Thickening up Ficus Trunks

[James H]

I have two young Willow Leaf ficus and I would like to work on thickening up their trunks. They really have not been shaped yet. I have them in some potting soil at the moment in garden pots and just letting them grow out.

 

[KennedyMarx]

You're on the right track. Letting it grow out without cutting anything should be the fastest way to thicken it up. Do you have any buds or branches down low near the base? I read a blog post where a guy chopped his ficus down to a little stick and let it grow for a year (in Florida). The plant out out a ton of buds and the extending growth fattened it up a ton:

http://godzilladontplay.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/nostalgic-64/

I've been told that a ficus will fatten up at the base when put into a shallow pot and becoming root bound. I have a couple cuttings I've been developing for a couple years now and they seem to have pretty good bases after being developed in bonsai training pots. The trunks haven't thickened up almost at all though.

Here is an example of the swollen little ficus in tiny containers:

http://godzilladontplay.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/marinara-cup-mame/

Alternatively you can grow them out a little more traditionally. Here is the advice I got from Adam Lavigne:

"Start with a six inch pot in good draining soil. Let it grow uninterrupted for a year. Move it to a gallon pot. Half full of soil. Grow half a year then cut it back. Grow until next year. Put it in a 3 gallon pot. Half full. Grow for a year.
This process will grow the tree tall and consequentially, fat.
The half full pot causes the tree to want to push up above the pot rim quicker and also the humidity and darkness will encourage aerial roots. The relatively shallow soil mass also encourages the root base to spread. It’s this process over and over. Year by year."

Can you post any pictures of your ficus?

 

[James H]

thanks for the tips, I will repot them in to larger pots and let them be for the summer. Give them time to just sit and grow.

 

[Neli]

You're on the right track. Letting it grow out without cutting anything should be the fastest way to thicken it up. Do you have any buds or branches down low near the base? I read a blog post where a guy chopped his ficus down to a little stick and let it grow for a year (in Florida). The plant out out a ton of buds and the extending growth fattened it up a ton:

http://godzilladontplay.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/nostalgic-64/

I've been told that a ficus will fatten up at the base when put into a shallow pot and becoming root bound. I have a couple cuttings I've been developing for a couple years now and they seem to have pretty good bases after being developed in bonsai training pots. The trunks haven't thickened up almost at all though.

Here is an example of the swollen little ficus in tiny containers:

http://godzilladontplay.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/marinara-cup-mame/

Alternatively you can grow them out a little more traditionally. Here is the advice I got from Adam Lavigne:

"Start with a six inch pot in good draining soil. Let it grow uninterrupted for a year. Move it to a gallon pot. Half full of soil. Grow half a year then cut it back. Grow until next year. Put it in a 3 gallon pot. Half full. Grow for a year.
This process will grow the tree tall and consequentially, fat.
The half full pot causes the tree to want to push up above the pot rim quicker and also the humidity and darkness will encourage aerial roots. The relatively shallow soil mass also encourages the root base to spread. It’s this process over and over. Year by year."

Can you post any pictures of your ficus?

Good advise!
I have problem with some ficus sur in the ground. It has grown unbelievably fast.
The trunks has gone to 20 cm in 18 month and 5m high from a tiny 4-5cm plants.
I chopped them recently, but there is no taper what so ever. Not sure how a wound like that will heal.
At the same time my willow fig is in a huge pot and has not done any growing at all, despite being fertilized regularly.Might plant it in the ground this year..

 

[KennedyMarx]

Neli, how much root mass did the potted ficus have before puttin it in the big pot? It could be staying too wet and the roots don't feel the need to grow and seek out water, thus slow top growth.

 

[Neli]

Actually is planted in my own very weird method of planting. In a plastic packet with lots of holes (like colander) which is in the large pot...All my trees are planted like that...even in the ground.
All the rest of the trees have grown a lot, but not this one. I brought it from SA as a tiny rooted cutting.
Is it a slow growing fig?
I need to take pictures for you. It is bushy but very short.

 

[carp]

When you read my post keep in mind I live in Florida, my trees are outdoors all year long, and I fertilize 4 times a year with 25-4-10 fertilizer.

 

[KennedyMarx]

When you read my post keep in mind I live in Florida, my trees are outdoors all year long, and I fertilize 4 times a year with 25-4-10 fertilizer.

Is that a time release granular fertilizer that sits on the soil?

 

[carp]

Ya, its bright green, think its called Harell's Pro, 6 month time release granular.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I was using a time release Miracle Grow. The green pellets, not the balls that wear out eventually exposing the liquid inside. I think that fertilizer, plus my soil left something to be desired with as far as the growth and health of my trees. This year I switched soil to largely pumice based substrate and started using Milorganite after seeing it on Adam Lavigne's blog. Plus weekly supplements of Dyna Gro foliage pro seem to really have my plants happy.