Figs, he's a fig, fig tree, fig tree and fig- subtropical plant. Asia Minor is considered its homeland. Many are interested in where this grows exotic fruit. In Russia, it can be found in the Caucasus and Crimea in great abundance. In addition to interesting and unusual taste, figs have a lot of useful properties that even official medicine recognizes.
Description
The fig tree is one of the most ancient plants in the world. It was first mentioned in the Bible. Adam and Eve covered their nakedness with its leaves. Figs were originally grown in Arabia. Later, it entered the culture of Egypt, Syria, etc. In Rus', the fig tree appeared only in the 17th century, where it received one of its names - the fig.
There are several types of figs - all of them are useful for humans.
The fig is a tree with light bark and stiff, alternate leaves. Surprisingly, all fig trees are divided into male and female individuals. And their pollination is of an unusual nature and occurs with the help of black wasps - blastophage. The pollination process itself is very labor intensive.
Fig fruits are pear-shaped. They are juicy and sweet, flesh with small grains inside. Figs are consumed both fresh and dried. It is used in cooking for making jams and desserts. But its main feature is the presence of useful properties.
Useful properties and contraindications
Oriental fruit counts great amount beneficial vitamins and micronutrients. Such as potassium, magnesium, iodine, calcium, phosphorus and iron. In terms of the amount of potassium, it is second only to. TO useful properties figs include:
- Antipyretic, diaphoretic, diuretic and slightly laxative.
- Lowering blood cholesterol levels.
Figs can relieve pain and relieve fever
- Prevention of blood clots.
- Antioxidant action.
- Replenishment of sugar in the body.
Attention! It is worth noting that fresh fruits are very low-calorie (only 50 kcal per 100 g), unlike dried ones.
- Reducing pain during menstruation in women.
- Moderate consumption of figs during pregnancy has a positive effect on the digestion of the expectant mother and the rudiments of the baby's teeth.
Figs are best consumed in fresh: fruits are not stored for a long time
Apart from positive properties figs are contraindicated in some cases.
- Gout can cause figs to be avoided due to their oxalic acid content.
- With kidney stones and digestive problems, you will also have to give up this delicious treat.
Attention! Dried fruits very high in calories. Those who follow their figure should limit their use or reduce it to a minimum.
- Diabetes is one of the main reasons for the rejection of the fig tree.
Folk recipes
Figs are used in many folk recipes. One of the most effective is based on the antipyretic effect of the plant.
Recipe for fever. Several fruits are boiled in 0.5 liters of milk, then it is cooled and taken orally. Such a decoction not only acts as an antipyretic, but also eliminates cough. You need to take it four times a day in a warm form.
Recipe for a mild laxative. For half a glass of figs take this amount of raisins. Add a pinch ground ginger And nutmeg. Raisins and figs are finely chopped and mixed with spices. The sausage is rolled up and cut into 1 cm wheels. For constipation, you should eat 2 pieces of fruit sausage.
From lovers of indoor gardening more than once you have to hear: “I took fig live bait from a tree that bears fruit. Which year a tree grows in the apartment, but does not give fruit. Why?"
This is about fig tree, better known to us as figs. It has strange properties. This bears fruit but does not bloom in the usual sense. However, not all trees bear fruit in natural conditions. The fact is that fig plant - dioecious. Female specimens develop fleshy, hollow figs, on the inner surface of which female flowers are formed. They have one pistil and five underdeveloped petals. In the fruits of male representatives - caprifigs- there are small three- or four-petalled, in which there are stamens with pollen. After pollination of the female inflorescences, the figs begin to grow, the seeds ripen inside them, during this period they become juicy and soft. Men's are smaller in size, hard to the touch and dry up and fall off after maturation.
How does the pollen from caprifigs get to the female flowers in the middle of the figs? They are pollinated by tiny insects - blastophages. The interaction between plants and insects is quite complex. However, it should be noted that without blastophages, the fig tree is not able to bear fruit. Nevertheless, thanks to the search and efforts of botanists, it penetrates further and further north, where blastophages cannot exist.
