Ficus elastica (rubber tree): best timing for prune and repot
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11 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Questions about Ficus Elastica (Rubber Plant)
Comments (11)Is the plant's capacity to support its unpruned upper compromised at all by any root pruning that takes place first? Yes, it is. To some degree that can be offset by siting the plant in the shade and keeping it out of the wind. Also, if you're repotting from a water-retentive soil to a well-aerated soil, the improvement in root function and the number of fine roots usually becomes quickly evident & additionally helps the recovery. If, for instance, you have a healthy 3 gallon tree and you reduce the roots by say 75%, you might need to remove a substantial volume of foliage to prevent the tree from seemingly indiscriminately shedding what it can't support. It's better to select the branches that don't compliment your vision for the tree's design than to let the tree decide. Also, you can partially defoliate if you remove a LOT of roots and the tree will quickly replace lost leaves as soon as the roots' ability to keep up with the canopy is back in balance. Everything revolves around the roots - the roots have to be able to support new growth before it can occur. >> Best time to do extensive root work (repot) is between Father's Day - 4th of July. Al, is this applicable to other trees or to other plants in general? I grow tropicals indoors with no direct light all year round. Does someone's zone affect this best repotting window? Plants have internal clocks (search "endogenous rhythm" and/or "circadian rhythm") that tell them when they are supposed to grow. I keep all my tropical trees (about 75 of them) under lights in a basement grow area. There is only one window at the far end of the basement, so it supplies no usable light. Somehow, the trees know when the vernal equinox is eminent and begin to exhibit more vigorous growth, despite the only usable light they get is artificial and on a 16/8 schedule. I don't think the Father's Day - July 4th rule of thumb is nearly as important if your trees were outdoors or living on sunlight, but I'd still say that even if there were no changes in artificial light intensity/duration throughout the year, that the time frame I suggested would still be the best time. If your trees grow actively all year and they're healthy under artificial light, repot any time you have a mind to. The most significant effect of that sort of 'out of season' repotting would probably be a little longer recovery before active growth can resume. For trees that AREN'T healthy, the timing is a more significant consideration. I don't think a growers zone affects the best window much, but I would say that the closer to the equator you get, the wider the window becomes. In consideration of the best timing, I have a much narrower window than someone who lives in south FL or TX. Growers in those locales can repot with fast recovery anytime in Jun or July, and the effects of repotting in May or Aug - mid-Sep are much easier on the plant than they would be closer to the 40-45th parallels. Al...See Morerubber tree (ficus elastica)
Comments (15)I'm confused. If you have 4 cuttings, simply divide them, as long as the roots haven't approach grafted to other roots - even then, with plants that young it would be no problem to cut through the roots to separate the cuttings. If you have 4 stems on 1 root system, you can usually cut through the primary stem between the secondaries and root them out. You should have almost 100% guaranteed success if you do this in the summer. You can start an air layer anytime, and there are a number of ways to affect an air layer. Ficus e responds very well to the method of cutting 3 or 4 flaps of cambial tissue so the flaps are attached at the top of the cuts and the bottom of the cuts are held open by small pebbles or toothpicks. You then pack moist sphagnum moss (not peat - New Zealand white moss is best) around the wounded stem and wrap it with plastic, then with something to exclude light (aluminum foil?). Depending on how healthy the plant is and when you start the layer, you should have enough roots to separate the layer in 2-6 months. The first picture above is an air layer and the second is being prepared for ground layering. I hope I answered your question in spite of my confusion. If not, please try again. ;-) Al...See MoreRubber tree plant (Ficus elastica): Leaf discoloration
