ShadyStump
Imperial Masterpiece
Only until you quit on them. That's the trick. Get them going, and riled up and excited, and then... POW! Drop 'em flat, and blue ball the bastards.
Advice for new guy please....
- Thread starter Joe58
- Start date
Only until you quit on them. That's the trick. Get them going, and riled up and excited, and then... POW! Drop 'em flat, and blue ball the bastards.
I never did get the satisfaction that the trolls seem to get from behaving like a perfect arse. I’ve been on forums going clear back to a 28k dial up modem plugged into my Commodore 64. And there’s been the trolls from the get go. I really never comment unless it seems relevant. It’s too easy for some when they’re hiding behind the keyboard to say stuff they’d never say to your face.
Wow, went really off topic there didn’t I? But I started the thread so it’s ok. Lol
Wow, went really off topic there didn’t I? But I started the thread so it’s ok. Lol
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
Joe, you can also experiment with some succulents that grow in tree form well inside like jades and portulacara afra. I move mine out in the summer and inside in the winter. Im 7b, so slightly warmer, but they grow fast, you can easily propagate them to get more plants, and they respond to styling well. I keep mine under a basic light setup, but they do well in a sunny window also
Welcome to the hobby.
Welcome to the hobby.
I keep some in my southern exposure window at work, just for fun. They get red tipped leaves there also, so plenty of sun for them.
My golden gate ficus came in. Plant is in good shape after the trip to me. My question is, should those two small low branches be trimmed? There’s actually 4 low branches, but the other two are up closer to the main part of the tree. Or would it best best to leave it alone till spring? Plant is 15” tall. I have it sitting in a southern exposure window.
Please excuse my lousy photos of the messy kitchen with a plant in it.
You can see there’s one aerial root. Those are pretty neat. I’d like to get more, but I’ve read about 20 different methods. None of them I’m real eager to try. Maybe the one that said to put a wire around a branch tightly and a root will form. Seems like a good way to kill a branch though. Another said to make a hole in the bark and one will form there. So I dunno.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
Please excuse my lousy photos of the messy kitchen with a plant in it.
You can see there’s one aerial root. Those are pretty neat. I’d like to get more, but I’ve read about 20 different methods. None of them I’m real eager to try. Maybe the one that said to put a wire around a branch tightly and a root will form. Seems like a good way to kill a branch though. Another said to make a hole in the bark and one will form there. So I dunno.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
smc
Sapling
My golden gate ficus came in. Plant is in good shape after the trip to me. My question is, should those two small low branches be trimmed? There’s actually 4 low branches, but the other two are up closer to the main part of the tree. Or would it best best to leave it alone till spring? Plant is 15” tall. I have it sitting in a southern exposure window.
View attachment 331291View attachment 331292View attachment 331293
Please excuse my lousy photos of the messy kitchen with a plant in it.
You can see there’s one aerial root. Those are pretty neat. I’d like to get more, but I’ve read about 20 different methods. None of them I’m real eager to try. Maybe the one that said to put a wire around a branch tightly and a root will form. Seems like a good way to kill a branch though. Another said to make a hole in the bark and one will form there. So I dunno.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
For aerial roots:
Michael P
Omono
Don't cut anything off yet! Those low branches help to thicken the trunk, and may become important parts of the design later. The tree looks pretty healthy, your job over the winter is to keep it that way.
This species of ficus readily grows aerial roots in warm humid conditions. That is all you need to do if you want more.
This species of ficus readily grows aerial roots in warm humid conditions. That is all you need to do if you want more.
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
Growing banyan roots in the north is a waste of time. They need very high humidity which rare in the north. You can create a zone where they will form, but as soon as you remove them to the ordinary atmosphere of the northern house or even green house they begin to whither away.
Thanks for letting me know. I suspected that may be the case. I’ll not mess with it.
I have to add a humid tray yet, but it won’t be humid here now for months.
Michael P
Omono
Humidity trays don't help much except to catch water draining out of the pot after watering. Misting the leaves several times a day does a lot more. I wish I had time for it.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Happy tree.
With regards to aerial roots: IN summer make sure you provide lots of humidity. Once aerial roots establish themselves in the ground below, they are there to stay and do not depend on the humidity in the air anymore.
With regards to aerial roots: IN summer make sure you provide lots of humidity. Once aerial roots establish themselves in the ground below, they are there to stay and do not depend on the humidity in the air anymore.
Michael P
Omono
That has been my experience as well. Once the aerial root reaches the soil, increases in diameter, and develops bark as on the trunk, it is safe. There are lots of creative ways to protect the root from drying until that happens.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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Aerial roots will "just happen" during the humid & warm weeks of your Nebraska summers. They usually don't form during low humidity winter, unless you grow them in a humidity tent. That's an unnecessary & unattractive addition to interior home decor.
I would not prune off any of the low branches. At least not right away. Think about wire, or guy wires to bring upward moving branches to a more horizontal position, but not "perfectly horizontal" some rise is okay. Other than that, just learning to keep your Ficus healthy is your main task for your first winter.
If you are "craft handy" #12 or standard solid core electrical copper wire is a useable gauge of wire for wiring, but it MUST be annealed before applying. Strip insulation off a few feet of wire. Then over a propane flame outside, heat the wire to a dull red glow. Then let cool without quenching. This should give you wire that is "soft as butter" going on, and that will stiffen, or work harden to a very rigid hold once you have the wire in place. There are quite a few threads on BNut about wiring, and some tutorials on Bonsai Empire and in other you tube videos.
Over heating copper wire, to a yellow glow, will give you brittle wire. so don't over-do the heat. Time required to soften the wire is only about 15 - 30 seconds at the dull red glow.
I would not prune off any of the low branches. At least not right away. Think about wire, or guy wires to bring upward moving branches to a more horizontal position, but not "perfectly horizontal" some rise is okay. Other than that, just learning to keep your Ficus healthy is your main task for your first winter.
If you are "craft handy" #12 or standard solid core electrical copper wire is a useable gauge of wire for wiring, but it MUST be annealed before applying. Strip insulation off a few feet of wire. Then over a propane flame outside, heat the wire to a dull red glow. Then let cool without quenching. This should give you wire that is "soft as butter" going on, and that will stiffen, or work harden to a very rigid hold once you have the wire in place. There are quite a few threads on BNut about wiring, and some tutorials on Bonsai Empire and in other you tube videos.
Over heating copper wire, to a yellow glow, will give you brittle wire. so don't over-do the heat. Time required to soften the wire is only about 15 - 30 seconds at the dull red glow.