How to grow figs indoors?
For the plant to grow quickly and develop properly, it needs a sufficient amount of light, heat and moisture. The fig tree is growing predominantly in a vegetative way - live bait or jigging. A tree grown from live bait begins to bear fruit in the second or third year. Seedlings or live bait can be purchased from hobbyists or specialty outlets. Better choose self-fertile varieties, for example, "black Crimean" or "gift of October".
Harvest live bait from fruitful mother plants when they are still green or slightly woody. Cut pagons with buds that are swollen. Their length is 10-15 centimeters with three or four kidneys. In order for the live bait to take root better, it is recommended to make several longitudinal cuts in its lower part or treat it with the phytohormone heteroauxin.
Justifies itself and such the easiest way to root: put live bait fish in ordinary glassware filled with water and keep them like that, periodically adding water to the initial mark, until small roots appear. Then the live bait is planted in ordinary flower pots.
Another way is to immediately plant them in pots (, greenhouses) and cover with glass or film. When the first leaves appear, the coating must be removed. In favorable conditions (temperature 20-25 degrees), live bait takes root within a month. During the engraftment period, the plants are kept in moderate light. In summer, to reduce evaporation, the soil in pots is mulched with peat or moss, and the leaves are sprinkled with water.
Plants a couple of weeks after the transplant, preferably feed a solution of such mineral fertilizers: ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate - 3 g and potassium salt - also 3 g per liter of water. Superphosphate in the amount of 5 g per liter should be applied alone or in combination with mullein. Plants are fed with mineral mixtures as needed, as a rule, every 12-15 days.
To form a crown, use this method: the upper bud is pinched after the appearance of the 7th leaf, 3-4 regrown lateral shoots are left, from which they create a bush based on a small stem. Fast-growing shoots pinch all the time. A properly formed bush gives the first harvest the very next year after planting in a permanent place. Healthy young plants able to bear fruit twice a year: in autumn - on annual shoots, and in summer - on biennial shoots.
The fig tree is transplanted once a year or even less frequently. After rooting, it is planted in pots 7 centimeters high, using a soil mixture of sand, soddy soil and humus in a ratio of 0.5: 2: 1. The second time for transplanting, they take 9- and 11-centimeter pots with the same soil mixture. Adult plants can be cultivated in garden soil mixed with sand, periodically feeding them with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Figs, which, as a rule, sheds leaves in November, and young ones grow back in the middle of winter. Sometimes the leaves fall off partially or not at all.
After the plant begins to develop, it must be carefully looked after: regularly water, fertilize, talk affectionately. Figs are especially pleased with the feeding of microelements - manganese, boron, molybdenum, copper. Such "goodies" can be given to him once a season, better in spring: the plant is sprayed with a half-percent solution of copper sulfate, and zinc sulfate, boric acid and ammonium molybdate in dissolved form (0.1 grams of each of the salts per 10 liters of water) are used for irrigation.
Figs are very useful. Fruit crumb - wonderful medicine from diseases of the liver and spleen, as well as bronchitis. ethnoscience treats diseases respiratory tract fruits boiled in milk, and infusions are used as poultices during colds, to soften abscesses and for rinsing. Phytoncides that figs secrete, repel insects.
well developed indoor fig tree can give several kilograms of delicious juicy fruits. It will serve as a wonderful decoration for large office interiors, public spaces of educational and cultural institutions.
Fig tree, or figs - a lush plant up to 2 meters tall with palmately divided rough green leaves with pronounced veins.
plant fruits(figs) are pear-shaped, inside they are hollow. In place of inflorescences, fruits of black-blue, yellow, black or purple color appear, depending on the variety. Under home growing conditions, the plant lives from 30 to 60 years.
Fig tree varieties
For cultivation at home, there are many varieties. The most famous and popular of them are: Oglobsha; Purple Sukhumi; Kedota; Sunny and others.
Each of the types able to bear fruit in an apartment. The fruits are quite large and tasty. The plant begins to bear fruit in about six months. This period consists of several stages:
- foliage decoration;
- fruit set;
- fruit ripening;
- falling leaves;
- plant rest for three months.
