aml1014
Masterpiece
I recently set up an airlayer on mine as well. The top is still growing strong and I've had good success with cuttings so I'm pretty confident. Good luck on yours.
Aaron
Aaron
Looking for ficus advice
- Thread starter philart
- Start date
philart
Yamadori
Thanks for the article recommendation.
This is my first attempt at an air layer and been hesitant to do it. I know I've been trying half measures for awhile, but with such poor success it seems worth jumping in.
philart
Yamadori
Air layer update: it's been about two months since I started the air layer, but I was seeing no roots. The foliage has been going strong though, especially the past month.
So I decided to open it up and take a look. There was lots of healing going on under there, the whole wound seemed like callus. It was all still pretty soft and pale, I went at it with my knife and it all peeled of fairly easily. Then I went back a second time with the knife and cut and scraped away more tissue. I'm hoping I went deep enough this time.
So I decided to open it up and take a look. There was lots of healing going on under there, the whole wound seemed like callus. It was all still pretty soft and pale, I went at it with my knife and it all peeled of fairly easily. Then I went back a second time with the knife and cut and scraped away more tissue. I'm hoping I went deep enough this time.
eferguson1974
Chumono
You should go fairly deep, past all the green and then some. I had the same thing happen from fear of going too deep. But going 1/8" or so past the cambium to the actual wood hasnt failed me yet.
Just living where its humid doesnt mean air roots will grow. Even here in CR the ficus dont all have them. At least not in the mountains. Down at the coast they grow more than at 1300 meters +/-. Sometimes they have air roots, sometimes not. Im starting to think it has to do with the amount of soil available. The stranglers that start in a hole with little leaf debris have more, the ones with lots of debris less. Just my experiance from a year of collecting them from host trees. I have little luck getting them to root from the trunk in a pot.
philart
Yamadori
It's about two weeks since I restarted the air layer and the first root has appeared under the plastic. Very happy.
philart
Yamadori
There are now three roots visible at the bottom of the bag. I'm wondering if I should do the chop soon of wait for more roots to be visible.
Once I do the chop I'm hoping to get new budding on the old base, so worry about waiting too long. But, also don't want to risk the top by chopping too early.
Once I do the chop I'm hoping to get new budding on the old base, so worry about waiting too long. But, also don't want to risk the top by chopping too early.
aml1014
Masterpiece
The lower trunk will throw new buds as long as the tree was healthy when you started the layer. I'd make sure there's a plethora of roots before removing. I have my 3rd ficus airlayer of the year in progress right now and I'm not worried at all about how long it'll take.
Aaron
philart
Yamadori
Ok, I let it go a little more than a week since I first started seeing roots and they really took off. Roots were starting to find their way out of the bottom of the plastic bag. So, I did the chop this morning. Attached you'll see some photos take during the process. I decided to try to tease the roots apart some so I could get them started in a bit of a basic radial arrangement. Not shown, I screwed a small base plate to the bottom to force the roots outward rather than down.
I'm planning to let it go in its new potting for about a year before repotting to better arrange the roots and to get the trunk position a little more refined. However, I'm really pretty happy with this preliminary placement, though of course would love hearing your thoughts.
One of the lower limbs really doesn't work with this new orientation, but rather than trimming it off now I decided to submerge it in the soil a bit and see if I can get roots there too. If so, I'll chop it off as a new plant when the time comes to deal with the rest of the tree.
I'm planning to let it go in its new potting for about a year before repotting to better arrange the roots and to get the trunk position a little more refined. However, I'm really pretty happy with this preliminary placement, though of course would love hearing your thoughts.
One of the lower limbs really doesn't work with this new orientation, but rather than trimming it off now I decided to submerge it in the soil a bit and see if I can get roots there too. If so, I'll chop it off as a new plant when the time comes to deal with the rest of the tree.
philart
Yamadori
In addition to the new orientation with the top, I'm left with this base. I'm planning to recess the bare wood some then put cut paste on it. However, I'm wondering if others with more experience with chops might give me advice. Should I leave the cut where it is, or cut some more to change the angle?
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Ok, I let it go a little more than a week since I first started seeing roots and they really took off. Roots were starting to find their way out of the bottom of the plastic bag. So, I did the chop this morning. Attached you'll see some photos take during the process. I decided to try to tease the roots apart some so I could get them started in a bit of a basic radial arrangement. Not shown, I screwed a small base plate to the bottom to force the roots outward rather than down.
I'm planning to let it go in its new potting for about a year before repotting to better arrange the roots and to get the trunk position a little more refined. However, I'm really pretty happy with this preliminary placement, though of course would love hearing your thoughts.
One of the lower limbs really doesn't work with this new orientation, but rather than trimming it off now I decided to submerge it in the soil a bit and see if I can get roots there too. If so, I'll chop it off as a new plant when the time comes to deal with the rest of the tree.
Nice job! Good luck with it!
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
I'd leave it....the only bud you might get may be at the part you shouldn't cut off!
Sorce
philart
Yamadori
I'm now two weeks of from the separation. The top has done really well; a minority of the bud tips extant at the time of the chop failed. But, most of the young growth continued developing and none of the foliage has looked stressed.
The other good news is that I noticed a first bud popping on the stump today. So, with any luck I'll soon have two ficus to work on.
The other good news is that I noticed a first bud popping on the stump today. So, with any luck I'll soon have two ficus to work on.
just.wing.it
Deadwood Head
Sweet, definitely looks better...nice work.
linlaoboo
Mame
Good job. I've done many air layers as you did and found the safest way was what you did. But I've also had super fast success with just throwing the top in a cup of seed starting soil mix mixed with lots of water into mud or slush consistency. I'd trim some foliage off so it's not so top heavy and flips over. Leave it a week or 2 and only add water when the soil looks dryer and it will be full of roots always.
linlaoboo
Mame
Some of my ficuses drop aerial roots on their own in the right conditions including dry and compacted soil, humid days or rainy days and high temperatures but the tree needs to be out doors. I've also forced aerial roots by wounding the trunk at a location where you want them and wrapping with sphagnum moss and aluminum foil or a cut plastic pot. Once the roots develop, I use drinking straws to guide them into the soil like you do with your schefflera.
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
Did the same thing. This is how the base turned our for me.
Attachments
just.wing.it
Deadwood Head
Awe man, that looks good!
philart
Yamadori
Ok, here's an update of how the chopped base looks now. In the photo with the closeup you'll see a little notch in top where the chop is; that is from a knot where a limb was previously. Just to the left of it is the largest branch and a smaller branch coming from the same node. I've been thinking about trying to graft either the smaller branch or one of the branchlets from the bigger one through that notch and across the wound to help heal it. Which do you think is the better option and how do you pin the approach graft in place.
philart
Yamadori
And for reference here is the top, still doing great. It's grown a lot since the chop and I feel like I should shorten some of the limbs soon and try to promote growth further in. In addition, I'm not sure what to do with the crown of the trunk. The original grower didn't thin the limbs out there very well so now I kind of have a ball of limbs coming out of the very top. I think I should thin it out, but don't know where to go with cuts yet.
philart
Yamadori
I finally got around to starting the graft on the large wound today. I have been redirecting one of the branches with a wire for awhile now. I roughed up the existing channel at the side of the big wound as well as the underside of the branch. I pressed a modified staple in place with needle noise pliers and sealed it up with paste. 
Once the branch gets longer I'll pin it down across the wound
Once the branch gets longer I'll pin it down across the wound
