BillsBayou
Chumono
Tree is a green island ficus. Poll ends when I'm done mixing the soil and combing out the roots.
Quick, Red or Blue?
- Thread starter BillsBayou
- Start date
Viggoman
Seedling
blue
Jphipps
Mame
I voted blue. Reminds me of a mangrove tree in the water's edge
Last edited:
hemmy
Omono
Red, it’s tied. 
Joelshack2362
Shohin
Red
Likebull1
Mame
Blue just because I wanted to break the tie
Tieball
Masterpiece
Blue
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
blue for the win! (SO FAR) I would have gone with red, if the blue would have been the same as the current broken pot, but the blue pot you are considering is a much better blue.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
That's a sweet Green Island Ficus BTW. Love the aerial roots & your leaves look significantly smaller than mine. Any tips you'd like to share? I repotted mine in a blue pot, I think it matches better with the bark and leaves.
Also funny that "don't answer polls" got a vote.
Cruiser
Chumono
Island ficus conjures the image of it growing near water so blue seems more appropriate.
BillsBayou
Chumono
Jrmcmich
Shohin
I voted red but blue looks great. My favorite color is blue so was actually surprised I voted The red but I did 
BillsBayou
Chumono
Leaf pruning and increased ramification will lead to reduced leaf size.That's a sweet Green Island Ficus BTW. Love the aerial roots & your leaves look significantly smaller than mine. Any tips you'd like to share? I repotted mine in a blue pot, I think it matches better with the bark and leaves.
Also funny that "don't answer polls" got a vote.
An interesting thing about ficus in general: The leaves get larger as the branch grows outward.
That's something I was told a while back. Let the branch grow to a certain length, but no further. In my case, I have been going for rooting first and branch angles. Not that I'm actually successful.
I stumbled upon a trick for getting aerial roots to grow. When you store your plants for the winter, pack them close together and water from above. I typically have several 1-gallon nursery pots with cuttings growing. If I want a tree to grow aerial roots, I make sure those 1-gallon pots surround the target tree. Humidity will remain high within that closed space. Drops of water, from watering above, will collect on the branches. This encourages roots to sprout from the branches. If water droplets hang from the base of these new roots, the roots will continue to grow downwards.
The trick with a drinking straw results in absolutely straight aerial roots. I personally don't like that. They're easy to spot.
Watch for roots sprouting from the sides and tops of the branches. If you cannot get to the plant during the winter, that's okay. Remove those roots in the spring. Just don't let them thicken.
Watch for roots growing from too high in the tree. That's a judgement call. I recommend getting the lower roots going before letting higher roots develop. Cut them off. The consequence is a high root becoming thicker than the lower roots. Also, you will develop reverse-taper wherever that root begins. Since high branches are supposed to be thinner than the lower branches, developing aerial roots from the higher branches will throw the design out of balance.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Thank you, all this information is very helpful. I’m guessing you can defoliate twice a year in your location, I haven’t tried defoliating yet on this Green Island, so I’ll have to try that next summer.Leaf pruning and increased ramification will lead to reduced leaf size.
An interesting thing about ficus in general: The leaves get larger as the branch grows outward.
That's something I was told a while back. Let the branch grow to a certain length, but no further. In my case, I have been going for rooting first and branch angles. Not that I'm actually successful.
I stumbled upon a trick for getting aerial roots to grow. When you store your plants for the winter, pack them close together and water from above. I typically have several 1-gallon nursery pots with cuttings growing. If I want a tree to grow aerial roots, I make sure those 1-gallon pots surround the target tree. Humidity will remain high within that closed space. Drops of water, from watering above, will collect on the branches. This encourages roots to sprout from the branches. If water droplets hang from the base of these new roots, the roots will continue to grow downwards.
The trick with a drinking straw results in absolutely straight aerial roots. I personally don't like that. They're easy to spot.
Watch for roots sprouting from the sides and tops of the branches. If you cannot get to the plant during the winter, that's okay. Remove those roots in the spring. Just don't let them thicken.
Watch for roots growing from too high in the tree. That's a judgement call. I recommend getting the lower roots going before letting higher roots develop. Cut them off. The consequence is a high root becoming thicker than the lower roots. Also, you will develop reverse-taper wherever that root begins. Since high branches are supposed to be thinner than the lower branches, developing aerial roots from the higher branches will throw the design out of balance.
I’ve experimented with aerial roots the last two winters, but on a Schefflera. I started misting the branches in the areas I wanted aerial roots, and after a week of doing that, they started growing like crazy, and no straw needed. I’ll try your technique on my Green Island Ficus this winter. I have a grow tent, so the aerial roots come in a lot easier with 80% humidity.
Also, good point about creating the aerial roots up high to soon to avoid taper issues. Great stuff much appreciated.
gooeytek
Shohin
blue!
BillsBayou
Chumono
You understood what I wrote? Damn. I came back later and could barely keep it straight.
When do you bring in your tropicals? And when do they come out?
Somewhere in mid-November we get a cold front that drops our night time temps into the forties. Around Mid-March it's safe to bring the tropicals back out. Our winter is only 5 or 6 days in late January. One year, it was more than a week long! Brrrrrr...
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Ha. I read it twice.
I've only been at this a couple of years & went a bit overboard with tropicals when I started. Mid/late October is when I normally bring them in, and back outside early May. It's a long strech for sure, but in the grow tent they get 13 hours of light everyday which isn't always the case when they're outside. I'd love it if I didn't have to bring them in, but I know what I signed up for. I love Bayan style trees so that's why I have tropicals, and check the weather way more than normal person. I'm slowing switching over to trees that work in my climate, but I for now I doubt I'll get rid of all my tropicals, especially the Bayan style trees.
BillsBayou
Chumono
Ha. I read it twice.
I'm slowing switching over to trees that work in my climate, but I for now I doubt I'll get rid of all my tropicals, especially the Bayan style trees.
Everyone suffers "species lust" where you want the things you cannot grow in your area. If you drive 400 miles south from Memphis to New Orleans, the number of species you can grow will plummet. But there are many other species that become available.
Drive around your area and see what catches your eye. See if any trees and tree shapes catch your eye. Then search on that species and "bonsai". White pine is your state tree and they make good bonsai.
BTW "banyan"
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