rubber ficus at home
Whatever technology you choose for your rubber ficus, in order not to destroy it, it is important to know how to properly form a crown, which you can choose from a photo on the Internet or a magazine, a book. In addition, you need to strictly follow the rules, which can conditionally be divided into several groups. Let's consider each in more detail.
Without pruning ficus
If you will stimulate the growth of lateral branches with the help of special preparations, lighting and other tricks, it is important to consider:
- The growth of ficus branches can be regulated by manipulating the pot and directly with the plant itself. The principle of all procedures is to give the sprouts a vertical position.
- A bud frozen in growth will go up if the container with the flower is tilted so that the future shoot looks up.
- A horizontally inclined branch will grow branches in the upper zone.
- On a drooping stem, lateral branches will actively develop, and the trunk will also strengthen.
- One-sided specimens will sprout on the other side if they are turned with a bare trunk towards the sun.
- A multi-tiered ficus can be obtained much faster when planting sprouts of different heights in one container.
- Additional fluorescent lamps will accelerate the appearance of a rounded ficus crown.
- In order for the woven trunks to evenly increase the green hat, the pot must be periodically turned to the sun in different directions.
- With sufficient humidity in the room, ficuses take aerial roots. In no case are they removed, but sent to the soil.
- Among cytokinins, the Kartolin drugs (may be labeled 2 or 4), Benzyladenine, and Zeatin have an impeccable reputation. It is important to use them, strictly following the attached instructions.
Did you know? In India, the homeland of rubber ficuses, the locals used them to build footbridges. From the branches and aerial roots of plants growing on the banks of reservoirs, the base and handrails were woven. In some cases, the length of such structures reached more than 30 m.
with pruning
There are nuances in the formation of ficuses using tools:
- In cases of creating a bushy crown, the cut of the apical bud should be at a level of 10-15 cm from the ground. You can leave no more than 4 sheets.
- Pinching of the lateral buds is carried out only on specimens turned away from the bark. Otherwise, young sprouts will greatly thicken the crown.
- All sections must be wiped with a damp cloth until the milky juice stops secreting. Then it is treated with charcoal ground to dust.
- With increased density of the crown, cut off part of the branches directed inward to the central trunk.
- Kerbovka is carried out with a sharp instrument (preferably with a blade or scalpel).
- Competently made incisions in the bark look arcuate, roof-shaped or transverse. If you are removing the part of the cortex above the kidney, do this by cutting out a rectangle, triangle, or crescent.
- If you are faced with the task of correcting the irregular shape of a tree or forming some kind of conceived figure, then you should resort to grafting. The method is carried out by transplanting one plant to another, is very laborious and not always effective. The reason is the milky juice secreted from the sections of both parts, which prevents ficuses from growing together.
- After the cuts, there should be no stumps - this is a favorable environment for the formation of fungi.
A ficus plant initially produces only one stem. But over time, the flower begins to awaken, grow, branch, and here your competent intervention will already be needed. Rubber ficus can be an exquisite decoration for your home or work office. The main thing is to know how to make the ficus give lateral shoots, how to pinch it so that the branched lush crown you need is formed. Study this side of the issue so that the indoor flower eventually turns into an original interior detail that will attract the eyes of your guests.
Before figuring out how to pinch a ficus correctly, every grower wants to make sure that such a procedure is necessary and find out what results it gives. At first, homemade ficus grows only upwards and does not require crown formation. However, the older the plant gets, the more important it is for you to learn the basic principles of pruning.
If nothing is done in advance, your young green specimen will bush randomly. You can not pull with this anti-aging procedure. Otherwise, the ficus will grow incorrectly, branch in the wrong direction, or give not quite the density that you expected. It is quite possible to make a branched crown of a ficus, for this you just need to learn how to properly pinch a home plant.
Choosing the time for the procedure
How to make a ficus branch and how complicated is such a set of measures? The result will certainly satisfy you if you not only study the forced principles of the procedure, but also determine what time of the year is best to carry it out. You can get a branched crown from a ficus, but it is better to start pruning in the spring. With the onset of spring, the plant wakes up, all vital processes are activated. If you start pinching the flower at this favorable time, the pruning procedure will not be too stressful for the plant: all the “wounds” will heal instantly. In addition, it is in the spring that young buds form on the stem of the plant and side shoots develop.
That is why there is no more suitable time for the formation of a ficus crown than the spring period, or rather the end of winter - the beginning of spring. Remember, it is unforgivable to delay this procedure. If you start pruning homemade ficus in the middle of spring, the result may not be of very high quality. The thing is that when sap flow is active, shortening the branches can wake up the flower and stimulate its growth as a whole, but the new side shoots will be too thin.
