Creating aerial roots on arboricola

[badatusernames]

So, I've seen a few different methods of encouraging aerial roots to form on scheffleras, but I'm curious to hear actual direct feedback from the group here as to whether or not they've found methods that work for them.

I'm in the northeast, so not particularly humid here. I was sort of thinking of creating a really humid mini-greenhouse (maybe even as simple as a gallon ziplock) and leaving the tree in it for a few weeks on a heating pad. This is probably the wrong way to do it, because it is something that I thought to do. But maybe?

What are your experiences with it?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

When doming an entire plant, fungal and bacterial issues tend to occur.
A safe way of making aerial roots is to use containers with damp moss that you place below a branch (I'm not sure if contact is needed), when roots start dangling, you lower the container and keep going until the roots hit ground level.
This way you can keep airflow going, you don't dome an entire plant that needs to re-adjust to being undomed, and you get more fit-to-your-demand aerial roots instead of random ones.

 

[LittleDingus]

Do you have pictures of your tree and what you're trying to do? How long of a root are you trying to grow? If you go to the top right of the page and look for your avatar, there will be an account details option under it. Adding your nearest major metro area and your agricultural zone will help people understand your local climate and offer more tailored advice...where you live really does matter!

I've been wanting to do some work on my arboricola to encourage some roots so, thanks to your thread, I went ahead and got that done this morning I documented my process on my progression thread here:

[Dingus] schefflera arboricola #1

I just repotted this guy into a real pot so thought I'd start a progression out of it. I have some vague plans for this guy but mostly I'm just trying to learn more about how their arial roots grow for some larger trees I'm trying to grow out over the next few years. I bought this schefflera...

www.bonsainut.com

I'm still refining the technique, but it does, in general, work...at least for shorter spans of a few inches. No reason why it shouldn't work for longer spans though. So far all my drops have been short. I'm hoping to grow the canopy up another layer and try some 6-8" drops next year...we'll see. I'm still figuring all that out

Some additional info you may/may not know: it is possible to trigger root buds basically where you want them...but the wood needs to have hardened off. It helps if it's barked up. My experience is they can for buds on green branches...but it's unreliable. It's also easier to start an aerial root from an existing bud if possible. You might try watering the bark a couple times a day with a spray bottle to encourage buds. Or wrap it in sphagnum...sort of like an air layer without cutting the cambium My problem with that method is it can generate a lot of buds and lead to a root tangle like my tree has which is not always what you want.

It would be great to see pictures of your tree and what you're trying to accomplish!

...and welcome to the forum

 

[Michael P]

For a really great discussion on this, see Dingus' thread: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/dingus-schefflera-arboricola-1.46152/#post-806468

Edit: LittleDingus, you beat me to it.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Leave it on the ground surrounded by wet, with some cover like tall grass, and it'll probably root everywhere.

Sorce

 

[badatusernames]

Do you have pictures of your tree and what you're trying to do? How long of a root are you trying to grow? If you go to the top right of the page and look for your avatar, there will be an account details option under it. Adding your nearest major metro area and your agricultural zone will help people understand your local climate and offer more tailored advice...where you live really does matter!

I've been wanting to do some work on my arboricola to encourage some roots so, thanks to your thread, I went ahead and got that done this morning I documented my process on my progression thread here:

[Dingus] schefflera arboricola #1

I just repotted this guy into a real pot so thought I'd start a progression out of it. I have some vague plans for this guy but mostly I'm just trying to learn more about how their arial roots grow for some larger trees I'm trying to grow out over the next few years. I bought this schefflera...

www.bonsainut.com

I'm still refining the technique, but it does, in general, work...at least for shorter spans of a few inches. No reason why it shouldn't work for longer spans though. So far all my drops have been short. I'm hoping to grow the canopy up another layer and try some 6-8" drops next year...we'll see. I'm still figuring all that out

Some additional info you may/may not know: it is possible to trigger root buds basically where you want them...but the wood needs to have hardened off. It helps if it's barked up. My experience is they can for buds on green branches...but it's unreliable. It's also easier to start an aerial root from an existing bud if possible. You might try watering the bark a couple times a day with a spray bottle to encourage buds. Or wrap it in sphagnum...sort of like an air layer without cutting the cambium My problem with that method is it can generate a lot of buds and lead to a root tangle like my tree has which is not always what you want.

It would be great to see pictures of your tree and what you're trying to accomplish!

...and welcome to the forum

hi and thanks for the welcome!

here’s the tree

i’m not convinced i want aerial roots, but i’m curious to know the process and perhaps test it on this temporarily

it’s small so it wouldn’t be a particularly long root

and i’m in the northeast, so, every tropical indoors now.

 

[Balbs]

I did something similar to what @sorce is suggesting, but inside a greenhouse. I have a small Greenhouse where I get an early start on cool season crops. By early summer, they’re overgrown and leggy, and hold a ton of moisture. I placed my Shefflera among the Swiss Chard, and within days there were aerial roots everywhere. I didn’t have any fungal or mold issues, but I do keep fans running 24/7 in the greenhouse.

A few photos attached though they’re not great. They’re also from later in the season before bringing the plants in for the winter.

I encouraged some of the low ones to root in the soil with some moss. It also made them branch before they hit the soil layer. I’m in Massachusetts, so maybe my experience can help guide yours. FWIW, the plant had been in the pot for about a year when the aerial roots started, but I think the pot is pretty full of roots (slow percolation). Not sure if this matters, but some of the aerial root guidance suggests the tree be root-bound.

