Need Help w/ Ficus Benjamina that had Dead Middle Branches
Heidi B.
8 years ago
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HUGE Ficus Benjamina help
Comments (23)great going! i've been sort of dwarfing my ficus salicifolia for years and also fusing trunks on it and also on f.benjamina. you could create a taper by twisting a few semi-wooded trunks together in the future. also i have been slowly exposing the roots on salicifolia. i'd prune some of the criss-crossing roots on the right - they could become chokers. also trim some small roots . i've been using this book for ref: jerry meislik 'ficus the exotic bonsai'. it great pics and info on fusing, grafting (that another thing you can do, if you cut off a trunk/branch - you can regraft it!). he is well known - lots of pics for ideas if you google. he works extensively with ficus....See MoreNeed advice on my Ficus Benjamina.
Comments (41)Thanks! :) Your rooted cuttings make a lovely little tree but I'm not sure it's gonna be happy in that glass for long. My plantlets haven't grown much for a good while, only they filled their pots with roots. Not sure if the same's gonna happen to yours but if they grow, there won't be enough space. And to flush the medium you need holes at the bottom. All my semi-hydro plants are in normal pots with holes and saucer/cache pot underneath. The ones in non-draining glasses are bromeliads and they only get sprayed with water every now and then. I just wondered, how come your mother plant has plain green and variegated leaves at the same time?...See MoreBranch pruning, Ficus Benjamina
Comments (10)When you have a healthy tree, it opens avenues you couldn't have otherwise traveled, so 'way to go'! Now is the best time for repotting if needed, and subsequently pruning - after the plant shows new growth as its evidence it's sufficiently recovery after the root work. You only want your tree to have one head. Right now, it has 2 or 3. The apex will be determined by the potting angle (of the trunk) and an imaginary vertical line from where the trunk exits the soil. The apex eventually should be near to straight above the point where the trunk exits the soil. Start your pruning by correcting any problem branches - those growing straight up, down, or back toward the center of the plant. Correct crossing branches by retaining the crossing component that best compliments the plants outline & eliminating branches that don't compliment it. Then, determine your apex./ That should be the tallest part of the plant. Other branches should be pruned back to a branch growing horizontal or slanting slightly downward on the lower part of the tree, and horizontal to slightly upward on the middle part of the tree, to slightly upward on the upper part of the tree. On the 'B' side, what you have circled should be removed by pruning it back to the lowest horizontal branch that is lowest on the trunk and moves left in the picture. There are actually 2 pruning opportunities for the 'B' foliage mass. Pick the one that looks the best. You should be mainly concerned with making sacrifices in appearance now that promise the best potential for tomorrow's appearance. In picture 5, the low branch moving right - the heavy nearly horizontal branch in the background should be removed back to where it joins with the smaller branch (about where it crosses the flutes in the door trim in the background. After that, you'll look for other pruning opportunities in the branches above that leave you with branches oriented as close to horizontal as possible. Roughly, you'll be trying to establish a triangular shaped profile, using the horizontal branches, and with the apex of the triangle as close as possible to directly above where the plant exits the soil. You can cut off a LOT right now ..... and that will really make the tree back-bud, which in turn will provide you with more and finer pruning opportunities that will REALLY help you get to the point you're working on FINE refinement instead of establishing rough structure. You really do have a tree with lots of potential to be a very attractive specimen. Where do you live? Al...See MoreNeed help with ficus benjamina.
Comments (5)If the plant has been with you for 4 years + whatever time it was in the pot before you acquired it, it would normally be badly root bound; if it isn't, the soil is inappropriate and it needs repotting for that reason. I'd start by sawing off the bottom 1/3 of the root mass, then bare root the plant, being certain all roots remain wet during the process. After that I would correct problem roots, concentrating on the larger roots and roots growing straight up or down. Also remove crossing, girdling, encircling, and any j-hooked roots before repotting into an appropriate medium. After a few repots, you want to end up with a nice flat disc-shaped root mass that you trim around the edges and remove roots growing down from the 'disc'. This is one of my F benjaminas that went from this to this without complaint: I'm not suggesting you should be that severe, your plant isn't healthy enough to tolerate that much stress, but it gives you an idea of how much the plant can deal with. More about woody plants in containers for the long term if you click me. I'd also sort of temporarily forget about the plant's appearance and not remove anything until it's well on the way to recovery, which shouldn't take long where you live and with the plant in an appropriate medium. I'd also like to suggest you buy some Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 fertilizer. It has ALL the nutrients essential to normal growth (something very few fertilizers can boast) and it doesn't get its N from urea (which helps to keep plants compact & full). I use it for almost everything I grow. Al...See MoreHeidi B.
8 years agoHeidi B.
8 years agoSans2014
8 years agoDave
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoDave
8 years ago
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