HELP! I Inherited 20 Ficus Benjamina trees. - Los Angeles
D Byrne
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoD Byrne
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Ficus Trees in Containers
Comments (169)Insofar as how it would impact root health, there is no difference between plastic and high-fired clay/ceramic. If you can see no crazing (myriad small cracks reminiscent of a fish net with small holes) in the glaze, you can eliminate anything toxic making its way from the pot to the grow medium. If you haven't fertilized or used any type of tonics, insecticides, leaf shine, detergents, etc., it's a very good bet you have unwittingly over-watered due to the fact there is no way for water to evaporate or be used by the plant as the new medium is not colonized by roots and remains a hostile environment to roots due to lack of oxygen. My suggestion would be to lift the plant from the pot to see it the lower reaches of the soil column are saturated. If so, see figure D below. Remove the soil from the new pot, place an over-turned pot in the bottom of the pot so it fits snugly, and cover the drain hole of the over-turned pot with something that won't rot (it does not need to allow water to drain through the hole in the over-turned pot, but it's ok to use a screen if you wish). Mix enough of the soil that falls away from the roots or remains in the large pot with an equal measure of perlite and fill to the top of the over-turned pot, then reposition your plant on top of the pot. and back-fill with the remaining soil w/o the extra perlite. The shaded areas in the images above represents perched water. By comparing D to A, you can see the over-turned pot significantly reduces the amount of excess (perched) water your soil will b e able to hold, so air will return the the soil much faster. The operational words for the moisture level of a grow medium is damp/moist, never wet/soggy. After having put the pot to work as ballast, start checking moisture levels with a "tell" you can make from a wooden dowel rod. It is far superior to a finger or a "moisture meter". More about using a 'tell': Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Questions? Al...See MoreFicus Nitida (Retusa) Hedge spacing advice please.
Comments (90)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...See MoreInherited cattle
Comments (58)Hi, GWlolo...yes, I know Tamil Nadu is next to Karnataka...spent too many days in that hot Chennai (Madras) sun to ever forget it! My Tamil is a bit rusty, but am ok at Kannada/Telugu. And love dhosas for breakfast. Not keen on ragi mudde, though... If I may add to your info about the cows' place in Indian society, it is also considered as the "mother"...a religious and social position as the provider. Also a status symbol in villages. An invitation to drink tea in an Indian household includes the importance of the milk in it. I once made the mistake of innocently tipping a half finished cup of tea down a sink, and spent weeks explaining that I had not refused my host's hospitality, and had meant no offense! And dcarch...beef is becoming more commonly available in up-market restaurants in the major cities. India's burgeoning middle class and the increasing number of expats have ensured that. Many Indian restaurateurs even keep their own beef cattle herds to ensure supply. Westernisation has also brought with it a proliferation of US fast-food joints...KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonalds etc are everywhere in the cities, sadly. The Big Mac was originally made with lamb/mutton (which is really goat!), but now they use chicken......See MoreBonsai hard cutback regret, Ficus Benjamina
Comments (8)Hi Al, The top of my soil mix is topped with larger bark pieces to help keep evaporation minimal. The ficus is actually in your gritty mix. Watering I've been following your procedure, allowing a good amount to pass through and drip out before watering again, then tipping to minimize perched water. I also added the cotton wick at the bottom of the pot. I usually water when it's mostly dry. I'll keep an eye on it, but this past time when I noticed the burn leaf buds the cotton wick was dry but not bone dry. Going back out I did notice one thing though. The leaves were covered in really really tiny green and black aphids? I moved one out of the way and could see the plants white sap begin to leak. I gave it a generous spraying of Safer Insect Killing Soap, covering all of it including the underside of leaves. I got most of them off. I'll check again in 2 days per instructions and respray, then I guess respray every week for maintenance. Ugh, hopefully that will help. Understood, I'll stay the course on for the future lower branch. I was just wondering if a prune or pinch might force another shoot. For the lower branch how long should I let it grow untouched? At what point should I pinch back to make sure the plant doesn't get too leggy; which was it's problem that motivated this hard chop in the first place. Thank you again for all your help! Tofu...See MoreD Byrne
8 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
8 years agoD Byrne thanked Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)D Byrne
8 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
8 years agoD Byrne thanked Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)D Byrne
8 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoD Byrne
8 years agogyr_falcon
8 years agoD Byrne
8 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
8 years agoD Byrne thanked Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)lgteacher
8 years agostanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agogyr_falcon
8 years agostanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
8 years agoD Byrne
8 years agoD Byrne
8 years agoD Byrne
8 years agoD Byrne
8 years agoGuy Harrison
8 years agoHenri Laborde
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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