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KasWear
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How to Care for a FICUS MICROCARPA GINSENG?

Hier,

I've joined this forum because I've gotton into growing a few bits and bobs and buying Bonsai ...

I have my first Bonsai which was quite dry, so I have given it about a liter of water and cleared dead leaves, I then thought before I repot etc I should join here and ask about it's care, and what and when to use water, fertilizer and sunlight ...

Any help much appreciated ....

FICUS MICROCARPA GINSENG

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/22012010.jpg[/img]

My snake princess likes it, but shall leave her of it as the leaves don't !! ... :oops:

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/22012010001.jpg[/img]

Yours,

KasWear

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djlen
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There is much information out there, especially regarding the care and feeding of the Ficus. I think it would be better to direct you to a couple of sites for some over all instructions and then perhaps you can come back and ask questions from a more informed place.
[url=https://bonsaisite.com/ficus.html]TRY This[/url]
[url=https://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Ficus.html]And This[/url]

If you still have questions we are more than happy to help.

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KasWear
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Thanks, I will do some some research .. like ..

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4109

Then try your links, can you comment on whether you think the tree looks in good condition at present, I will add some close up pics in a sec ...

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/22012010011.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/22012010012.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/22012010010.jpg[/img]

Ta

Kas

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KasWear
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Well I shall be repotting next week, and I shall investigate the soil quality at present. I understand the water requiremenmts, and also beleive that the ficus do not require winter dormancy ... I'm tempted to buy that tesco cat litter to aid the soil and drainage, perhaps some grit aswell, though I'm unsure how much and how to layer it in the new pot come next week .. ? The new pot and saucer is intended to be clay and 50 % bigger than the plastic and to small one the tree came in ...

I have some garden compost, stated good quality which I am unsure whether to use, in addition to the soil in the current pot ..

The tree was from ikea btw, I picked the best one as the other half dozen had nowhere near as much folage/leaves ...

I don't know anything about fertisler needs yet, but I'm about to read the links posted by the last replier.

Yours researching and learning and appreciative of any pointers ..

ta

Kas

Rosaelyn
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You are correct that since Ficus do not go dormant, you can technically repot them whenever you wish. However, Ficus do slow down their growth in the winter. So it is still best to repot in the spring, as this is the time of year that trees are most able to quickly recover, since they are in a vigorous state of growth.

Compost, potting soil or anything else with a highly organic composition (decaying plant material, mostly) is not a good thing for bonsai. It retains far too much water, and you do not want your tree's roots soggy all the time. In fact, I have come to use my bonsai soil mix over potting soil for all of my plants now, and it seems to make everyone happy. :)

That Tesco cat litter is very similar to what I have become fond of for my soil. It is fast draining and porous and mixed with an organic component (most likely pine bark soil conditioner or the like) should make a fine bonsai soil. Garden compost would probably be too fine for this and would compact quickly, making drainage a problem well before repotting time.

https://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_Watering.html
https://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_Soils.html
https://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm

It sounds like you may have looked at these articles, but they are definitely worth mentioning. And I certainly live by the adage: "For bonsai, it rains two times." That is always how I water.

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djlen
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Good advice above. You want a free draining potting medium so that you can water as Rosaelyn describes above.

BTW, the tree looks very happy!!! You made a good choice.

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KasWear
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Thanks,

sitrep time .. !

I've had her in the garden to do a pre mot ....

There appeared to be some twinning of sorts going deep into the stem ... I cut it/pulled it out, but some remains to deep to try as of yet .. .. I've have a feeling now that that may be the natural sap .. not sure ...

It was raining, which I figured to be good, as my water area is hard, so trying to elleviate to much salt buildup .. will be collecting rain water soon ..

I don't know what the soil was, but it was very, very compacted and I also feel I got the tree just in time before it dried out completly. The soil had lots of dismembered roots and broken twigs in it etc ..

I'm thinking about replacing half of the soil with some new basic soil next week when I repot in a bigger pot and buy some nitrogen based fertilizer.

I have took some dead and dieing leaves off and repotted so the tree is not the leaning tower of pisa .. ! and the soil is much looser now for axcessing oxygen, I have around 3kg of soil left over .. ?

I wondered if a couple of worms would A live, and B thrive and help the tree/soil. Also whether a wooden large pot/barrel type would be suitable.

There were no blackened root ends and and under the bark is a healthy green colour.

If I source some cat litter and grit / some bark .. is it to mix altogether or is a certain layering placement needed.

Sorry for all the ?? .. I've read up all afternoon, and I'm sad to report I'am already very attached to my new tree !!

Edit; This is her now ..

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/22012010013.jpg[/img]

ta

Kas

Marsman
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KasWear,

Nice ficus. Looks very healthy.

