hemmy
Omono
To get a broad nebari, I graft aerial roots to the base and bury them under soil. Exposed roots do not thicken much, but would grow quite big if buried for a year or two. When you repot the tree, raise the tree by 1/4 to 1/2" where the buried roots appear to have thickened. This way over several repotting, you get a bigger trunk base and nebari.
Yes, perfectly clear, thank you! Your explanation, along with the progression of your ‘gift shop’ ficus ties it all together. I see now how you corrected the area of the removed large root with grafted roots. I also see that technique to perfection on the awarded ficus from the Taiwanese show on your blog.
I am finally working on primary branches on a couple of my ficus, now that the trunk girth, movement and taper has been built (8yrs of work). Your explanation helps me understand that my next step is to repot next summer, working the roots hard, and grafting for basal flare, followed by allowing growth to thicken those buried root grafts. Much appreciated!
And after seeing how much my ficus have grown in this recent heat wave (we had mid-80s!!!!!), makes me think I need to move somewhere hotter to get better growth even if it means over wintering!