Cutting advice - f. Religiosa
Need2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years ago
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Need2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Need advice with ficus religiosa
Comments (4)You would have had to leave it in a much larger pot to grow and thicken... THEN cut it back and let new little branches grow... leaving it in the small pot so long has 'wasted' a lot of time bonsai-wise (your friend did not help you! :). In any case, bonsai or not, you absolutely need to get it into a larger container... I can't believe it's still alive as is. Keep it out of the worst sun (midday or so) for a few weeks after repotting. How were you planning on fusing the trunk - to what, a cutting? I suppose you could do that, but first let it get comfortable in the new pot, let the roots become established before handling the trunk too much. You could cut it down and wait for more branches (is there any sign of buds on the trunk at all?) but nothing is guaranteed of course. I personally might use the larger pot, and then maybe train it as a Literati......See MoreFicus religiosa vs. Ficus carica?
Comments (3)That's actually the problem. Both grow quickly and large (although particularly F. religiosa; they can get massive). Space is limited, and while trees can (and will) be trimmed to keep them under control, justifying allocating a footprint for both may be difficult. My understanding is that fig species generally take to grafting well, but I was hoping someone would know more about the combination of F. carica and F. religiosa. BTW, your mentioning the ability to open a crack in a few years raises an interesting possibility - creating a structure where a F. religiosa would be with the explicit intent that it would be attacked by the roots, and take on that classic fig-overtaking-a-ruins look. Elsewhere, there are no "bottoms" on the pots, and root penetration of exterior foundations can be controlled with copper. Probably smart to have aggressive-rooting plants like figs away from the edges nonetheless, however. I understand that there are some F. religiosa in India that are said to trace their lineage back to the original bodhi tree - for example, one growing at the Mahabodhi Temple. Do you know if it's possible to get seeds / cuttings, or are these tightly controlled? I guess I should really be getting in contact with the temple to ask about that... You don't think anyone would take offense to the idea of F. carica branches grafted onto an ancestral Bodhi tree, do you, or that it would ruin its significance?...See MoreAl's (Tapla) Greatest Hits
Comments (24)Latitude determines the strength and duration of daylight and this is a very important factor in plant growth. Near the equator the monthly variation is little. As you go away from the equator the both duration and intensity changes quite a bit. Here is a graph of daylight duration vs month for a few latitudes: The graph itself does not tell the whole story. The intensity (solar energy) also changes in the same fashion. In winter tropical plants do not get enough and become weak. Around March the light amount starts favoring plant growth and in June it peaks. March to June the plants can pick up some energy. Repotting in June ensures that the conditions are still favorable for reasonable time for a speedy recovery. If I had a proper greenhouse I think repotting in April/May would have been possible....See MoreOutdoor container F. Religiosa defoliating from the top ... !
Comments (4)I agree with ToC. The bigger worry would be lost/dead branches. I have several F salicafolia. About half of them lose their leaves within a month of bringing them indoors (and I grow under lights), and half of them retain most of their leaves over the winter. I'm pretty sure it's a temperature thing because I control the humidity and don't do anything else different for/to the ones that think they're deciduous. I would reinforce the idea your tree wants another location where it gets more light; and, would like to suggest you start restraining the longer branches in the top 1/3 of the plant. If you don't, you'll lose lower branches and the upper branches will become abnormally thick, which would ruin the natural appearance of a potentially beautiful tree. It looks like there are at least 3 that need to be held back right now, but wait to prune until the new flush of growth appears and your tree has had time to recoup some of the energy it spent on its new mantel of foliage. The bright side OF your current situation is in the fact that you're going to have a tree with a pristine flush of new foliage to show off in a sunny spot. Try to use a white pot or cache pot, and/or keep the pot shaded as much as possible. High root temperatures can be lethal. If you WANT to keep the tree compact, you can tie one of the small laterals to the trunk so it grows vertically:When you do this, you can leave the existing top attached for a while (it will help thicken/strengthen the trunk). After the branch's position is 'set', you can remove the top of the tree with a pruning cut immediately distal to (above) the new leader you created. This will also cause a lot of back-budding when you remove the top you no longer need. The week after Memorial Day would be about the best time to do this (where you live). Finally - don't forget or avoid repotting at appropriate intervals. It's a key factor if you are not inclined to leave half or more of your trees potential growth/ vitality/ appearance lying on the table with the loss attributable to root congestion. Al...See MoreNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years agoNeed2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
4 years ago
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