AusBonsai

Hi,

I have two large and severely pot bound fig topiaries in my yard that are not going to be part of future yard design. I think they’re benjaminas but I’m not 100% sure. I would like to air layer each to get 4 potential trees for bonsai use. Does anyone know what type of fig they are?

Hello Beano,

Not a Benji.
This looks like the "Hillii" cultivar.
If so they are tough as nails and while i haven't layered them before, i cannot see why they wouldn't strike easily.

Kevin

I agree. F. benjamina has softer leaves. These are thick and leathery so hillii is likely
'Hillii' is a F. microcarpa variety. They are slower to grow and thicken than F. rubiginosa but if you already have some trunks it is probably worth trying.

Think about layering at an angle so you don't end up with another vertical telephone pole tree.
Or layer just below the fork to get a ready made twin trunk tree.

Awesome! Great news. I was worried about their back bidding if they were benji

Deciduous?

They are deciduous trees. Just because they don’t exhibit a dormancy in our climate doesn’t change that.

An informative link for Ficus microcarpa 'Hillii'.

https://metrotrees.com.au/ficus-microcarpa-var-hillii/

Kevin

Ficus macrocarpa is not normally deciduous. Like other ficus it is tough enough to survive adverse conditions by dropping the leaves and resprouting when conditions improve but that doesn't make it deciduous, just an adaptation to survive irregular life threatening changes to conditions.
Like other Australian figs it is also frost sensitive, probably just slightly more sensitive that F. rubiginosa but should survive down to 1 or2 C. I would still provide protection in winter in most southern areas.

Right! Sorry, I stand corrected. I always was told that the genus is deciduous, and I even googled it and gardening Australia said they were deciduous. Admittedly I did pause before I posted wondering if I was in the correct forum.

shibui wrote:Ficus macrocarpa is not normally deciduous. Like other ficus it is tough enough to survive adverse conditions by dropping the leaves and resprouting when conditions improve but that doesn't make it deciduous, just an adaptation to survive irregular life threatening changes to conditions.
Like other Australian figs it is also frost sensitive, probably just slightly more sensitive that F. rubiginosa but should survive down to 1 or2 C. I would still provide protection in winter in most southern areas.

I will confirm they hate temps below -1 especially if frost is involved . I had a large one here in NE vic for 6 years and ended up donating to the national collection as my hot house wasnet adequate to keep it happy .

Some Ficus are definitely deciduous, but I think yours is classed as evergreen, which means it loses its leaves whenever it %$#*-well likes... definitely when it is stressed, or frost damaged...

I’ve put one layer on the fatter tree and am having trouble finding motivation to layer the other tree as it’s less inspiring material. Also it takes so long to ring bark, there was sap everywhere, extremely messy, despite not watering it before ringbarking. Hope it works.

With the other tree, I’m tempted just to chop it and plant the top half as a very large hardwood cutting. It is a fig, maybe it’ll root!

Regarding the bottom halves, given that it is summer, can a fig handle a late season root prune? I imagine these trees will need severe root work. If so I would wait until next week when it’s cooler, but I don’t think slip potting is an option here given the deep square pot they are in, I do not have a larger version for the sake of slip potting.

Generally with figs the hotter the better . However 40 degrees might not be ideal for rootpruning . Next week would be fine as I believe we have enough summer and heat in store for new roots to form.

If you can guarantee a couple of weeks of warm weather to come, then you should have no trouble root pruning or taking a cutting. If you have somewhere protected from the wind, and nice and warm, it should thrive. In saying that, cuttings don't always take for me, and I can't say why that is, I guess I should take notes...

Bottom heat is probably one of the best ways to get good results...

Excellent, thank you!