Banyan trees are some species of tropical trees belonging to the genus Ficus. Each plant has several hundred trunks, a crown of over 400 m2. A tree looks like a whole grove or small forest.
Botanical Description
Despite its large size, a real banyan tree is an epiphyte. He uses other plants as supports for development, but does not rob them of nutrients. Seeds, penetrating the crevices of trees, germinate, form densely branched trunks. The upper layers of wood contain a large amount of milky juice.
Short branches release many thin, bare shoots - aerial roots hanging down like garlands. The processes develop due to atmospheric moisture and the sun. Dense shoots cover donor plants, so the banyan tree is sometimes called a choking tree.
Some air shoots dry out, the remaining reach the soil, take root in it. The influx of nutrients contributes to the rapid gain of mass, thin shoots increase in breadth, become like tree trunks. New branches develop rapidly, the tree grows in length up to 1 m per year. The next batch of air shoots, taking root in the soil, creates support for the developing crown, provides an influx of moisture, nutrients from the soil. Adult banyan trees look picturesque: the dense natural crown roofs are supported by powerful convoluted columns of root trunks. Trees literally grow from top to bottom. The main trunk in diameter can reach 2.5 m.
Banyan leaves are large, dark green, leathery, oval-elongated. Plates with cirrus venation, smooth, shiny, on the underside of a lighter shade.
Ficus fruits - small rounded drupes, similar in appearance to cherries. Propagation of trees is facilitated by birds that peck ripe berries, spread them around. Seeds germinate, falling into the hollows of trees, stone crevices, cracks in the walls of buildings.
Banyan trees are centenarians. Many old trees continue to grow, reaching the age of 450 years.
Kinds
The most famous are two types of banyan trees:
- Ficus bengali (lat. Ficus benghalensis) A powerful giant tree with a total area of up to 1.5 hectares. One instance forms a small ecosystem. The number of air processes is up to several thousand. The leaves of Bengal ficus are bright green, wide, oval in shape. The berries are dark red, spherical, located in the hands of 5-15 pieces.
- Ficus religious (lat. Ficus religiosa) A species with a large central trunk and many thin aerial processes descending to the ground. The crowns in the circumference are more than 600 m. According to legend, under this tree, located in India, called Bodhi, an insight came to Buddha.
Spread
The birthplace of banyan trees is Southeast Asia. The largest specimens grow in India, in the Philippines. In the Botanical Garden of Indian Calcutta, the Great Banyan is located - a national natural monument over 250 years old. This is a ficus with a huge crown, occupying about 1.5 hectares of area. The height of the giant reaches 25 m, the number of root trunks exceeds 2800.
One of the Philippine banyan trees turned 1300 years old. In girth it is more than 40 m.
Varieties are found in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Korea, and southern China. Bengal ficus is introduced in the warm tropical climate of Central America, Brazil, the southern states of the USA.
Application
Milk juice, seeds, bark of Bengal ficus are used for medicinal, cosmetic purposes. They are used:
- for the treatment of infectious diseases of the genitourinary tract;
- to get rid of indigestion;
- as a choleretic agent;
- to accelerate the healing of skin ulcers, wounds;
- to increase muscle tone;
- to preserve youthful skin.
Tree sap containing latex is a raw material for the production of natural varnish. From wood produce paper, pulp.
Growing Bengal ficus at home
A true banyan tree cannot be grown at home, but a tropical plant develops well as a bonsai culture or a compact greenhouse tree. Despite its exotic origin, Bengal ficus is unpretentious. It is necessary to place pots with it in a moderately lit area, on the western or eastern side. A deep shadow is undesirable: culture will grow poorly in it. Direct sunlight can cause burns to young foliage. Adult specimens feel good near the southern windows.
Humidity and air temperature
The optimum temperature in the season of active vegetation is from 23 to 28 ° C. In summer, pots with plants can be taken out to fresh air. In winter, a reduction in thermal conditions to 18 ° C is allowed. A Bengal ficus does not have a pronounced period of rest, therefore, it should not be carried out in the cold or shaded. Until the plant reaches the age of 5 years, cold drafts should not be allowed: young leaves may die. Adult specimens are not afraid of a short-term drop in temperature to 3-5 ° C.
Humidify indoor air regularly.. It is especially sensitive to dry foliage during the heating season. It is optimal to install fountains or aquariums near the culture. Wipe the leaves 1-2 times a week with a slightly damp cloth, avoiding the accumulation of dust.
Soil for plants
The soil must be well drained and breathable. You can purchase the finished mixture or prepare it yourself from:
- 1 part of high peat;
- 1 part of turf land;
- 1 part of sheet land;
- ½ part chopped dry moss;
- ½ parts of sand;
- ¼ parts of ground coal.
Before you put the soil in a pot, it needs to be warmed up in the oven to destroy the parasite larvae. At the bottom of the dishes should be poured a thick layer of expanded clay.
Moisturizing
Watering Bengal ficus is desirable often, but little by little. Waterlogging should not be allowed: the roots will rot. In spring and summer, the soil is moistened twice a week. While the plants are young, placed in small containers, they can be regularly placed in wide trays with water at room temperature for 15–20 minutes.
In late autumn and winter, ficus is watered less often, once every 10-12 days, since moisture evaporation decreases at this time. The soil layer in the pot should not be dry deeper than 2 cm.
Fertilizer
Fertilize the soil several times during the warm season - every 2-3 weeks. Nitrogen nutrition in granules for non-flowering crops is recommended. They must be embedded in the soil before irrigation to a depth of about 1.5 cm. In the first years, fertilizing in this way should be done carefully, since concentrated formulations can cause root burns. Feeding begins with ⅓ the recommended dose.
Transplant Features
Ficus bengal develops rapidly, the root system of young plants fills the soil in 1 year. It is necessary to transplant culture up to 5 years regularly. They do this in April or May, each time they acquire new dishes 2-3 cm wider than the previous one.
- Before you remove the ficus from the old pot, the soil is watered abundantly.
- The plant is removed along with a lump of earth, then the roots are gently shaken.
- Before planting in a new dish, the root system is washed in a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Adult ficuses do not need frequent transplants. It is enough to transfer them to new soil once every 3-4 years.
Breeding
You can breed Bengal ficus by cuttings. As the material used lignified shoots with a length of about 12-15 cm with leaves. They are placed in a solution of growth stimulant for 2-3 hours, then in vermiculite or a bag of wet sand for rooting. When young root shoots appear, cuttings are planted in pots.
Seeds are also used for propagation.. Before sowing, they are mixed with moistened vermiculite, scattered on the surface of the soil mixture without deepening. The surface is tightened with a film. Contain material at a temperature of 25–28 ° C. After 10-14 days, the first sprouts appear. When they reach a height of 3-4 cm, they are transferred to containers with a capacity of 100-150 ml for growing.
Diseases and parasites
A healthy ficus has dense, shiny leaves of an even green hue, without specks, spots, growths. Change in species indicates impaired development:
- dull, fading greens - a sign of too cold air or lack of moisture;
- yellowness and brown spots on the plates - excess water, excessive fertilizing;
- quickly elongating stems with poorly developed leaves - lack of lighting.
Adjustment of the conditions of detention leads to the elimination of problems.
Sticky spots, small threads, embossed brown growths on the leaves - a sign of damage to the ficus by parasites: spider mites, scale insects, thrips. If insects are found, the plant must be washed with a stream of running water, then wipe the trunk and greens with a solution of soda or soap. With a large number of parasites, insecticides are used. An extraordinary tree transplant with a complete soil replacement may be required.