I need a tree doctor! New ficus seems sickly :(

[19Mateo83]

It’s a ficus, summer is the time of the year to work on them. You can root prune, rinse and repot without issues.

 

[FiggieSmalls]

It’s a ficus, summer is the time of the year to work on them. You can root prune, rinse and repot without issues.

❤❤❤ woo!!

 

[penumbra]

Personally I would rinse the roots in a 50/50 mix of peroxide and water for several minutes and then rinse with clear water.
Use an open draining bonsai soil.

 

[FiggieSmalls]

So, first of all, I hope this isn't annoying that I keep posting on this thread... I assume updates are appreciated and it's the least I can do in return for all the help and support.

I'm so glad to have repotted this tree, mostly because I now have a MUCH better understanding of what I'm working with. However, apparently I'm going to need some new cutting tools because most of the root ball was actually just a few giant roots that I was/am not equipped to remove....

So, I rinsed well and did as much cleanup and untangling of roots as I could with the big fat roots as obstacles. Hopefully didn't do too much damage, since there wasn't really an abundance of feeder roots to begin with but I tried to open up space for new ones to grow as best I could.

Some photos attached

 

[19Mateo83]

It was suffering from a case of root rot. It should be happier as long as you can get your watering right.

 

[Paradox]

Looks like you put it back into potting soil?

 

[FiggieSmalls]

Looks like you put it back into potting soil?

Ya, unfortunately didn't have any bonsai soil on hand, but it isn't miracle grow. I trust this stuff--good potting soil mixed with a little gravel and some sphagnum moss. I tried two stores for some last night, but no luck. It's planted in a pond basket though, so the soil will still breathe well

I think it should be very happy now. It didn't have much soil under it when I dug it up... one or more giant roots was resting partly naked on the bottom of the pot! And it was buried a little too deep, I think. The surface was a mess of roots growing in cracks between other roots. I'll just go slow on watering until I see the soil drying up fast

 

[ShadyStump]

I tend to use wetter soil than most folks here. Otherwise I can't go camping whenever I like.
Try the chopstick trick. Jab a wooden or bamboo chopstick or skewer or whatnot in the soil all the way to the bottom of the pot, as much under the root ball as you can reasonably manage, and just leave it there. Use it as a dipstick to check the moisture level in the pot.

 

[19Mateo83]

The ficus will throw new roots and should be quite happy even though it’s potting soil. If it drains good it will do quite well. Now is the hard part, not messing with it other than watering

 

[Carol 83]

Ya, unfortunately didn't have any bonsai soil on hand,

Amazon sells Bonsai Jack soil, fast delivery. I live 30 or so miles from St. Louis and that's what I use. I don't think repotting it into that same potting soil is doing it any favors and most likely contributed to your problem in the first place.

 

[ShadyStump]

Amazon sells Bonsai Jack soil, fast delivery. I live 30 or so miles from St. Louis and that's what I use. I don't think repotting it into that same potting soil is doing it any favors and most likely contributed to your problem in the first place.

As root bound as it was, I don't think any soil could have avoided it.

@FiggieSmalls , use the chopstick like I described above, and only water when the stick is ALL BUT dry. You should be fine.
There are allot of alternatives people use in stead of purpose made bonsai soil. Napa auto parts sells an oil dry product that is listed by them as part number 8822. It's a very popular choice, and almost every city in America has a Napa. Just make sure you shift out the dust before putting it in the pot. Buy a bag of tube sand at the hardware store and do the same, and mix in some small chunk mulch or coco coir or the like for additional water retention. All of my recently repotted tropicals are in the SafeTSorb from Tractor Supply.
Use the search function in the top right corner of your screen, and you can find ALLOT of debate over what works best, but frankly if you're smart about your watering it all works.

 

[Paradox]

Potting soil will probably stay too wet.


@ShadyStump
Cheap Timer+hose+sprinkler = I can go away on vacation any time I like even in August.

I've left for 7 days at a time with no issues with my trees in typical inorganic bonsai soil mix

 

[ShadyStump]

Potting soil will probably stay too wet.


@ShadyStump
Cheap Timer+hose+sprinkler = I can go away on vacation any time I like even in August.

I've left for 7 days at a time with no issues with my trees in typical inorganic bonsai soil mix

That's the set up I have, but with temps in the 90s and humidity as low as 10% sometimes, it doesn't always last all day.

 

[FiggieSmalls]

That's the set up I have, but with temps in the 90s and humidity as low as 10% sometimes, it doesn't always last all day.

Just goes to show there are no absolutes in this world! And most plants aren't too fussy

That chopstick trick is pure gold, by the way! I bought a cheap "moisture meter" on Amazon recently and was even debating buying multiple different brands in case one broke or had less consistent readings than another, etc..... Now I can forget all of that! So, thanks for the suggestion . Of course, I may still use the meter I have for a secondary data point. But the chopstick is definitely a good binary indicator for dry soil. With small plants in flimsy pots I can get by simply lifting the pot periodically and if it's light as a feather I know it's time to give water! But with larger plants or heavy pots I'm still working on a reliable process. So the chopstick trick is filling a major capability gap here! Thanks again for the tip

 

[FiggieSmalls]

Amazon sells Bonsai Jack soil, fast delivery. I live 30 or so miles from St. Louis and that's what I use. I don't think repotting it into that same potting soil is doing it any favors and most likely contributed to your problem in the first place.

Thanks, I will look into that!

FWIW, this new soil is not the same as what it had before, which was the original nursery soil. And nursery "soil" might be giving too much credit frankly--that stuff seemed to be mostly made up of fertilizer beads . Then again, I'm not sure if that's kind of typical to use that much fertilizer. Maybe it is?

 

[ShadyStump]

Just goes to show there are no absolutes in this world! And most plants aren't too fussy

That chopstick trick is pure gold, by the way! I bought a cheap "moisture meter" on Amazon recently and was even debating buying multiple different brands in case one broke or had less consistent readings than another, etc..... Now I can forget all of that! So, thanks for the suggestion . Of course, I may still use the meter I have for a secondary data point. But the chopstick is definitely a good binary indicator for dry soil. With small plants in flimsy pots I can get by simply lifting the pot periodically and if it's light as a feather I know it's time to give water! But with larger plants or heavy pots I'm still working on a reliable process. So the chopstick trick is filling a major capability gap here! Thanks again for the tip

It's a simple thing, but it's made world of difference for me learning. Especially when I'm always experimenting with different soil mixes.

I'm not sure if that's kind of typical to use that much fertilizer. Maybe it is?

IT'S NOT.
Clear sign of cheap mass production. You'll find that in Walmart garden center plants, but not at any nursery or garden center that actually does their job.