Can be achieved year-round fruiting of the fig tree with short periods of rest, providing it with good lighting.
The benefits of fig tree fruit
plant fruits not only have original taste, but also a huge benefit for the body. One tree brings about 80-90 fruits per year. Calorie content in 100 g - 49kcal. The composition of the fruit includes the following useful substances:
- minerals - a large number of potassium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, calcium, sodium;
- alimentary fiber;
- glucosides;
- vitamins B, A, B1, B6, B9, E, C, PP, K;
- cellulose;
- flavonoids;
- fats, proteins and carbohydrates;
- ficin;
- oxalic, quinic, malonic, citric acid;
- beta carotene;
- amino acids;
- disaccharides, oligosaccharides, monosaccharides;
- pectins.
Use fig tree fruit helps to improve the condition in various diseases:
pick fruits fruit tree recommended only after maturation. Unripe fruits contain milky juice, which has an irritating effect on the human mucosa. Fig tree leaves are also used in medicinal purposes. Harvest raw materials in the period June-October.
Planting rules
soil for a fig tree can be purchased at a flower shop. Perfect option- soil for decorative leafy plants. The main condition for the earth for a tree: nutrition, lightness.
For landing a wide pot is suitable, at the bottom of which it is necessary to install drainage. The plant responds positively to pruning, you can form an attractive appearance for you.
transplant young a fig tree plant is desirable once a year, an adult - once every 2-3 years.
Watering a fig tree
Fig tree requires moderate watering without allowing the land to dry out. The supply of moisture should be especially abundant in summer and spring. It is recommended not only to water, but also to spray the plant during this period.
IN winter period you can irrigate through the pan.
Tree propagation
propagate fig tree is easy with the help of cuttings. Plant propagation process:
- cuttings should have 3-4 buds;
- cuttings should be cut;
- dip their tips in a root growth accelerator;
- root in water or sand.
The second way reproduction is seed. But it is much more complicated than the vegetative one. In addition, the fig tree begins to bear fruit 4-5 years after planting, and the cuttings will present the first crop in 6 months. To propagate seeds, follow these steps:
- wash the seeds;
- disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
- dry;
- seeds are sown to a depth of 1.5-2.5 cm;
- watered;
- cover with foil;
- a container with seeds is placed in heat, but at the same time avoiding direct sunlight;
- after 3 weeks, the seedlings that have appeared are transplanted into pots.
Another one from breeding method - layering. The method is suitable for plants in open ground:
- next to the plant make a recess up to 25 cm;
- pour into it land suitable for growing a fig tree;
- the branch of the plant is tilted so that it is in the recess, and the top is outside;
- the branch is fixed;
- after 2 years, a young plant develops, which can be planted from the main plant to the chosen place.
Plant nutrition
During the period of active plant growth and during fruit ripening (spring and summer), it is sometimes recommended to apply mineral fertilizers, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate to the soil at intervals of 10 days.
Selecting a landing site
The plant prefers bright light, but still it is worth protecting it from too hot direct rays of the sun.
In summer, figs love warmth; for winter, it is better to place a tree in a cool room with an air temperature of + 3 ... + 5 degrees.
Diseases, pests
When the plant reaches height of 20-25 cm, pinch the leaves to activate the growth of lateral shoots.
In winter, to rest the fig tree, it is necessary to place it in a cool room, stop watering and cut off the leaves.
Pests and diseases do not affect the fig tree. Rarely, plants are affected, gray rot and mosaic spotting are formed.
When growing fig tree at home, you can purchase not only an original plant that can become an exquisite part of the interior, but also an unusually tasty and useful product in the form of plant fruits that can be consumed by both adults and children.
And for those who like to know more, we suggest that you watch the video about the fig tree
tree of two fruits
Do you know such a tree, does anyone know it? Now many will say no. But this is not so, we all know it and even eat its fruits almost regularly. The only thing that many, including myself, do not know is that this tree bears fruit twice. Therefore, I decided to introduce you to him in more detail, and to myself, it won’t hurt me to learn about him anymore. Since I love its fruits very much and I already buy it at the market, and therefore I need to know what we are consummating.
