Ficus Benjamina “wiandi”
- Thread starter Hartinez
- Start date
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- ficus ficus wiandi
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Had my son snap this photo for a little scale. This tree has grown so much in 6 years. 
Vs how it looked just 2 years ago.
Vs how it looked just 2 years ago.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
With lows in Abq hovering around 55/60 I decided I would do some work on my ficus. It had been living in my dads sun room over the winter.
work I did that I felt was needed
-addressed the roots that I had needed to improve for some time. With ficus rooting so easily I basically ringed the surface roots all the way around the tree and planted in to a deeper training container. I also mixed in more akadama and cut up sphagnum for more moisture in the mix.
-the tree had a bit of a scale issue so I thinned the tree out, which I always do this time of year but I also killed off as much scale as I could find and sprayed everything with an insect soap.
-rather than do a drainage screen wall and sphagnum on my nice pot I moved the tree into a mica training pot. The nice container has a small crack and I will keep it inside out of the elements till this tree is ready again. I’d rather not shorten the pots life for a tree that needs more work and training.
Was going to post pics of some of the root work but I don’t get any great shots. I need to get better at that part of documenting the process.
work I did that I felt was needed
-addressed the roots that I had needed to improve for some time. With ficus rooting so easily I basically ringed the surface roots all the way around the tree and planted in to a deeper training container. I also mixed in more akadama and cut up sphagnum for more moisture in the mix.
-the tree had a bit of a scale issue so I thinned the tree out, which I always do this time of year but I also killed off as much scale as I could find and sprayed everything with an insect soap.
-rather than do a drainage screen wall and sphagnum on my nice pot I moved the tree into a mica training pot. The nice container has a small crack and I will keep it inside out of the elements till this tree is ready again. I’d rather not shorten the pots life for a tree that needs more work and training.
Was going to post pics of some of the root work but I don’t get any great shots. I need to get better at that part of documenting the process.
hinmo24t
Masterpiece
ya mon, nice tree
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Thanks bud!
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Filled out considerably.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
After another hard cutback recently the foliage has filled out nicely. I’ve pulled back the soil to get a better look at the roots to see if I’m getting the growth I’m hoping for. There were some roots that were growing higher up than I’d like but maybe that means the ones I want have also pushed. I’ll just have to wait.
i didn’t want to look any further
i didn’t want to look any further
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Flushed. Bringing it in for the winter.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
After hours repot. 
Colorado
Masterpiece
Looking great! What type of pot? Love the color!
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Thanks TJ! Chinese production. It’s got a chop, I just didn’t get a pic. It’s the color I bought it for. I have another that is similar (see earlier posts). But I wanted a lip!! I think it pairs real nice!
SerSwanky
Yamadori
I absolutely loved this thread. It was so cool seeing the progression of your ficus. It gave me a lot of great ideas for my benjamina in the future. Mine's only a 2 year old clump sapling and I've struggled with figuring out what to do with it. But you've inspired me!
I'm not sure if mine is a wiandi or not but it's good to know the branches get pretty brittle. I'll need to start wiring mine soon to potential avoid that issue. Hopefully in the next few weeks it'll warm up to 50F at night so I can take it outside. It's been a cold April.
I'm not sure if mine is a wiandi or not but it's good to know the branches get pretty brittle. I'll need to start wiring mine soon to potential avoid that issue. Hopefully in the next few weeks it'll warm up to 50F at night so I can take it outside. It's been a cold April.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Po
Post a pic. You can tell pretty quickly wether it’s wiandi or not. Standard Benjamina and really, most other ficus are far more pliable. At least that’s what Ive found.
ShadyStump
Imperial Masterpiece
Mine handle 40s F just fine. They just slow down until it warms up.
@Hartinez, what does your watering and feeding regimen look like to avoid the tuberous roots? This is one I'm still struggling with on my benjies.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
Nothing special. Same as most of my other trees. Fish emulsion every 4 or so days. Miracid from time to time and daily watering. I’ve used other cake fertilizers and it all seems to have the same effect. Crazy amounts of growth. The roots of wiandi though are awfully brittle, much like the branches and they don’t really tuber out. Now that I have a pot I like, I plan on not repotting every year. Something ive always done with this tree.
SerSwanky
Yamadori
Mines a variegated version of some kind.
Oh, that’s good to know. We have been at lows 30-35F ish the last week at night, this week it’s low 39-40Fs, highs of 50-65F. So maybe I’ll bring it home (currently at office) and put it outside for the summer.
Yeah I’m curious about that question as well. Mine has some monsters on it. I’ve cut out two but it has about six in total all across the base.
ShadyStump
Imperial Masterpiece
Looks like just a variegated cultivar of the routine benjie.
I suggest you step it out into cooler temps, not just throw it out in the cold. It will definitely not like that. It'll survive it probably, but it won't enjoy it.
canoeguide
Chumono
I don't think ficus roots are meaningfully controlled via water and fert. Yearly, or every-other-year repotting and root pruning is the only way I've heard of. If done on the hottest and most humid days of the year, ficus go on growing like nothing happened.
I've been waiting patiently to see this tree in a shallower pot haha, finally! Great pot selection tree looks killer.