By the way, is the Coventry, England? I live in Coventry, Connecticut and was wondering if you were a neighbor.

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KasWear
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I'm in the Coventry that was built before they were collecting cow pats for firefuel around your place ... :)

Marsman
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I'll take it you're from Jolly Ol'England then? :D

We still collect cow pats but recently installed indoor plumbing. :wink:

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KasWear
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Yeah minus the Jolly ................. :lol:

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:40 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So it's just these two ?? that I don't know, I've researched and found the answers for the rest ... ??? :) :arrow:

I wondered if a couple of worms would A live, and B thrive and help the tree/soil. Also whether a wooden large pot/barrel type would be suitable.

If I source some cat litter and grit / some bark .. is it to mix altogether or is a certain layering placement needed.


yours

Kas

Marsman
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You want to mix the soil, not layer it.

Here's a good read on Bonsai Soil: https://www.bonsailearningcenter.com/Tips&Advice/soil.htm

I'm in the process of mixing my own this weekend. I picked up Turface, Perlite, lava rocks and pine bark. It's my first go at it, but should be fun. I have tried cat litter in the past, but I'm not overly fond of it.

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KasWear
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Thanks,

I have read through that, I think I'm going to go for keeping some of the existing soil, adding some new basic soil, and gravel and or limestone .. I'm still unsure whether you mean I should still mix it together or not .. ?

I thought gravel was normally put at the bottom of the pot, for better drainage ...

I should add I will be getting a much larger pot and for this tree it won't have any real restrictions of growth ....

And is garden worms a No No ... ?

yours as ever ...

Kas

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djlen
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KasWear wrote:Thanks,

I have read through that, I think I'm going to go for keeping some of the existing soil, adding some new basic soil, and gravel and or limestone .. I'm still unsure whether you mean I should still mix it together or not .. ?

I thought gravel was normally put at the bottom of the pot, for better drainage ...

I should add I will be getting a much larger pot and for this tree it won't have any real restrictions of growth ....

And is garden worms a No No ... ?

yours as ever ...

Kas
Yes, you mix the soil up in a separate container and use it mixed. No, we don't put gravel in the bottom for drainage. The soil, is supposed to be 'light' enough so as to allow the water to drain through, trapping as little as possible. The object is to establish a nice balance between roots and top.....to develop a root ball over time and use that mixture of coarse media to do that. The less "soil" you use in that mixture the better off the tree will be and the happier the roots will be.
You will learn over time that the tree/pot balance is more important in our hobby than eliminating "restrictions". The object, once you find the best pot for a particular tree, is to keep the two in balance. Over time, the tree will usually out grow it's pot, but I would work more now at tending and developing the root ball.

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KasWear
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Thanks,

When I repot next week I shall add some pics here to see what you non noobs can comment on ... thanks again, have learnt a lot today from nothing .... except whether it's a No No to add garden worms !! ...lol

:D

Kas

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Gnome
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Kas,

It is not usually a good idea to keep two different zones in the same pot. By leaving a lot of the old soil around the roots there will be the possibility that one area or the other will always be too wet/dry. If you keep the perimeter just right the core will stay too wet. Conversely, if you keep the core just right the perimeter will too dry much of the time.

Also, it is generally accepted that all particles in your pot should be about the same size. If you mix a fine soil in with a coarser, more free draining, one the fine particles will filter between the coarse ones negating the benefits of the coarse mix.

Another outdated concept is the idea of a drainage layer. All this does is move the water table higher in the pot. The best draining medium is one that is uniform top to bottom, from core to perimeter.

So, for the reasons stated above, I suggest removing all the old soil and replanting with a uniform blend of your chosen components.

Check out our thread dealing with these concepts, make sure to follow the links. The link to Bonsi4Me deals with the kitty litter things pretty well.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3422

One more thing, in my experience while Ficus are pretty tough, I have had the most luck doing this type of work while it is warm. They are actively growing then and recover well. Spring at the earliest but summer is perhaps the best. I would not mess around with it too much right now.

Norm

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No worms. If you're using bonsai-type soil (grit), they won't survive. If you're using potting soil (dirt), then that's a different story.

NO WORMS :o

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KasWear
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Noted thanks,

I need to read through that lot, one thing that concerns me is I'm not going for the small manufactured bonsai look with this tree, it's nearly 3 foot as it is, and it can go as big as it likes or allows, and will be in a pot twice as big as it's current size, which at present is to small imo .. I wonder whether my approach should be a bit different as a result.

