Whatever you do, don't soak it in the sink, don't immerse it, and unless you're only watering your aralia once a month, I can't believe it's still alive either! Whoever told you to dunk plants/trees to water them is all wet :-). You water from above, like nature, just do it enough so it comes out the drain hole and you'll know all roots had a drink. Both your trees dislike being watered too often, though how often to do it will depend on how dry the top inch or so gets how quickly, and not knowing what soil mix you have, it's hard to say, but the mix should be fast draining - you don't want rotting roots. I absolutely suggest you read up on Ficus, Aralia and bonsai however - a good place to start would be "Bonsai4me.com - species guide near the top, then Ficus, because you can't treat them like house plants and bonsai is not something you learn in 3 easy steps... a lifetime is more like it! Yes you may reduce the leaves, but again, until you know more, do nothing. Don't water on schedule, but when a fair amount of soil has dried... watering a half sodden tree will kill it faster than anything. And water slowly - don't just dump a glass in there. And... all that stuff you've seen about pruning, etc... they should explain that when it's done it's done for a reason, not just because it's a 'bonsai'. Something else for you to investigate! Have fun. This post was edited by moochinka on Sun, Sep 28, 14 at 19:38

What a great thread!! I have learned so much just from this thread alone in my research to plan Ficus Nitida in our backyard. Like everybody here we're concerned about the aggressive roots and I feel that if I combine consistent trimming, a deep root watering system with 24"x24" root guard barriers I should be able to mitigate the issues and ensure I don't have root problems in the future. I'm wondering if anybody has taken this approach. We're planning on planting them along the perimeter of our backyard which have masonry/cinder block walls separating the neighbors. They'll also be close to our pool. Pictures are attached. I'm looking at these products to accomplish this. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance!! https://www.deeproot.com/products/root-barrier/ https://www.rootwell.com/retail-store/shop/pro-318-case-black https://www.hunterindustries.com/irrigation-product/micro-irrigation/root-zone-watering-system

"They used a bobcat with pallet forks to lift the tree." If they did this without any protection between the bark and the fork lift, I wouldn't believe anything they said after that. The bottom line is the tree is no longer the same one you bought and you paid for a professional install (especially with the size of those wounds). I'd definitely get it replaced. And do what lazy gardens suggested, tell the manager.

I recently (early May) planted a bunch of Ficus Nitida hedges on my property, and I'm very eager to see them get very dense and create a privacy screen (I'm on a pretty visible corner lot). They're not quite there yet (it's really only been three months), but I'm anxious and want to see what it might look like a year from now. Do any of you guys have before and after photos of your ficus nitida hedges/privacy screens? I'd love to see them, and the dates they were planted and the date of the after photo! Thanks!