Ben Ficus Nebari

[Labreapits]

Decided to repot and root prune this ficus.

I am not sure if it will ever back bud low, but I like the nebari it has, so I'm going to try and develop it.

IMG_20160728_103910

• Labreapits
• Aug 11, 2016

I expected it to be root bound. It had been in the same pot as a house plant for 5 years or more.

IMG_20160728_105832

• Labreapits
• Aug 11, 2016

IMG_20160728_105835

• Labreapits
• Aug 11, 2016

I cut the large roots and tubers. Leaving only the finer roots

IMG_20160728_110430

• Labreapits
• Aug 11, 2016

Cleaned the rest of the old soil off and planted in a rootmaker pot with 65% sifted turface and 35% composted bark, also sifted.

This picture was taken a couple weeks after I trimmed the roots. It only dropped a couple leaves.

IMG_20160806_102311

• Labreapits
• Aug 11, 2016

I'm wishing I had screwed it to a board to see how it would work.

I've seen it done on other trees, but not a ficus. I figure it should work good with them.

Anyone every tried it with their ficus?

 

[sorce]

Hella nice base!

Gold!

Sorce

 

[Alain]

Yes if you had put the roots on something they would have keep growing flat, or along the form.

The base is nice and the tree is super long and it's a ficus, I would say if you chop it it will bud back, even if it's just above the ground but then if it dies you will hold me responsible so I'll refer you to more knowledgeable ficus guy.

I know that if it was my tree I'll try to make 3 of it, the base and the 2 canopies
Furthermore in Alabama it should be no problem for the climate for whatever attempt, cuttings, layers, chops.

Anyway if your tree doesn't bud back low you are basically doomed, chop or not chop, because the trunk is way to long and monotonous to do anything nice with it as it is in my opinion.

 

[petegreg]

Reading the same that benjaminas sometimes don't come back to life after chopping without leaving any green I risked it last winter. Bad species, bad season of year. The tree was so badly infested by scale insects that couldn't do anything else... The branches were deformed, drying out and dying slowly. So I chopped the trunk and removed all green, chopped all the branches off the trunk. Here is the tree today:


...but it doesn't have to go this way with FB and I had a luck probably.

But few years ago I had one older tall benji. It was AL-ed and divided into three trees. But what I wanna say... There was nothing green left below the lowest air layer when done and till it sent out roots the lowest portion of the trunk sent out few branches...

 

[Labreapits]

I am hoping it will pop a bud while the roots are growing back out. I had one this year that started budding from the trunk with no encouragement.

If it does not throw any buds this summer I will chop it next spring.

@petegreg Maybe I will have your luck.

 

[petegreg]

I wish you had. And two years ago this benji was chopped to leafless stump. It sprouted after 3-4 weeks from one place...and it was an explosion. Uro is still doing it's thing, will deal with it in the winter. And with scale insects ASAP.

 

[Cypress187]

You gave it some WD40? Or was it only to get it out of the root-bound pot.

 

[Labreapits]

You gave it some WD40?

Might be worth a try. Wd is good stuff!

 

[Anthony]

Always remember you can thread graft, so a branch can be bent down and passed through a hole in a lower section.
No more holding your breath.

Or you can take a second plant and graft that onto another.

Use the natural properties of the Ficus to help yourself.

Problem with the ficus is the design often works best as decorative roots and a green hat.
Or [ see an image of a mango tree under 12 o'clock sun, for the mounds and negative areas ] work the tree as a series of collective
mounds.

Easy tree to grow, not so easy to Design.
Which is why down here we only have a very few Ficus in the yard and even then they are mostly the willow leaf type.
Good Day
Anthony


Firstly, please excuse K's choice of a very Indian background - cold red - it's in his blood - ha ha ha
Ficus b.
From a cutting and it is maybe 10 years old now, no real records on it.
The idea is to thicken the trunk to absorb the cut at the base and the tree is still doing it's own thing.

 

[Slow Learner]

Are those green rubber bands?

 

[Labreapits]

@Anthony Thank you for the detail.

I have had back budding on my brain, and haven't thought about a graft. It is nice to have options. I have a smaller cutting that is a clone of this tree that would work good. I'll take a look at it.

 

[Anthony]

@ Slow Learner,

no, those are plant twist ties. They come in roll.
And the tree is no longer in the dungeon in bondage

Good Day
Anthony, the dungeon keeper