All the images I have seen so far show small containers of little depth, something I will get into when I purchase other smaller specimens of different types .. ?

ta

Kas

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Kas,
I wonder whether my approach should be a bit different as a result...All the images I have seen so far show small containers of little depth,
That's a pretty good observation. Shallow bonsai containers are, at least in part, responsible for our insistence on using such free draining media. Although it might seem counter-intuitive, a shallow pot does not drain as well as a taller pot.

Still, there is no reason that you should not improve the drainage and aeration of your mix. I have given up on using commercial potting soil for anything, that includes houseplants.

You will probably want to consider the weight of your pot though. If you are going to move up to a larger pot, the kitty litter (or other similar products) can get pretty heavy. Two lighter components you might consider using in conjunction with the kitty litter are bark and Perlite. Brent at Evergreen Gardenworks uses a mix of about 50/50 bark and Perlite in his nursery practice. In fact you probably should read [url=https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/soils.htm]this.[/url] It may already be included in the thread I suggested earlier but here it is just to make sure, as it covers some important concepts.

Oh, if you do decide to use perlite, some of it can be pretty fine so try to find a coarser grade.

Norm

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KasWear
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Thanks,

A trip to B n Q next week is on .. !!

My only outstanding ??? now is still the use of garden worms in large pots, and what sort of growth I should expect roughly from my ficus given the conditions it needs that I have read upon .. ??

Oh and whether a wooden large container is suitable aswell ... :)

ta

Kas

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rainbowgardener
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I'm not a bonsai grower, just have general gardening experience, but I lurk in the bonsai forum out of curiosity. :) I've been following this conversation and think I can add something from the general experience.

I thought Marsman said pretty clearly no worms. The size of the pot doesn't matter here, it's what's in the pot. Earthworms live in earth, that is soil. If you are using a soil-less mix or even mostly soil-less, which is what is being recommended to you, then the earthworms die.

If you intend to leave the tree in the container for years, I wouldn't think wood would be such a good idea, tends to rot and break down when staying moist over a long period of time. If the container would be outdoors some of the time, moist wood attracts slugs and other undesirables.

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KasWear
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Thanks,

I had missed the worm advice, but as a result of the large tree and impending larger pot, the % of soil is debatable, and as such worms could still be introduced.

The intended barrell type wooden container, treated correctly and not left at the wim of nasties could also be used.

There is also the query that I should wait until spring to make these changes, although I'm not happy now with the matter my tree is contained within.

I'm glad to be here though, this Bonsai malarky is interesting, perhaps you need a Bonsai aswell !! ...

Maybe see you on the other boards as I have some tomatoe. rocket and lettuce seeds !! ... :lol:

Yours,

Kas

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KasWear,

I try to keep Earthworms out of my pots but they do sometimes find their way in if I should leave something on the ground. No big deal but their castings can tend to clog things up a bit. I don't see that there is a lot to be gained by deliberately introducing them. You will be improving the aeration of the soil at the time of re-potting and you will take charge of fertilizing. So, what good are the worms?

One thing you have not mentioned is how you intend to water such a large pot in place. For bonsai we usually drench our soil completely allowing water to run freely from the drainage holes. When you look for a pot look for something to serve as a drip tray to contain the excess water.

Norm

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KasWear
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Hier,

Well I shall blank the worms then ...

As for the pot, I would just follow what I have read as regards watering and drainage, and using long skewer stiks to easily attain whether the soil is dry, alongside digging into the soil as deemed nessasary ....

As ever, I'm open to advice and suggestions, this is the pot I was thinking of, and would make my own saucer to go with it ... :)

https://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=10277950&fh_view_size=150&fh_eds=%3f&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3c%7b9372012%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372018%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372088%7d%2fspecificationsProductType%3dexternal_pots%2f_colour_derive%3e%7bbrown%7d&fh_refview=lister&ts=1264268231006&isSearch=false

I've also retreived this moss from the garden, I'm drying it off a bit before inspecting it for any nastys, I wonder if it is clean then is it suitable .. ??/ ta

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/23012010004.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/23012010003.jpg[/img]

yours

Kas

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KasWear
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Also in time for summer I shall be turning my under the stairs area into a vivaruim for my growing python, she will get no bigger than around five feet and the thickness of a childs arm ..

Anyway as the temperature in their will be 80 - 90 degrees farenheit for around 12 - 14 hours, and 70 - 80 the rest of the time, with humidity between 55 - 70 % .. and the vivaruim will be around five feet high and wide with a 4 feet depth ....

So what I'm saying is taking into consideration the above, are there any tropical type bonsai I can include in my vivaruim .....

Many thanks for any clarification ... :)

yours

Kas

Marsman
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Ficus should like that environment.

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KasWear
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Excellent .... !!!!! ... ta ...

I can see this new hobby costing a few bob, but to be worth it ... :lol:

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KasWear
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Well a few bob has been spent ...

