Too Late To Repot?

[jimlau]

this ficus badly needs re-potting. is it too late?

also, any recommendations on styling? I've considering airing it out, opening it up, but then I think flaws will become visible. it doesn't back-bud all that great either.

thanks.

 

[jkd2572]

Damn nice ficus. I think you can repot tropicals around the clock. Wait for Ryan to chime in.

 

[KennedyMarx]

You can repot it year round. Is it outside? Lots of sunlight and a fresh repot would probably increase the vigor of the tree and send some new grow out.

 

[Poink88]

You can repot it year round.

True IF you are in the tropics (or if you can provide the ideal temps when it gets cold).

Here, it is better to repot when the temps are consistently above 60*F...avoid doing so when it is colder.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

That is about the nicest ficus b. I've seen that wasn't in the tropics. I have a soft spot for ficus b. and have a few of them myself. I would say go for repotting; It is not to late. Wait until it starts to show new signs of growth and then start removing some of those flaws that you are afraid to uncover. Try to take out long thick branches but keep in mind that you want to have the lower branches proportionally thicker than the top branches. So start with the top and move down and maybe leave the straight sections on the lowest branches for now, knowing that they will be destined for removal later. I am not a huge fan of the way that this one has been hedged to a uniform silhouette, but I would also have a lot of fun chasing back the existing branch structure and growing it back out in a more naturalistic way. Ficus b. can be reluctant to back bud, but you have a lot to work with, and I'm sure it will reward you with even more options as you redundant and ugly branches.

I am curious as to the background of this one. How long have you had it. Is it outdoors in the summer and under lights in the winter? When was the last time it was repotted, and what type of soil are you going to use on repot.

Thanks for sharing,
David

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I don't look at the time of year when it comes to repotting, rather, I look to see if the tree is actively growing. If the tree is actively growing, a repot won't hurt.

 

[jimlau]

yes, this tree is outside until fall. i have had it 10+ years. it has not been re-potted in 3-4 years, unfortunately.

i don't use lights in the winter, just leave it near a sliding glass door. do lights put out any meaningful energy?

as for soil, i was probably going for 30% soil, 30% crushed stone, 30% water absorbing material (same small size as the rocks; i forget the name of it), and 10% bark/mulch. is that a good mix for ficus?

btw, how much of the roots can safely be removed? i have a thick bulbous root that really should go, though i won't know what percentage of the root emminate from that thick root until i repot.

thanks.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I would leave out the "soil". And I am curious of the water absorbent material. If it is fired clay or turface, I think it sounds good. I use 50-50 lava and turface with 5-10% long grain sphagnum, but that can require a lot of watering. a more conventional soil would be 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 lava/turface/sifted pine bark.

There are relatively cheap T5 lights that can help put on a lot of growth over the winter, and I have also had good luck using 50w LED flood lights. Nothing beats outside in the sun when possible, but you can make the winter into another growing season no problem with the right lights.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

As far as root removal, these guys are very forgiving when healthy and growing, I would say 50% removal of roots is not a problem, although it may slow it down a little.

 

[jimlau]

does the crushed gravel (or equivalent) have to be sharp? i thought i read that somewhere but not sure.

thanks.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I believe sharpness of particles has been relegated to lore as far as promoting root division, but then again, I do like the crushed lava because the porosity allows for more room for air water and fertilizer. It doesn't need to be sharp though as long as the finest particles and dust are sifted out

 

[jimlau]

forgot - what's the largest acceptable diameter on crushed stone or lava?

thanks again.

 

[jimlau]

shade?

repot is done. should I keep this in the shade for a while?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

You could give it a week or two shaded form the hottest parts of the day. I've been repotting a bit recently and putting em right back int the brightest part of my yard recently, but sometimes I lose a few leaves that way.

 

[jimlau]

i'm getting yellow leaves. is that from the root trauma, or from it being in the shade now?

thanks.

 

[thams]

These guys drop leaves very easily, so I wouldn't worry too much. I would NOT start moving it around constantly. Just give it time to pout and then push new leaves. They are much more likely to have dieback if they're not given time to acclimate to they're new surroundings (different light, temps, etc.). Just let it do it's thing and reduce the watering a bit if loses a significant number of leaves.

 

[linlaoboo]

I wish I had seen your thread earlier b/c I have both the too little and kiki kind that looks almost like yours. The kiki has sharper leave ends compared to the too little. What I learned from them this year is they take a longer time to settle into new bonsai soil compared with other easier ficus like the microcarpas and retusas. I repotted them with 50% lava, grani-grit and turface and 50% pine bark and fir bark in the spring and saw very little growth until the summer time. But once they are healthy and take off, can put on a lot of leaves and fill in fast. I think it's good idea to prevent full sun all day in the beginning and slowly move them into full sun. However in a month you'll have to move them indoors like I do. I would've recommended to wait until next year to repot but hopefully yours will pull through eventhough it might not get much growth this year. That said I've repotted all ficuses indoors during winter before without any problems.

I also tried defoliating them but didn't see much progress. I feel that it's better to build vigor on these trees and after a while, trim back to hardwood to promote back budding and new branching instead of trimming off new leaves and young branches all the times.

 

[jimlau]

3 weeks from re-pot, and i'm getting lots of new shoots (maybe 50% of branches have them). since i hope to eventually have back-budding, i'm wondering if I should pinch any of these news shoots. sounds like no?

just wondering how these facts play into it:

1) the tree used energy to push these yet un-opened leaves and needs a return of investment in the form of these new leaves photosynthesizing new energy.

2) just re-potted, so maybe let it do its own thing? I removed only 20% of the roots.

3) fall is coming, thus less energy production available.

thanks.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

If it is pushing new shoots then it is pushing new roots also. I would let it go until spring then trim it. It may look out of shape for a while.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I agree, let it gain some steam now for the winter and then cut it back hard next year when it starts to get going again. You'll be rewarded w plenty of back budding then with a healthy robust root system. If you had some good supplimental lights for the winter you might be able to style sooner, but no rush.
I do see some branches that could have the thicker extensions removed, it would be a fun one to trim back a bit and get away from the topiary form.