So, the tree of two fruits is nothing but a fig tree or a fig tree (Ficus carica). It produces early figs and figs, each fruit in its season.
The fig tree belongs to the mulberry family and grows in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. This tree has not only delicious fruits, but also a pleasant aroma that can enchant any of us.
Let's pay attention to the tree itself and its fruits, what they represent. The fruit of the fig tree is a seed, like strawberries and blackberries. The fruits of this tree are early figs and figs. The early fig is the tree's first harvest and appears in June and July. It looks like a fig, but larger than it, but it tastes less sweet than figs.
The fig is the fruit of the fig tree and is harvested in August and September, smaller in size, less fragrant, but much sweeter than the early fig.
There are several varieties. The most common are white, yellow-green, purple or black. (In our market they sell a purple variety and also a black one, but it would be more accurate to say - dark brown, very sweet, I can eat one or two fruits, I can’t anymore). The shape of such varieties is oval or flat. The color of the fruit inside is whitish, pink or purple.
What are the benefits of early figs and figs:
- they are considered the most digestible fruits, they are recommended for those who need additional energy. And all this is due to the fact that they contain carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose), fibers, vitamins (provitamin A and vitamin C) and minerals (magnesium, potassium and calcium), and are also rich in water. Figs have enveloping, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, laxative, carminative, tonic, expectorant, secretolytic properties. Figs are useful for colds, anemia, chronic fatigue, asthenia.
But there are also contraindications for certain diseases. - diabetes, gout, acute pathology of the digestive system, obesity.
We all know that diseases different kind found in many, both in women and men. You can read about some of them. And if you go to the site: womenhealthnet. ru, here you will find a lot of interesting and useful information psychology, gynecology, medicinal plants, aroma and herbal medicine, about childhood illnesses, nutrition and much more. Visit the site, you will not regret it, as this is a women's health magazine.
It is better to use fresh fruits, if not possible, then in dried form, since dried figs contain all the nutrients, it loses only a few percent of water. And, the fruits of this tree are also used in the preparation of not only desserts, but also as a side dish for meat (pork, duck).
So we learned more about this tree. I think that you liked this information and will be useful for you.
A close relative of the indoor ficus, the fig tree belongs to the mulberry family. Imported from Palestine, India and other countries of the warm zone. This is a perennial dioecious plant, in the subtropics - a fairly large tree, and in the northern countries - a bush.
In the subtropical regions of our homeland, the plant is widely distributed in culture and as wild. In Georgia, Azerbaijan, Southern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Crimea and in the subtropical regions of the Krasnodar Territory, figs reach a height of 10-15 m.
The fig tree is a good ornamental plant with large, densely pubescent leaves below. It has long enjoyed human respect. It is believed that its cultural forms come from Arabia, Yemen, from where the brave Phoenicians, Syrians, and later the Egyptians exported figs. The fact that it was cultivated in ancient Egypt is evidenced by the bas-reliefs depicting the process of collecting fruits, minted by Egyptian craftsmen more than 2500 BC. e. (and some archaeologists believe that it was even earlier - 5000 years BC). It is possible that it was from Egypt that the fig tree went to the islands of the Aegean archipelago, and from there somewhere in the 9th century. BC e to ancient Hellas. The fig is a respected tree in Turkey as well.
Its roots easily penetrate hard ground, penetrate into any crack and fix in the most inaccessible places. A tree, like an avid climber, easily walks along bare rocks, often settles on the eaves of old buildings, on the towers of ancient fortresses or on monastery walls, on the domes of churches, etc. Such monsters can often be seen in the cities and towns of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
It is clear that the fig tree has spread so much and is carefully cultivated not only due to its biological properties and decorative effect, but above all thanks to high-quality fruits.