Pinching instructions
How to pinch a ficus and how to learn to do it right? To give side branches, start the grafting procedure when the flower grows a little. Preparatory moments are also of great importance. For example, be sure to disinfect the knife with which you are going to shorten the branches. If desired, use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. The sharper the knife, the easier it is to cut the branches, and in indoor ficus they are usually thick. Whatever method of pruning you prefer, you first need to pay attention to the condition of the plant.
Let's say you like the height of a ficus, but its top shoot has grown too thin. In this case, take a knife and make a straight cut, simply removing the fragile shoot. But the first method is effective if we are dealing with a young houseplant. When a similar procedure needs to be carried out with a mature home flower, it is worth resorting to a slightly different technique. Follow all the necessary steps in stages, and the result will be more than satisfactory. What exactly does the process of crown formation in an adult ficus consist of:
- first, determine for yourself which point on the stem, in your opinion, should be the top. After that, make an incision at a distance of 8 cm from the sheet. It is desirable that it be oblique, and its upper point should be directly above the kidney;
- for proper pinching of a ficus plant, you need to take a small cloth, moisten it in water and gently wipe the trunk from milk, which spreads along the stems after pruning. In no case do not wring it out and do not use it again - the matter must certainly be thrown away. Some flower growers believe that it is recommended to lubricate the cut points with the compositions made, but ordinary water will actually be enough. With its help, you will stop the further secretion of vegetable juice, and the wounds of the ficus will soon heal;
- what to do to get the pinching of the ficus, and the side shoots take on a new shape? It is very important at the end of the procedure to ensure proper care of the plant. If all the steps are done correctly by you, with the onset of next spring, pinching can be continued. This time, you will give a stimulus for the growth of side shoots.
Every grower can force a ficus to branch. Pinching will give the plant an incentive to actively grow and form new and new shoots. Over time, the flower will begin to bush, if everything is done correctly and at the right time.
Further care
How to make the ficus actively bush, beginner flower growers ask.
After pinching the crown, it is very important to provide proper care for the plant.
First of all, it will be needed about a month after the removal of the branches. It doesn’t hurt either - this is another effective way to get side shoots to develop. For those whose home ficus has already acquired an impressive size, such a need can be a real problem.
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This is not the first time I have been asked this question this spring.
I had a similar experience, so I will share how I stimulated my old ficuses for this feat.
During the winter, many ficuses lose their foliage due to the difficulties of wintering in an apartment. Dry air due to the heating system, little light, and at the same time cold window sills - this is the main scourge for indoor plants that winter in the cold climate of our country.
But besides this, there is another reason - below the trunks are exposed over time due to natural causes. The tree grows, the crown develops in the upper part, and below the trunk becomes bare. This happens to all trees in the wild.
So my ficus, having reached its maximum growth, as much as the room conditions and the size of the pot allowed it, exposed the trunks in the lower part. And the top of his head rested on the ceiling. It became crowded on the windowsill, but you can’t put it on the floor: it’s too dark, because I live in the Urals - we have had dark winters in recent years.
But I decided to try to fix the situation.
There are several ways to get a mature tree to grow young branches in the lower lignified part of the trunk.
1. trimming the crown.
2. Tilt the barrel to a horizontal position.
3. stimulation of dormant kidneys by incision.
I did not have one trunk, but several plants grew in a pot at once.
I went the simplest way. Cut off the top of the stems.
But in order for the young shoots to go from the lowest tier, they usually cut the tree low - almost a quarter, or even a third of the trunk.
But since I didn’t want to shorten the ficus too much, I decided to apply all three methods at once, but a little bit at a time.
That is, the tops were shortened by only 20 or 30 centimeters.
But she spread the trunks from the center to the sides with a simple device. Any "wheel" that is in the house is suitable.
You can use this support for flowers.
In this way, all individual trunks received enough light and at the same time - a more horizontal slope.
But I didn't stop there.
I lightly scratched the bark at the bottom of the trunk above the sleeping buds in the places where I wanted to get branches.
And she regularly sprayed these places with water with a drop of a biostimulator - Epin.
And I also put the ficus on the balcony - where it was light. This is an important condition - to carry out all these activities in the spring, when active sap flow and a lot of light begin.
Of course, here it is necessary to take into account such a risk as direct sunlight. You need either a glazed balcony, or cut when the ficus is already gradually used to street conditions.
And here are the new threads!
Both at the top and at the very bottom. 
I left only those that did not grow inside the crown, but outside.
And those that grew strictly horizontally, bent down and tied to the main trunk in order to correct their position.
There were also those who grew quite downward. Their growth also corrected.
Soon my ficus became "fluffy" again. And after standing on the balcony in the summer, he acquired dense bright green foliage.
