luigonz
Senior Member
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 4:50 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO (Zone 6)

Typical Ficus Retusa revival

Here is a F. Retusa I found in my local nursery. I go a deal on it cause it had a few wire scars, but I figure they are not that deep and will heal with time.

[img]https://img268.imageshack.us/img268/6016/dsc03583y.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6425/dsc03585a.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8750/dsc03587yn.jpg[/img]
as I was re-potting this tree I found it had more thicker trunk buried. it runs along the surface of the soil. I'm not sure how I will use this feature yet.
[img]https://img580.imageshack.us/img580/1091/dsc03589h.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5748/dsc03590l.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img7.imageshack.us/img7/162/dsc03592qa.jpg[/img]

here it is in a growing pot. aka. a one dollar colander. hehe.
I plan on letting it grow out for a year of so, then plan on a drastic trunk chop righ below the bulge near the top.

JTred
Green Thumb
Posts: 380
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:05 am
Location: Elizabeth, PA

luigonz wrote: here it is in a growing pot. aka. a one dollar colander. hehe.
I plan on letting it grow out for a year of so, then plan on a drastic trunk chop righ below the bulge near the top.
I have heard great things about pond baskets/ colanders for growing feeder roots. +1 on chopping below the bulge. Good find.

JT

linlaoboo
Green Thumb
Posts: 469
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 1:15 pm
Location: NJ

if ur going to do major chopping, why not airlayer 1 or 2 of the thicker stems above the bulge 1st. Then you'd get more trees to play with.

luigonz
Senior Member
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 4:50 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO (Zone 6)

I was wondering on the ability for this species of Ficus to take-root.
I tried to air-layer my f. Benj with sphagnum moss but no rooting hormone.
This attempt failed( it only had one formed root, plus the branch I cut was about 1 inch thick.

I've tried simply sticking some thinner branches (of the F. Retusa)into a 50/50 mix of soil and vermiculite.

I wonder if I should air layer or simply chop and plop it into the planting medium. Currently I am leaning toward another attempt at air-layering.

User avatar
froggy
Senior Member
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:54 pm
Location: Toronto, ON, zone 5a

luigonz wrote:I was wondering on the ability for this species of Ficus to take-root.
I tried to air-layer my f. Benj with sphagnum moss but no rooting hormone.
This attempt failed( it only had one formed root, plus the branch I cut was about 1 inch.
Sounds to me like you just need to wait a bit longer ;)
My first ficus benjaminium air layer only had one root too, but it grew big enough to support the entire part above it... Mind, I am still not 100% certain on whether the root came from the air layer, or just a latent bud...

kdodds
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1436
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:07 pm
Location: Airmont, NY Zone 6/7

Ficus root pretty readily, some species more readily than others. F. retusa does just fine, usually, as hard wood cuttings in potting soil.



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