Sick ficus??

[billyc89]

Hi there, I've noticed for a while that the bark at the bottom of the trunk of my PJ Fig has gone all white and a bit flaky. Also the bark on the aerial roots has been peeling off revealing the green underneath. I am yet to take action as the amount of growth it has been putting on is phenomenal, however this problem hasn't gone away. Fungus problem? I haven't let it dry out for any lengthy period nor has it been too wet I believe. This is the first time I have grown figs in this climate though (subtropical). Any help much appreciated!!! Thanks.

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[kcpoole]

Looks fine to me.
Is it just the bark ageing and becoming mature?

Ken

ps for some reason the title of the thread reminds me of Monty Pythons "the Life of Brian" - Centurion and Pontius Pilate scene
Sickus Ficus

Gawd I am going to be laughing al week now

[Rory]

ps for some reason the title of the thread reminds me of Monty Pythons "the Life of Brian" - Centurion and Pontius Pilate scene
Sickus Ficus

Gawd I am going to be laughing al week now

That is exactly what came to my mind when I read that.... I was lol at that too. Good to know we have the same sections of brain matter Ken.

Yeah, sorry to wander off topic. Your fig is fine. I cannot see anything wrong with it at all. Have you grown figs before... I'm not being smart, I'm saying that if you haven't grown them before and watched closely you might think certain things are a problem. Figs develop very odd features, like random spotting on leaves can be normal, they look like the leaves are rotting when they die. But they are very hardy. The roots will often have sections that appear to have no bark, but that can be very normal. I can take a picture of mine with aerial roots and often there are sections that look like yours. I'm not saying you'll never have a problem with a fig, but that looks normal. Generally, with figs, if it has been kept damp for too long, you'll see a whitish / light brownish almost orange colour of fine dotting like a faint blanket of moss that will appear over the roots and shows you that the roots aren't getting enough time to dry and forage.

[Reece]

The other thing this could be is a mineral build up from using hard water. I think your fig is fine though......

[billyc89]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have grown figs before but that was down in Tassie and they were very very slow growing and I didn't really see them mature before I moved to QLD. Glad its fine as I have had it since it was a tiny seedling!!

Cheers,

Will