 

[LittleDingus]

hi and thanks for the welcome!

here’s the tree

i’m not convinced i want aerial roots, but i’m curious to know the process and perhaps test it on this temporarily

it’s small so it wouldn’t be a particularly long root

and i’m in the northeast, so, every tropical indoors now.

I like it Wish mine were that nice!

Yeah, I'm not sure with that trunk that aerial roots add anything to this tree. We're it mine, I think I'd try to fill in the canopy while trying to build some distinction between the foliage on either trunk. I don't think I'd isolate the canopies from the two trunks...just try to mound them in a way to keep them distinct vs one large canopy.

Do you have a plan for where you'd like this tree to go?

 

[Michael P]

hi and thanks for the welcome!

here’s the tree

i’m not convinced i want aerial roots, but i’m curious to know the process and perhaps test it on this temporarily

it’s small so it wouldn’t be a particularly long root

and i’m in the northeast, so, every tropical indoors now.

Really nice gnarly trunk on this tree! Like LittleDingus, I'm not sure aerial roots would be an improvement.

 

[BrianBay9]

I've found that aerial roots are more likely to form on pot-bound trees. Skip a re-pot or two and the plants feel the need to develop roots elsewhere.

 

[badatusernames]

I like it Wish mine were that nice!

Yeah, I'm not sure with that trunk that aerial roots add anything to this tree. We're it mine, I think I'd try to fill in the canopy while trying to build some distinction between the foliage on either trunk. I don't think I'd isolate the canopies from the two trunks...just try to mound them in a way to keep them distinct vs one large canopy.

Do you have a plan for where you'd like this tree to go?

I think you're right regarding this tree, aerial roots will likely just distract from what's already there and be too busy. I was so busy thinking about whether or not I could, that I didn't consider whether or not I should... that sounds familiar.

anyways, no, no real plan yet. I mean, long term I guess seeing the trunk thicken up could be nice, moving towards a larger tree... but I've mostly just been maintaining it while thinking about what to do with it.

Making one canopy while building distinction is a good idea, I think I agree with you now that I'm looking at the picture some more

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

Here is how I do it. Plants get rotated through the terrarium over the winter, I allow the aerial roots to hit the soil then rotate out and allow them to thicken. Here is a thread on the process showing the aerials.

Hairbrained winter upgrade?

Not to quote an overused phrase, but winter is coming. I don't have a good south facing window available so I have to use supplemental lighting each winter. The last two I have gotten through with cheap 45w LED panels which kept my stuff barely in stasis. I have a new idea though. I invested...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Ramron67]

I know this is an old thread, but I am currently trying to grow aerial roots on my arboricola. I piled up sphagnum around the trunks of the tree. I wrapped the sphagnum in a garden cloth material to keep it in place but I removed that after a few days so once my moss pile was formed so that the moss can breathe.
I now mist the moss every few days.
I have no idea if this is a bad idea or not.
My question is, how frequently should I remove the moss to check on the tree and any progress on aerial roots?
Thanks

 

[BonsaiPoppie]

I know this is an old thread, but I am currently trying to grow aerial roots on my arboricola. I piled up sphagnum around the trunks of the tree. I wrapped the sphagnum in a garden cloth material to keep it in place but I removed that after a few days so once my moss pile was formed so that the moss can breathe.
I now mist the moss every few days.
I have no idea if this is a bad idea or not.
My question is, how frequently should I remove the moss to check on the tree and any progress on aerial roots?
Thanks

I don't know where you live, but here in the San Diego area, they grow on their own. When I skip repotting for a couple of years. they really grow.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

I know this is an old thread, but I am currently trying to grow aerial roots on my arboricola. I piled up sphagnum around the trunks of the tree. I wrapped the sphagnum in a garden cloth material to keep it in place but I removed that after a few days so once my moss pile was formed so that the moss can breathe.
I now mist the moss every few days.
I have no idea if this is a bad idea or not.
My question is, how frequently should I remove the moss to check on the tree and any progress on aerial roots?
Thanks

I haven't tried the method your using but I'd check the moss every week, as long as it's not to tight the roots should grow if the humidity is high.

Check out this thread.

First aerial root questions.

Got my first aerial root today, 🥰 kind of surprised as it's indoors in Michigan. I recently got the plant from Wigerts (two months ago) so, maybe it was already in the works. After searching the forum, on how to handle aerial roots, I see a few different methods of training them into the...

www.bonsainut.com

TLDR: I put the plants in a clear plastic bag, under lights to increase the humidity, & I get a lot of aerial roots. I open the bag every 4-5 days to let it breathe to avoid mold and fungus, then back in the bag after a few hours so the AR don't get dry. I've done this with Schefflera and they don't seem to mind. Also as far as I know Schefflera will only produce AR on brown bark.



Once the AR are long enough you can direct them to the spot you want with moss filled straws.

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

@Ramron67 Different angle but this is the result of my test (about 10 months) .

 

[Ramron67]

Thanks for the replies.
I took the sphagnum off the plant, and instead I put the arboricola in a little grow tent with a humidifier. This seems to keep the humidity and the warmth up a little bit.
I thought that this might encourage AR formation before too long. We shall see.

 

[Ramron67]

As an update, the grow tent is working like gangbusters...

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

As an update, the grow tent is working like gangbusters...

You'll be picking which ones to keep soon.