Pruning Ming aralia flowering top
catwolfsf
11 years ago
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Comments (16)
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years agopirate_girl
11 years agoRelated Discussions
6' ming aralia
Comments (4)If you haven't repotted recently, I'd make your worst problems out to be that the plant is severely root bound (symptoms fit that condition well) and you have a high level of soluble salts in the soil (because of how you water), including a LOT of excess phosphorous that is likely causing problems (due to your fertilizer choice). W/o going into details yet, I think you should A) flush the soil thoroughly, B) change your watering habits after you arrange things so you CAN, C) change fertilizers, D) pot up temporarily (if your plant hasn't been repotted recently) until you can E) do a full repot around Father's Day. If you're up for the work, let me know & I'll help you through it. You might want to look at an over-view with a good amount of helpful information, too. See below. What you learn will help you with all your plants. Al Here is a link that might be useful: Growing practices - an overview ..... if you click me....See Moreming aralia
Comments (11)don't do anything going into winter. in the normal way of events it'll drop some foliage in winter and will look sparse by spring. especially if you let it sit in temps lower then 68F and/or in dry air. and don't put it too close to cold windows. but it needs bright light. so optimally south/west/east in that order. that bonsai is a much older plant then yours. i can't see the trunk well on yours, but it seems wooded. normally when you trim in spring for growth, you'd want to take 6-8" stem off top for propagation. it's best if it's semi-wooded: not totally green, but has some bark marks starting to show. after some time they start suckering from the bottom and start looking like a grove - while yours seems to be meant as a standard. but it will sucker. this bonsai plant is more likely 3 stems that have grown in together, since it's pretty hard to make the main trunk brunch, especially on young branches. they refuse point blank ;). you see that wide trunk on the left with a thin branch growing from it? it doesn't look so good. but it'll look like that when you cut the main trunk severely. and it takes sev years for the new trunk to thicken up. i'd say let it grow for a year first - get to know how to take care of it. 'cause when the plant is weak/ not grown well and you chop it off hard, it might not recover....See More30+ y/o Ming aralia, need advice
Comments (16)Hey Ash, just some Ming-specific advice that might be useful- I've been growing them for many years, and they all drop leaves randomly. Granted, yours really needed some fresh soil, but Ming's tend to drop leaves periodically, although not necessarily in fall, so don't worry when it does it again. If its dropping green leaves, not yellow, or if you have no new growth after a drop, something is wrong, but leaf drop by itself isn't a bad thing. Also, I'm betting the reason you got told not to repot is because Ming's generally don't love having their roots messed with, and they like being underpotted. Refresh some of the soil periodically, for sure. The usual green-thumb houseplant people need their smelling salts when they hear how infrequently these get bigger pots :-) And, finally a useful Ming link- go to the bottom for care tips http://www.rhapisgardens.com/ming-aralias/...See MoreMing aralia rescue - is it too far gone?
Comments (18)I'm no expert but if it were mine I wouldn't unpot it quite yet at least until it starts getting some leaves on it. The roots are very fragile on these plants. The first one I got I instantly repotted and it destroyed practically all of the roots and I ended up with root rot and lost it. They can get root rot very easily. I now have these 2 others and I was very careful repotting them into a more gritty mix for fear of root rot and curiosity of what their roots may look like verses the first one I had. They didn't seem to have a great root system either. Very few small roots and not very many left after the repotting. They are growing and doing fine though. I've read you should keep the soil moist but I let my 2 dry out pretty good before watering. Neither of mine get a ton of sun both sit about 10 feet from a window. I've heard they hate drafts and are very fussy about being moved around. I bet your Ming will turn into a very beautiful plant if you don't fuss over it to much and don't over water it. Good luck!...See Morecatwolfsf
11 years agoJhoff13
10 years agopetrushka (7b)
10 years agocarrolldebbie73
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agocarrolldebbie73
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agocarrolldebbie73
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agoJill Iverson
3 years agoJill Iverson
3 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years agoJill Iverson
3 years ago
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