Figs - useful food and dietary product, which contains from 12 to 24% sugars (mainly glucose and fructose), from 0.09 to 0.38% organic acids, in addition, it contains pectins, proteins, iron, phosphorus, calcium, vitamin C, carotene and other useful compounds. It is eaten fresh, dried, preserved, jams, jams, coffee surrogate, etc. are made from it. By the way, in dried figs, the amount of sugars is 60-70%, pectins - 6, fats - 1.3, proteins - up to 6%. It contains more sugar than dates, and it is richer in iron than apples.
The pulp of the fruit is a medicine against cough, bronchitis, diseases of the liver and spleen. Therefore, it is not for nothing that figs are used in folk medicine. The fruits boiled in milk are used to treat diseases of the respiratory tract, infusions are used for rinsing, as poultices for colds and to soften abscesses. According to many fans, the phytoncides that figs release into the air drive away insects, so there are never flies in the rooms where they are grown.
The fig tree should have been given the name "a plant with a secret," even strange biological properties that proved to both ancient and modern scientists to complete confusion.
Imagine a plant that does not bloom in the usual sense of the word, but bears fruit! And they do not ripen on all trees, but only on some. Botanists have proven that the fig tree is a dioecious plant, that is, among the representatives of this species there are male and female specimens. This is what puzzled the famous botanist C. Linnaeus, and after him also the botanist Casparini, who "glorified" himself by discovering two species, which later turned out to be male and female specimens. On the female ones, fleshy figs are formed, empty inside the vault, on the inner surface of which female flowers develop with five underdeveloped petals and lotions. Botanists called such inflorescences syconium. Male specimens in their fruits - caprifigs hide from human vision small three- or four-petal male flowers with stamens with big amount pollen. As soon as the female inflorescences - figs are pollinated, they increase, become convex, seeds gradually ripen in their middle. Fig with mature seeds - juicy, soft. Male ones are dense to the touch, smaller in size - immediately after maturation they dry out and fall off.
The pulp is dark brown, with thick sweet juice. When ripe, some fruits crack. Fruits once a year, ripens at the end of August. Gives good yields indoors.
Seedling Oglobin . Fruits well indoors. Medium-sized fruits are yellowish-green. When propagated by cuttings, it begins to bear fruit in the 2-3rd year. Additional pollination is not required. The variety is widely distributed in the north of the country, especially in the Kirov region.
Kadota. The fruits are pear-shaped, convex, ribbed, large, weighing up to 100 g, good in taste. The fruits of the second harvest are formed on the shoots of the current growth.
White Adriatic bears fruit twice a year: in June and late August. The fruits are yellow and sweet.
Violet Sukhumi gives one harvest a year in August - September. The fruits are bluish-violet, the flesh is red, moderately sweet.
Gift for October , bred in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Outwardly, it resembles the Kadota variety, but taste qualities its better.
Black Crimean productive variety, bears fruit twice a year. The fruits are quite large, dark purple, almost black, pleasant to the taste.
The fig tree is a light-loving culture, but it can grow well even with a moderate eclipse, and rarely bears fruit under these conditions. For normal growth and development, the plant requires a lot of light, heat and moisture. There is even a saying that the fig tree "loves to keep its head in the sun and its feet in the water."
The plant propagates mainly vegetatively - cuttings and jigging. But it can also be propagated by seeds, allowing you to select the most suitable forms and varieties for room culture. Seed propagation is most often used for breeding purposes. A plant grown from seeds begins to bear fruit in the 4th-6th year, and from live bait - in the 2nd-3rd, and sometimes even in the first year. Therefore, vegetative propagation is preferable. Fig tree seedlings are grown in the same way as feijoa seedlings.
In room culture, this plant is best propagated by cuttings. Cuttings can be obtained from amateurs. they are sent by mail and transported to any distance. Cuttings are harvested from fruit-bearing mother plants green or slightly lignified. The latter take root more easily. For cuttings, shoots with buds that are swollen should be cut off (this is relative to green cuttings). The length of the cutting should be 10-15 cm with 3-4 buds. For better rooting, several scratches or longitudinal cuts should be made in the lower part of it, or the cuttings should be treated with a heteroauxin solution.