Rubber-bearing ficus has long been successfully grown by amateurs indoors, but many questions usually arise about the formation of the indoor tree crown. The formation of ficus has its own subtleties and nuances, which should be remembered when starting pruning. This article is all about how to properly trim a ficus.
A chaotically overgrown plant must be cut.
Pruning of a house tree is performed when the trunk and crown are accidentally damaged (for example, when a plant falls) or when the height and shape of the crown are formed. Is it worth trimming a tree indoors? Of course, because in nature, rubber-bearing ficuses can reach a height of up to 40 meters and above. In room conditions, a fast-growing specimen of ficus can rest against the ceiling, which will prevent the further formation of the crown. In the early years, a large tree grows only upward, so pruning can stimulate the development of side branches. But pruning is not always needed to form a ficus crown.
Shaping the crown without pruning
The upper shoots are cut off until the crown takes on a rounded shape.
Unusual shape: it's interesting
Young ficuses can be formed into an unusual plant. To do this, several cuttings of the same age are planted in one container, which can be easily braided. Of course, cuttings from old branches are not suitable for this purpose, because the branches must have a certain flexibility so as not to break when weaving.
Large leaves are removed from the bottom of the trunks - it is the trunks that can easily grow together with each other that will give the plant a special charm. When weaving, you can give the pigtail a certain shape - spectacular holes between the trunks, for which pieces of foam, corks, stones or other materials are temporarily inserted into the braid. After the shape of the holes is fixed, you can remove these inserts.
Braided ficuses spend a lot of energy on creating the shape of the trunk, so they give very small increments in height. If you limit the growth of the roots by planting the plant in a low bowl, you can keep the intended shape of the ficus for a long time.
Crown shaping by pruning
With sharp scissors, you can cut off the top of the main trunk.
If you choose the classic option for shaping the crown of a rubber-bearing ficus - pruning, it is important to correctly perform all the techniques for forming an indoor tree.
Pruning times vary:
- Formative pruning can only be done when the tree is actively growing, i.e. in autumn and winter, this operation is not performed.
- Sanitary pruning is carried out as needed when the trunk or branches are damaged on the plant.
To perform high-quality pruning, you need to prepare the following tools:
- Secateurs garden.
- Garden shears (large).
- Small scissors with sharp blades.
- Alcohol solution for instrument processing.
- Var garden for processing places of a cut.
How to cut the ficus yourself, what should you pay close attention to?
- It is impossible to start work without means of protecting hands from the milky juice of ficus, which is very poisonous.
- It is not recommended to drastically cut the plant at a time, removing more than 30% of the crown.
The flower grower, at his discretion, chooses the shape of the crown, guided by common sense, based on the individual characteristics of the plant.
New ficus shoots develop from apical or axillary buds, while the upper bud develops, the lateral buds sleep. To stimulate the branching of the ficus crown, it is necessary to give impetus to the development of axillary buds, which is achieved by pinching the main trunk. You can remove the dominant bud in the spring, when the ficus enters a period of intensive growth.
Thin green branches can be cut, leaving a straight platform, old branches covered with mature bark are cut at an angle of 45 degrees.
Pruning of the upper shoot is carried out above the kidney, from which new shoots will subsequently develop.
Plant care during the formation of the crown is reduced to watering with warm settled water, a month after the operation, it is worth carrying out the first feeding of the plant.
Photos of a correctly cut ficus are very pleasing - the plant begins to grow a dense crown and an extensive network of skeletal branches. In nature, rubber-bearing ficuses begin to branch naturally at a height of 4 meters.
After pruning, the plant is constantly turned towards the light source so that the crown can form evenly.
It is possible to form indoor ficus without pruning, for this you need to correctly direct the growth of young shoots, fixing individual branches if necessary. Such an operation will avoid injury to the young plant, as well as reduce the risk of infected infections in the area where the cut is made.
Young trees, whose branches have not yet fully lignified, are best tolerated by the imposition of fixing devices. Usually this method is used for young indoor trees growing in one trunk.
It is worth starting the formation of the crown when the growth of a young tree reaches 0.7 m. After that, the apical part of the shoot is pinched or cut off. Very often, pinching does not give the desired effect - a replacement shoot begins to develop from the lateral bud, as a result of which the plant grows into one trunk (see photo).
Often they use the method of bending down the apical shoot, which is securely fixed. A replacement shoot develops from the lateral bud, as soon as it grows to 5 cm, the trunk is returned to its original state. The next operation is performed to stimulate the growth of lateral branches, for which a puncture is made with a darning needle to a depth of 1/3 of the trunk diameter. It is best to start from above, gradually descending down the trunk, after the growth of the shoot at the site of the first puncture. The protruding juice is carefully removed with wet cotton wool or a rag. Work on pruning ficus should be done with rubber gloves - the juice of the plant is extremely poisonous.
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