Wooden pot .. 20 ...
Nitrogen based miracle frow ... 4
Stones/pebble type shaped and same size ..3
Root powder ..... 5
Sheet for mixing ... 1
Peatless soil ... 3
Growing enclosure for new ficuses ...

Forgot the seive !!

Sanded and prepared pot for woodstain and wondering if I'm good to go with a repot and new meduim tommorow ... ??

Also, do I need to buy some flourescent lights ... ?? ta

Yours

Kas

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KasWear
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Update ...

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/28012010005.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/28012010004.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/28012010003.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/28012010002.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/28012010001.jpg[/img]

:P

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KasWear
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I have various bulbs of different wattage, but do I still need specifically flourescent lights .. as I've seen some in lidl for 8 pounds .. ta

Kas

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KasWear
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Feeling a little ignored and slighy perplexed ... :roll: :cry: :cry:

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Gnome
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KasWear wrote:Feeling a little ignored and slighy perplexed ... :roll: :cry: :cry:
Well, you already did the re-potting so there is not a lot to say about that now. As for the bulb question, you only posted that 10 Hrs ago or so.

Fluorescents are preferred because they give more in the way of light energy in relation to the amount of heat they produce. Since they are cooler you can get them much closer to the plant without the danger of overheating.

Norm

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KasWear
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Thanks,

I'm a bit inpatient/excited with my new hobby ... but low energy bulbs don't give of the heat much, so are flourescents essential .. as I would rather use what I have if attal possible .. ta

yours

Kas

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KasWear,

Ficus can do OK under low light conditions but they will do better if you provide better lighting. If your plant gets some natural light you may be able to get away with no, or minimal, supplemental lighting. On the other hand if you have it situated in a dim room, away from any windows, then supplemental lighting becomes more important.

Norm

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KasWear
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Thanks,

She will be getting real sunshine when the temperature allows it, the following pic is what I have her under for a good 10 - 14 hours, the sun is not coming through the window much at present, but come spring it is prominent from around 9 am - midday ...

The highest light is a glow bright low watt, and the lower light on the left is a standard 40 w at present as the 11w one blew, was looking to revert back to a 11w, but the current one gives out some heat towards the plant, without damaging it ...

What do you think ... is that enough ... ta

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/covdude/31012010.jpg[/img]

yours

Kaswear

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KasWear,
What do you think ... is that enough
I can't give you a definitive yes or nor answer but the strength of light drops off dramatically the farther the lights are from the plant. Lights at ceiling level are going to be weak, it's unavoidable. The closer you can get fluorescents the better it will be.

Are you going to be placing it outside during the summer or do you intend to manage it as an indoor tree permanently? If the latter, an investment in better lighting will probably be needed sooner or later.

Norm

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KasWear
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Thanks ,

I will put her out for days in the sun, I'm a bit worried about her getting pinched to leave her overnight, and I will get some flouresecnt lights aswell ... as I like the ficus and intend growing some of her ...

ta

Kas

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KasWear
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Hier,

I made a noob mistake when repotting, I discarded most of the roots that covered the bottom of the old pot ... and as my tree is losing leaves a lot, have I killed it, or is there something I can do ... I'm buying some flourescent bulbs in the week, I have a small heatmat under the pot now ... any clarification on noob removal of root matter and its results ...

ta

Kas

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KasWear,
I made a noob mistake when repotting, I discarded most of the roots that covered the bottom of the old pot ... and as my tree is losing leaves a lot, have I killed it, or is there something I can do ... I'm buying some flourescent bulbs in the week, I have a small heatmat under the pot now ... any clarification on noob removal of root matter and its results ...
Ficus can withstand rough treatment if they are handled correctly. With good light, high humidity and warm temperatures your tree would likely have responded much better.
One more thing, in my experience while Ficus are pretty tough, I have had the most luck doing this type of work while it is warm. They are actively growing then and recover well. Spring at the earliest but summer is perhaps the best. I would not mess around with it too much right now.
Ficus can do OK under low light conditions but they will do better if you provide better lighting. If your plant gets some natural light you may be able to get away with no, or minimal, supplemental lighting. On the other hand if you have it situated in a dim room, away from any windows, then supplemental lighting becomes more important.
The only thing you can do now is to provide it with the best conditions you can manage and make sure not to water it too frequently. A tree with no foliage will transpire water at a slower rate.

I sincerely hope your Ficus recovers but there is a lesson to be learned here, a lesson that many of us, myself included, have learned the hard way.

Norm

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KasWear
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Yes, thanks for that, I have read those quotes .... and acted on them ... it does not answer the missing roots query, all the rest I'm doing, and it needed repotting, the meduim and space was woefull ... :arrow:



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