fig of the side of the road.

Paulneill · Post by **Paulneill** » December 18th, 2012, 8:18 pm

I got this big sick looking fig of the side of the road yesterday . the pot weighed a ton .I want to layer it at the base but am hesitant because of its ill health.
I am assuming that the soil is waterlogged and airless,

will survive the air layer?

MoGanic · Post by **MoGanic** » December 18th, 2012, 9:27 pm

I would probably leave a layer for now... better option is to poke the soil with a chopstick to see what its like in there.. if its root bound you can knock off the pot its in and just verrryyy gently tease out any circling roots and then slip it into a larger pot with a couple inches more for the roots to breathe. Then once it starts to show growth hit it with some seasol once a week and place dynamic lifter on the soil surface.

MattA · Post by **MattA** » December 18th, 2012, 11:10 pm

I would repot, removing around 75% of the root mass and put it back into a similar large pot or box thats about half as deep, while repotting try the "Toothpick method" to start improving the roots and base. Instead of chopping the whole lot back, remove some of the upper branches to balance, about 50%. The difference will be made up by the tree with a few dropped leaves & faster root regen & now is the perfect time to be doing this sort of work

Damian Bee · Post by **Damian Bee** » December 18th, 2012, 11:25 pm

Ahhh roadside fig, I have spotted several of this variety lately in Melbourne.
Also a close relative, the skip bin fig and tip face fig, all worthy of a go. Unfortunately I will be shot on sight if I am found dragging any of these onto the property

Paulneill · Post by **Paulneill** » December 22nd, 2012, 4:20 pm

I repotted this beast and potted it up in pure diatomite .

Paulneill · Post by **Paulneill** » December 22nd, 2012, 4:21 pm

It was hard work cutting through

Andrew F · Post by **Andrew F** » December 22nd, 2012, 7:21 pm

Paulneill wrote:

I repotted this beast and potted it up in pure diatomite .

Look at those roots....Hard yakka right there.

time8theuniverse · December 22nd, 2012, 9:37 pm

That looks like a really sad soil its coming out off. The fig will enjoy a good feed.

Damian Bee · Post by **Damian Bee** » December 23rd, 2012, 10:55 am

What time is trunk chop?

Paulneill · Post by **Paulneill** » December 23rd, 2012, 2:03 pm

Depending on its Health but I would think probability this time next year it will be ready for a layer or maybe a tourniquet will trunk chop it when removing the layer . That will make it a hell of a bit lighter from when I got it.

AusBonsai