You can plant cuttings for rooting in a room greenhouse, in greenhouses or in ordinary flower pots, bowls, etc. You need to deepen them into the soil by 3-5 cm. The planted cuttings are covered with a film or glass. After the appearance of the first leaves, the cover is removed. Under normal conditions (at a temperature of 20-24 ° C), they take root in 30-35 days.
Cuttings are cut in spring (before growth begins) or in summer - from June to August.
In the latter case, the rooting process lasts 2-3 months. Rooted plants are transplanted into pots with a diameter of 12-15 cm.
It is better to plant young plants in a wide, low dish, because their roots are located close to the surface of the soil. 2-3 weeks after transplantation, plants can be fed with a solution of mineral fertilizers: 3 g of ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate and 3 g of potassium salt per 1 liter of water. Superphosphate (5 g per 1 liter) is applied separately or together with mullein. They are fed with mineral mixtures every 12-15 days, watered as needed.
While the plants take root well, they are kept in somewhat dim lighting. In summer, to reduce evaporation, the soil in pots can be covered with moss or peat, and the leaves sprinkled with water.
In order to grow a good compact plant at room conditions, immediately after planting in a pot, it should be cut to form a crown. The first time they pinch the upper bud after the appearance of the seventh leaf, 3-4 are left from the processes of the lateral shoots and a bush is already formed from them on a small trunk. On the abandoned shoots, they form a crown all the time, pinch those that grow strongly. On a properly formed bush, the first crop can be harvested already in the second year after planting it in a permanent place.
Young plants often bear fruit twice a year: in summer - on last year's biennial shoots, in autumn - on annual ones. Each branch produces 3-5 fruits.
Plant care in summer is watering, spraying the crown, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and mullein (1:10), alternately every two weeks, sequential formation and pruning of shoots to enhance the growth of young shoots. The fig tree responds very well to fertilizing with trace elements of boron, manganese, copper, molybdenum. You can feed them only once a season, spraying the plants with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate and a 0.05% solution of copper sulphate. Boric acid, zinc sulfate and ammonium molybdate are added as a solution - 0.1 g of each salt per 10 liters of water. Spray and make trace elements in the form of a solution in the spring.
The fig tree is transplanted every one or two years. After rooting, young plants are planted in 7-cm pots in a soil mixture of soddy soil, humus and sand (2: 1: 0.5), after which they are transferred twice - into 9- and 11-cm pots into the same soil mixture. Adult plants are transplanted into a soil mixture of soddy, deciduous and humus soil (4: 1: 2), to which sand, crushed brick or plaster with lime are added. You can grow this plant in ordinary garden soil with sand, organic and mineral fertilizers.
As mentioned above, the fig tree is a subtropical crop in which growth is inhibited with the onset of a dormant period, and under conditions open ground leaves fall. In rooms, this period is somewhat less pronounced. In plants, leaves often do not fall or fall off partially.
Deciduous varieties are best grown at a temperature of 5 - 14 ° C. They can be grown at normal room temperature, but in winter you should spray the plants more often with water and water less.
When cultivated indoors, the fig tree can shed its leaves in November, and in late December - early January it grows back.
Simultaneously with the appearance of leaves in February, fruitlets appear, which most often fall off. In this case, the plants should be moved to a cool room. In autumn, the fruits appear again. Their absence indicates that the plant has acquired dormancy and is able to winter at normal room temperature.
As soon as the growth of plants begins, care for it should be improved, and not only watered, but also fed. In April, they can be put on the balcony or in the garden, where they can remain until frost.
A well-groomed, well-developed indoor fig tree can produce several kilograms of tasty, nutritious, dietary fruits, which also have outstanding medicinal properties. Thanks to the leafy line, it becomes a wonderful decoration for large interiors - lobbies of public buildings, schools.
The fig tree grows well and develops in the southern windows of shops, in the workshops of plants and factories, if the air is not very polluted with industrial dust. In these premises, it is used only as an ornamental plant, but this is also very good, since the assortment of plants for factory floors is relatively small.
