Trouble with a Benji.

[boom64]

Hi All, Recently noticed some bark rotting away on one of my Benjis. I cleaned up the mess unfortunately there was a fair bit of damage ,could not find any little critters. However I found a lot of rot on the slats on the benches beneath it. I have moved the pot to another location [Two weeks ago ], today I found another spot of rot occurring .Hoping the good folk on Aus Bonsai could throw a little light on the problem. Thanks John.

[Boics]

Nice tree B64.

From what I understand you need to remove all the rot as it will typically fester and spread.
Beyond this a more dry and in particular less humid environment will help.

Less water. Good air circulation and even look at minor things like getting rid of the Moss. All will contribute to an overall micro climate.

Plenty of Fig lovers here hope you get some good advise as it would be a shame to lose this pleasant tree.

[sreeve]

Hi John
Last year I had a large Benjamina which had been cut down two years earlier from a large tree.
Whilst it had seemingly established and was developing, I found a similar problem and chased the problem around the tree.

In the end I couldn't beat the problem. In my case I am sure the problem was in the health of the roots, even though I had open draining potting mix.

I am not sure how frequently you are watering, how open your potting mix is, how often you are fertilising, or how often you are treating with Seasol to develop roots.

In my case, I wish I had treated with a root fungicide, refrained from heavy fertilising and upped the Seasol.

I DONT suggest this is a solution for your case as it is hard to tell from the photos.
However, like you, I am interested in what some of the other comments are

Regards
Steve

[Bougy Fan]

I have had this problem and put it down to a mix that is not draining. Some trees survive and some don't. I would immediately repot into a large size mix - I use about 6mm sieved diatomite and scoria and have found it works well. Smaller particle mixes seems to break down and get "clogged" - this can be made worse if you use a lot of DL.

I take all the rot out with a wire brush in my dremel and then seal it with a product called ATP Tree wound dressing. This is an acrylic "paint" and is available in white and brown and is much cheaper than Japanese cut paste. You will have to keep an eye on it and monitor the bark carefully. Good luck

[boom64]

Hi Steve, Boics and Bougey Fan . Thanks for the reply's. It is a strange problem to me as I have several other Benjis that are in the same mix and receiving the same feeding regime, yet are showing no problems. The funny thing is it has been growing well over summer and I have been constantly cutting shoots back . I will slip it out of its pot and check the roots and clean her up. I will repot as you suggested Bougey. Really appreciate the help, Thanks John.