Got this for freeeee

[Kevster]

I was working in a customers house and when I was done I spent a little time admiring their huge (had to be 20 feel wide 40 feet long and its roof continued off of the roof of their house which was 2 stories) sun room which was loaded with tropicals of all sorts and some that were 15+ feet high. Almost seemed like walking from the house into a jungle. Very awesome. Anyway we were talking about the trees and other plants and I had said I wish I could find a Ficus with a huge trunk like one that they had there. It had to have been 12 inches! As I was leaving the wife told me to meet them outside by the garage door. Here they showed me this tree. Said they kept this tree on their deck in the summer but are getting to old to carry it in and out with the seasons or when its to windy out and gave it to me

So now I have this BA (Big Ass) Ficus B. Obviously I wouldn't turn it down lol. It was at one time 2 smaller trees twisted together but they have been fused for so long they almost look like they are one tree. Sooo looks like I have some air layering to do!

 

[Kevster]

Oh I put the normal sized coffee cup as a size reference.

 

[JudyB]

Ryan will be soooo jealous!

 

[Kevster]

Lmao I was thinking the same thing!!

 

[bonsai barry]

You ought to be able to get a couple of good trees out of that!

 

[Kevster]

Barry I started two airlayers tonight. I count 5-6 possibilities. I will get a better view once these 2 branches are taken off. I'm wondering how well the main trunk will bud back once I get everything layered off or if it will be worth keeping since you can still tell it's two trees.
I might try to make it into a sumo banyan tree and use aerial roots to cover the fused parts of the trunk.

 

[stacy allen muse]

???????????????

 

[Kevster]

Stacy I honestly didn't think about that. My plan was to layer off some of the upper branches and thread some of their long shoots through the main trunk and hide the fused spots. I'm not sure if the lower branches are long enough to reach the trunk but I will check out the tree tomorrow! In the mean time I'm letting all the branches grow wild and long so I can thread in the future. Good suggestion though!

 

[Baldemotions]

I might try to make it into a sumo banyan tree and use aerial roots to cover the fused parts of the trunk.

That is what I was thinking.

 

[mat]

Ficus Benjamina don't really throw off a lot of aerial roots, at least not the ones in my backyard. So it may be tough for it to create enough to cover anything in Delaware, unless you have a green house where you can really crank up the humidity.

I really like Stacy's idea.

 

[stacy allen muse]

?????????????

 

[Kevster]

Yeah I agree with everything you said Stacy. I have several Ficus B that I started from large cuttings years ago. They show the greatest potential. Dieback after a chop is inevitable with them unless there is a live branch close to the chop. I always figure on the trunk losing an extra inch due to die back. As for aerial root. All my ficus throw large amounts of them. In winter I move my tropicals into a very large very well lit terarium that I keep at a constant 80 degree and have the ability to produce and hold 100% humidity all the time. This is great for producing aerial roots. Have to be careful because kept at 100% can also produce a mold outbreak. There are several ways to induce aerial roots. The best way I've found was shown right here at BNut http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthr...erial-roots-on-Ficus..&highlight=Aerial+roots. The scar tissue works the best way buy you don't need it. All this process does is acts as an air layer that you leave in place instead of removing the branch and work the roots down to the soil.