Any ideas on how to 'repair' ugly horizontal scar on ficus?

[Soup Dragon]

In the middle of the attached photo you can see a horizontal scar that goes almost all of the way around the trunk. I suppose it was done by wire some time in the past. I know I can't repair it, but does anyone have any ideas on how I could mask this or change it into a more interesting scar?



Thanks!

 

[Wizeeerrrddd]

White tac to mask it?

Seriously though maybe you could do a aerial root graft from the scar if thats possible?

 

[penumbra]

It may still have a wire in there.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Wire a branch to cross it any way you can. Doesn't have to be pretty or logical, just have enough foliage to mask or obscure the scar to the viewer.


Voila!

 

[StoneCloud]

It may still have a wire in there.

I bought a mallsai once, same scar and there was indeed a rusty wire in there. Mine was grown at Costa Farms in FL. Are they girdling the trunks ? Curious as to why

 

[sorce]

Are they girdling the trunks ?

Probly not on purpose!

Seems that was a small apical part when applied, vigorous.

If the wire is out .....

You can gouge through it vertically.

I'd cut it off and try to root it.

Seems a great option.

Sorce

 

[StoneCloud]

Probly not on purpose!

Seems that was a small apical part when applied, vigorous.

If the wire is out .....

You can gouge through it vertically.

I'd cut it off and try to root it.

Seems a great option.

Sorce

It does!

You can see two the two lines here. Funny bc I got it to airlayer it pretty much at that top scar under the skinny front branch

 

[Forsoothe!]

Probly not on purpose!

Seems that was a small apical part when applied, vigorous.

If the wire is out .....

You can gouge through it vertically.

I'd cut it off and try to root it.

Seems a great option.

Sorce

Boo Hiss! Say No to stumping.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I have had some success with cutting the scar out, not all the way around of course, but doing a third at a time. It creates a small wound that usually heals in one season, sometimes quicker, depending on how vigorous it is growing.

 

[Forsoothe!]

It does!

You can see two the two lines here. Funny bc I got it to airlayer it pretty much at that top scar under the skinny front branch
View attachment 287468

1,2,3,4,5,6, 7 wire marks.

You can also take your knob cutter and take a bite of the trunk as though a branch had been removed strategically located to obscure the un-natural straight line.

 

[Soup Dragon]

White tac to mask it?

Seriously though maybe you could do a aerial root graft from the scar if thats possible?

Ha ha. I could also photoshop it . The aerial root graft is an idea. It's pretty high up on the tree though (the photo only shows the upper half), but why not? Thanks.

 

[Soup Dragon]

It may still have a wire in there.

Oh! If there is, should I dig it out, or will that just worsen things?

 

[Soup Dragon]

Wire a branch to cross it any way you can. Doesn't have to be pretty or logical, just have enough foliage to mask or obscure the scar to the viewer.
View attachment 287360
View attachment 287361
Voila!

That's probably the easiest solution. Thank you.

 

[Soup Dragon]

Probly not on purpose!

Seems that was a small apical part when applied, vigorous.

If the wire is out .....

You can gouge through it vertically.

I'd cut it off and try to root it.

Seems a great option.

Sorce

Gouging through it vertically would cause vertical scar that distracts from the unnatural horizontal scar? Makes sense. Thanks.

 

[Soup Dragon]

I have had some success with cutting the scar out, not all the way around of course, but doing a third at a time. It creates a small wound that usually heals in one season, sometimes quicker, depending on how vigorous it is growing.

Thank you - I will try that.

 

[Soup Dragon]

You can also take your knob cutter and take a bite of the trunk as though a branch had been removed strategically located to obscure the un-natural straight line.

Great idea. Many thanks!

 

[greenman63]

Ficus have pretty resilient bark. I'd tend to agree with Mellow Mullet, that carefully cutting out the scar is a good option that heals faster than the wire marks. I'd describe it as carefully shaving down the area immediately surrounding the scar, which will expose a layer of the cambium. This should heal up fairly easily with much reduced visual scarring. I would personally use an exacto knife with a curved blade. You can choose from several appropriate blades for delicate work, such as one of these:

X-Acto Blade - No. 11, Pkg of 15, Safety Dispenser, Stainless Steel | BLICK Art Materials

Shop X-Acto Blade - No. 11, Pkg of 15, Safety Dispenser, Stainless Steel at Blick. Find everything you need for your next creative project online.

www.dickblick.com

Just be very careful using these, they can cut very deeply, but they give you excellent control.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Lower part of tree is a mess so would not hurt to turn tree to hide it/change front or second to idea of cutting off scarred top of tree.

 

[StoneCloud]

1,2,3,4,5,6, 7 wire marks.
View attachment 287476
You can also take your knob cutter and take a bite of the trunk as though a branch had been removed strategically located to obscure the un-natural straight line.

I saw this too after seeing the close up picture I posted

I got this as a franken tree of sorts to propogate from as it's ugly as sin. That's not a bad spot!

 

[Soup Dragon]

Ficus have pretty resilient bark. I'd tend to agree with Mellow Mullet, that carefully cutting out the scar is a good option that heals faster than the wire marks. I'd describe it as carefully shaving down the area immediately surrounding the scar, which will expose a layer of the cambium. This should heal up fairly easily with much reduced visual scarring. I would personally use an exacto knife with a curved blade. You can choose from several appropriate blades for delicate work, such as one of these:

X-Acto Blade - No. 11, Pkg of 15, Safety Dispenser, Stainless Steel | BLICK Art Materials

Shop X-Acto Blade - No. 11, Pkg of 15, Safety Dispenser, Stainless Steel at Blick. Find everything you need for your next creative project online.

www.dickblick.com

Just be very careful using these, they can cut very deeply, but they give you excellent control.

Cool. Thank you.