Ficus Benjamina, my neighbor is demanding that I cut it down
rsieminski
15 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Ficus Benjamina Variegata is it a problem
Comments (3)Ficus are known to be destructive when growing outside near formal structures. Even cement cant compete with a determined ficus. Some even consider it a weed, although where I live it is favored as an indoor houseplant-especially the tree form. Im not sure how to solve your problem other than to dig it up and plant somewhere else in the yard-farther from your house. Here is a link in case you want to take a few cuttings and plant them in large containers to keep on your patio. Here is a link that might be useful: AIR LAYERING...See MoreBADLY compacted Ficus Benjamina - How Agressive Can I Root Prune?
Comments (8)How aggressively you CAN root prune depends on your tree's stored energy level. Heavy root pruning of a weak tree can be damaging or disastrous, while root pruning a healthy tree while it's growing robustly can usually be done with impunity if follow-up care is appropriate. As you know, the best time to work your (tropical ficus) tree hard is early summer. There is a window between Father's Day and Independence Day that in which I do as much repotting of houseplants and tropicals as possible. Root pruning isn't an all or nothing affair. I've been working on the roots of a Taxus (yew) as a bonsai for more than 8 years, trying to reduce a very deep root system to where I can get the tree in a bonsai pot. The top makes a very impressive bonsai already because I've been working on its refinement, but a plastic clothes basket doesn't meld with the tree in harmony as attractive as a discerning eye might demand. The point is, it's often better to consider the viability of the tree and work in stages than to shoot for the moon in one fell swoop. I'd set some time aside to bare root, and I'd keep at it until you accomplished that worthy goal. Future repots will be easier, and leaving the hardened soil only assures a limited tree. Here is something that explains the seeming paradox about why plants need air in the soil. I'm copy/pasting from something I left on another thread, but it should still offer an understanding: Though roots form readily and often seemingly more quickly on many plants propagated in water, the roots produced are quite different from those produced in a soil-like or highly aerated medium (perlite - screened Turface - calcined DE - seed starting mix, e.g.). Physiologically, you will find these roots to be much more brittle than normal roots due to a much higher percentage of aerenchyma (a tissue with a greater percentage of intercellular air spaces than normal parenchyma). Aerenchyma tissue is filled with airy compartments. It usually forms in already rooted plants as a result of highly selective cell death and dissolution in the root cortex in response to hypoxic conditions in the rhizosphere (root zone). There are 2 types of aerenchymous tissue. One type is formed by cell differentiation and subsequent collapse, and the other type is formed by cell separation without collapse ( as in water-rooted plants). In both cases, the long continuous air spaces allow diffusion of oxygen (and probably ethylene) from shoots to roots that would normally be unavailable to plants with roots growing in hypoxic media. In fresh cuttings placed in water, aerenchymous tissue forms due to the same hypoxic conditions w/o cell death & dissolution. Note too, that under hypoxic (airless - low O2 levels) conditions, ethylene is necessary for aerenchyma to form. This parallels the fact that low oxygen concentrations, as found in water rooting, generally stimulate trees (I'm a tree guy) and other plants to produce ethylene. For a long while it was believed that high levels of ethylene stimulate adventitious root formation, but lots of recent research proves the reverse to be true. Under hypoxic conditions, like submergence in water, ethylene actually slows down adventitious root formation and elongation. If you wish to eventually plant your rooted cuttings in soil, it is probably best not to root them in water because of the frequent difficulty in transplanting them to soil. The brittle "water-formed" roots often break during transplant & those that don't break are very poor at water absorption and often die. The effect is equivalent to beginning the cutting process over again with a cutting in which vitality has likely been reduced. If you do a side by side comparison of cuttings rooted in water & cuttings rooted in soil, the cuttings in soil will always (for an extremely high percentage of plants) have a leg up in development on those moved from water to a soil medium for the reasons outlined above. ******************************* You can skip the rooting hormone and fungicide if you want. They're not necessary. I do use a little Superthrive (for its auxin) as a root soak after repotting, though. I've done some experimenting with loose controls in place and while it has proven useless as a 'tonic', it is effective at stimulating root growth and root division. I fill a tub with water and a little Superthrive & fully saturate the soil in the tub immediately after repotting. Securing the plant to the pot so it can't move in relation to the pot fractionalizes the time it takes for the tree to establish in its new digs, too. Al...See MoreFicus Benjamina and Fertilizer
Comments (9)No one can answer that question w/o taking into account what is already in the soil, which requires a soil test, and then the addition of whatever is lacking. Tissue analysis of Ficus b will show the plant contains and uses NPK in the ratio of 10.0:1.5:7.0. Or, it uses 1.5 parts of P and 7 parts of K for every 10 parts of N. Since P in fertilizers is reported as P2O5, and K as K2O, you need to use a factor to determine the actual amount of P and K available. If you start with any 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer, like 24-8-16, or 12-4-8, and apply the factors of .43 and .83 to the P and K ratio numbers, you'll see that these ratio fertilizers (3:1:2) supply fertilizer in almost the exact ratio the tree uses them at. Got all that? So, I can tell you it's the best choice for Ficus b. in a container, and it is probably the best choice when taking a shotgun approach w/o a soil test, but it's definitely not going to be as good as providing what's missing after the test. Additionally, your tree may be lacking one or more micro-nutrients that are not in the fertilizer. The nutrient that is most limited in its availability is the one that limits growth (search "Liebig's Law of the Minimum"), so your tree's poor performance may not even involve the primary macro-nutrients. If the tree is healthy and growing robustly, it doesn't matter HOW hard you or your neighbor cuts the tree back. It back-buds prolifically. You can remove every branch and leaf, and cut a healthy Ficus b. back to a stump and it will happily/faithfully send out tons of new growth. I do it all the time & I live in zone 5 and am working with trees in containers. I'm sure I've answered this question before ..... Al...See MoreFicus Benjamina Hedge Pruning Help
Comments (8)Andrew, I have to ask - where are you located in S. Florida? If it's Coral Springs, go ahead and prune now. Code enforcement there is really fierce. And dumb. And your hedge will be fine. Fawnridge is right. I was fined for cutting down a tree without a permit. I fought it (and won!) because it was blown down by a storm and blocking both directions of the street. City couldn't get to it so I took care of it. Silly me! They told me I had to plant a new tree and I said I would as soon as I could get the stump ground. 2 days later they came and planted a live oak in my yard - and charged me for it. It was not the tree I wanted and they put it in a stupid place. Oh - and don't ever let them catch you with a dirty roof! The roof police are worse than the tree police! LOL...See Morersieminski
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