How to encourage bushy growth on outdoor ficus hedge in Los Angeles
Mark K
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (7)
Mark K
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention XVI
Comments (164)Hi Al and others, I would appreciate advice on saving sick/dying Picea glauca, in pic.1, please. I bought it on post Xmas sale and it was ~50cm tall, looking healthy, with very bushy top. I repotted it without much root cleaning to keep most original soil with fungus, which I read Picea, like other pines, needs. I planted the rootball with old soil into gritty mix, mostly pine bark fines with seramice, with a bit of gravel, see in pic.2 very "gritty" indeed :); trunk is ~1/2" at the bottom). I used a biggish pot to let it grow freely for a year or two. I also cut the top to encourage lower branches growth but it never happened. Water it when the pot feels light, ~ weekly (it is early autumn here in Sydney) by bottom watering in a bucket, then drain well by keeping the pot at ~45 degrees for a while. Use diluted Nitrosol liquid plant food every two weeks. Keep it on sun for 2-3 hrs, then half shade. Despite all my care (or coz of it ? :), the picea never showed any new growth but started developing warning signs for last 2-3 weeks. Those few thin branches started dying. Their stem turns from brown to greyish-green and gets soggy before dying. See in pic 3&4, that branch in front which is dying now, with grey stem. Other branch died a few days ago. Only three normally looking branches are left. But I am afraid they are facing same fate. Anything I can do to rescue my future picea bonsai at all? Thanks and cheers, Sergey...See MoreYet another pittosporum hedge question
Comments (11)The Ilex vomitoria cultivar that stays very upright is called 'Will Flemming' I have never used it but it is an interesting selection. Other options might be Ligustrum texanum (Buy 15 gallon espalier on 5' x 5' trellis) I did this on a project last June planted them 5' OC and the plants are about 7-1/2' tall right now(where untrimmed)and about 1' thick. You could probably get them to grow to 10'maybe more. Eugenia myrtifolia is another option (Australian Brush Cherry) 'Monterey Bay' is a nice clone. Lets see- I have seen Grewia caffra get 12' tall (But it will need some support for a while until the plant gets woody enough to hold its own weight and would need some pinching to get it to be bushy enough. Sometimes you can find Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' or St Mary espaliered as well- Podocarpus henkelii would be OK if you could let it go a bit thicker (like 3-4') Also Calliandra haematocephala espaliered could work. If you have shade maybe a vigorous Camellia like 'Silver Waves' espaliered in 15 gallons could work but it would be a quite a wait to get the height....See MoreHow to get Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana to re-bloom?
Comments (33)i have Kb too, and i think something closely related to it , but mine grow very much in height and are a bit barren, not bushy , they have lots of sun and 2 of them grew really big like monsters with enormous leaves but none of them blossomed. If i have a central plant , in the pot will appear numerous baby plants i believe from the root underneath and i cut them off because i noticed that the ,more they are the thinner they remain and barren . i was so curious about the ones in shops which is where i got my first plants as gifts look so good, all bushy and small with lots of flowers, i tried to maintain but it was in vain, how can i get mine to even resemble the ones in the shops with just one main plant and as i described above ? should i trim? because i think they are wasting on the baby plants and growing too big and never flowering . thank you ....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 Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years agoUser
4 years agoMark K
4 years agoeda
2 years agogobluedjm 9/18 CA
2 years ago
Related Stories
PLANTING IDEASBring Life to Outdoor Walls With Nature's Green
Use vines, vertical gardens, trellises, screens, espaliers and more to transform your exterior walls
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES5 Best-Behaved Trees to Grace a Patio
Big enough for shade but small enough for easy care, these amiable trees mind their manners in a modest outdoor space
Full StoryHOUSEPLANTSPlay Up Some Fiddleleaf Figs for a Lively Indoor Tune
Strike a dramatic chord in a minimalist scene or a country note in a rustic setting — fiddleleaf fig plants harmonize with any style
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESNew Ways to Think About All That Mulch in the Garden
Before you go making a mountain out of a mulch hill, learn the facts about what your plants and soil really want
Full StoryCALIFORNIA GARDENINGCalifornia Gardener's May Checklist
Only one major chore but a plethora of planting possibilities means a delightful month in California gardens
Full StoryTREES10 Top Trees to Grow in Containers
These container-friendly trees make great specimens for pots on the patio or marking an entrance
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES10 Reasons to Love Vertical Gardens
Boring patios and lackluster views, begone!
Full StoryARBOR DAY10 Trees Landscape Designers Love
In honor of Arbor Day, consider adding a beautiful and beneficial tree species favored by designers around the country
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNCalifornia Says Goodbye to the Sprawling Ornamental Lawn
New state rules will effectively limit turfgrass to 25 percent of the landscape in most new and renovated yards
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGN10 Flowering Trees Landscape Architects and Designers Love
These blooming beauties make lovely additions to gardens — bringing color, fragrance and pollinators
Full StoryNorthern VA's Creative Team of Landscape Designers & Horticulturists
More Discussions
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5