In 2012 I purchased my first Ficus Ingens – very peculiar nursery inventory, roughly 3 foot tall and straight as a pole. I’ve already mentioned the primary 2 profitable air layers in addition to the air layering blunder which, regardless of my doubts, had a contented ending. I offered that exact tree at my membership’s annual present, however nonetheless have the remainder of the household.
The mum or dad tree has made some progress, although I am nonetheless not pleased with the department construction, so I’ve made just a few adjustments just lately. The smallest one is doing properly too, although it has a foul case of wire chew after I attempted to place some motion into the trunk and, as I so typically do, left the wire on far too lengthy.
Sadly the tallest tree refuses to cooperate. After the second air layer I used to be left with a protracted straight tree with a skinny new chief.
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| January 2017 |
That was two years in the past.
The highest has grown vigorously since then, however the tree has stubbornly refused to provide even one low department. It is bonsai potential that means is nil.
In November I made a decision that the one choice was one other air layer.
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| Air layer, February 2019, simply earlier than I eliminated it |
This time I layered the tree just under the clump of branches rising actually shut collectively. This, I hoped, would lastly stimulate some decrease progress. That by no means occurred.
The layer has rooted properly although.
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| Root ball, simply earlier than I eliminated the layer |
Final week I made a decision it was time to separate the highest and backside.
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| The brand new tree in it is personal pot |
As the brand new tree has so many low branches I made a decision to take away the lengthy straight part earlier than it gave me one other downside tree.
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| February 2019 – after pruning |
Now I will let it develop for some time earlier than deciding on my subsequent step. There are means too many branches there to maintain all of them, except I attempt to fuse some to the trunk afterward. Probably I will develop a multi-trunk tree.
I am fairly pleased with my summer season’s work, however I am a bit involved for the way forward for the bottom:
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| Base – February 2019 |
After it is cussed refusal to provide any low branches, will this lastly shock it into cooperating, or will it kill the tree? I might hate to lose it.