Comments (10)When the soil mass is very compacted and the root mass severely tangled and impacted, there is no question vitality and growth rate is being significantly affected. Most growers believe that messing with roots is taboo, and you risk killing the plant if all you do is stick a wooden skewer deep in the pot to check moisture levels. With attention to a few details, root pruning is no more dangerous than pruning the top of the plant. It SHOULD be a regular part of everyone's skillset, because w/o root work, a gradual but steady decline with notable and visible symptoms are inevitable. The only way to turn that stead decline around is by eliminating the cause, which brings us back to eliminating root congestion. This is a Ficus benjamina. It was purchased in a 3 gallon nursery can and was about 4 ft tall when acquired. The roots were horribly entangled - a solid, 3-gallon mass of roots. I chopped the trunk off so there wasn't branch or leaf on the trunk, sawed off the bottom 2/3 of the roots put it in this large bulb pan and took 3 years to get a start on the branching. The plant rebounded from the severe work like nothing had happened. The roots are a mess after 3 years in the bulb pan, so I do another root reduction. My goal not only includes the elimination of the root congestion, but also root reduction to the degree I can fit the plant into a bonsai pot, something you're obviously not concerned with. This illustrates how severely the root mass was reduced. Note the HUGE roots I cut through and simply eliminated. These roots serve no purpose in containerized plants, and their removal makes space for the fine roots that do all the work. This is the plant after a pruning and being reinstalled in a training pot. Note the huge scar near the soil on the left where a very large root was removed. That will heal in a few years. In fact, I think it's already healed. This plant is scheduled for more root work within the next few weeks, and I'll be sure to take pictures. I'm hoping to put it into a shallow bonsai pot as a lot of progress has been made in development of branches and it's ready for a pot. Many would pooh pooh what I said because 'this' is houseplants, 'that' is bonsai, but skilled bonsai practitioners know how to keep plants healthy, happy, and beautiful under extreme circumstances. Borrowing a page here & there from their book only sets you apart and above those that don't recognize expanding their skills benefits both grower and plant. I'm not pressuring you to act on what I said. My only goal is to put the information out there and relate/illustrate the advantages in case you DO want to act. The difference between a houseplant people struggle to keep healthy for more than a few ears and a bonsai that is both healthy and beautiful after hundreds of years, lies primarily in how the roots were treated. Take good care, and good luck with your new tree. ;-) Al...See MoreFicus elastica help--do i need to repot?
Comments (9)Once you truncate the main stem, it can't extend and it won't grow any more leaves. What it WILL do is grow new branches from the axils (crotches) of some of the existing leaves. The greatest certainty of that happening is from the axils of leaves and possibly from immediately above any leaf (bundle) scars immediately below your pruning cut/pinch. You can train any new branch that occurs to grow vertically so it takes the place of the one you removed (becomes the new leader). If you really want your plant to have a sturdier trunk, you should do more than pinch it. A 1/2" trunk that is 30" long won't bend nearly as much as a 1/2" trunk that's 60" long, so shortening it by half is actually what I'd do. If you don't want to shorten it that much, you should move right into a pinching program so as to avoid any branches becoming too long and exerting a lot of leverage that tends to make the trunk want to lay over. Allow any given branch to grow to 3 or 4 mature leaves, then prune it back to 2 leaves. You can practice pinching at any time of the year, as long as the tree is healthy. Habitually pinching all extending branches back to 2 leaves maximizes ramification (# of leaves and branches) and makes your tree as full as it can be. Also, the rate at which branches and trunks thicken is directly proportional to the amount of leaf (photosynthesizing) surface on the tree, so regular pinching helps (a lot) to keep trunks strong enough to support the foliage. Root congestion limits growth, and particularly extension of the main stem and branches. It also causes the plant to lose it's older leaves. In severe cases of root congestion, the plant might only have 2 or 3 leaves way out at the growing tips of branches, and the plant becomes very reluctant to back-bud. Don't wait to repot until the plant is in severe decline. If the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, your plant will benefit from repotting. Potting up doesn't relieve the limitations imposed by root congestion, though it can allow the plant to briefly grow a little closer to its genetic potential. Still, potting up is better than confining it to a pot too small. Al...See MoreHorticultural Help
11 years agoUser
11 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years agoUser
11 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years agoUser
11 years agoUser
11 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years agoUser
11 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years agoUser
11 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
11 years ago
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