AusBonsai

kcpoole wrote: Hah LOL
I am still singing Jennifer too , but honest this one is really really good

Ken

Why oh why did I trust you Ken ...it was classic, but still terrible
"Fee Fo Fi Fum I smell the blood of an asylum"...where do you find this stuff Ken
Cheers, Dario.

Dario wrote:

kcpoole wrote: Hah LOL
I am still singing Jennifer too , but honest this one is really really good

Ken

Why oh why did I trust you Ken ...it was classic, but still terrible
"Fee Fo Fi Fum I smell the blood of an asylum"...where do you find this stuff Ken
Cheers, Dario.

Just my Weirdo music tastes
Have listened to all sorts of music over the years, and thanks to Youtube, so easy now to find them and enjoy them again

Ken

Hi Raymond,
Just wanted to share a couple of ideas. The trunk is very much the same diameter for large part of the top trunk. If you layered where the two red lines are you would get another tree. You could then develop a tree on the bottom tree that would have better taper.
Regards Ray

Ray M wrote:Hi Raymond,
Just wanted to share a couple of ideas. The trunk is very much the same diameter for large part of the top trunk. If you layered where the two red lines are you would get another tree. You could then develop a tree on the bottom tree that would have better taper.

Brokenbranch2.jpg

Regards Ray

Cheers Ray M, your suggestion is an idea I had thought about. Just wondering if the 2 red lines are 1 layer or 2 separate layers

Cheers Ray M, your suggestion is an idea I had thought about. Just wondering if the 2 red lines are 1 layer or 2 separate layers

Hi Raymond,
No mate, just indicating where you would do the two cuts to form the layer. The top of the tree would be a new tree which you could develop after it's removed.

Regards Ray

OK, due to time constraints, nothing has happened to this tree AS YET! I now need some advice as to which direction I need to take. As we speak, it looks sick. Yellowing leaves, some may be sunburnt and have turned brown on 1 side. It has roots billowing out of the bottom of the pot and I still don't know what to do with it, ie air-layer, trunk chop etc etc. I really don't want to lose it, it is by far the fattest trunk I have. I would like to get the foliage closer to the trunk. My recent form with air-layering also has me scared... I need some advice, PLEASE!!!

I'd be nursing it back to a good health before you do any major work with it mate. Never a good idea to work on a sick tree as I've been told

Thanks Jason, Your response prompts another question: How does one go about getting a tree back to good health? I water everyday, without exception! Seasol/Powerfeed mix every second weekend, without exception! This tree should be going nuts, but it isn't. Could it be root bound? Every other fig I have is lush and green, just like the MCG on Grand Final day. This one is looking more like a country oval in mid Summer...

Hi Raymond,

Without seeing of photo of the tree on how it sits, it does make it hard to identify what exactly is the problem, although from what you said, to me it sounds like its rootbound and could do with a repot and being defoliated. It looks like a Port Jackson Fig variety from your previous photos and now would be a good time to do so in the heat.

Perhaps a photo first would be best to be on the safe side and go from there. Jason is spot on with what he said in working on a sick tree isn't the best, especially on the touchy trees.

Cheers

David

Cheers David. I'll upload a photo in the morning.

the trunk has no taper. Take the advice and chop it down.

Ok, so I took some pics this morning of the tree in question.

I know the pot is too big. I know the trunk has no taper. What I don't know is why this particular tree is not looking like it should.

Only on one side...Sunburn?

Roots coming out of the drainage holes... I am very surprised considering this tree has only been in this pot a short time.
So my question is, what now
Thanks in advance

Hi mate,

Doesn't look like sunburn to me as the edges would brown off first. I'd suggest some seasol every four days (depending how often you water it), at a weak solution as it's more indicative of a lack of nutrients. I may be wrong but this is my observation based on the pics provided.

Second, you have two main issues with this tree - first has been mentioned already (no taper) and the second is major bar branching which will cause reverse taper.

Your options are to chop and use one bar as a leader and the other as a first branch, or layer the top following the same process. Of course layering means you'll get to keep the hard work you've done on the top half of the tree.

Layering however will mean the top half will still not have any taper.

A drastic angle change is difficult due to the heavy root system, so this limits other options you could take.

If this were my tree, I would chop and use the right hand bar branch as a continuation of the trunk turning the tree into a raft style. In other words, angle change to the far right, causing the right hand bar branch to touch the ground and perhaps even bury it a few cm under the soil. The left hand bar would become the main trunk, and subsequent shoots along the raft would become secondary trunks.

Cheers,
Mo

MoGanic wrote:Hi mate,

Doesn't look like sunburn to me as the edges would brown off first. I'd suggest some seasol every four days (depending how often you water it), at a weak solution as it's more indicative of a lack of nutrients. I may be wrong but this is my observation based on the pics provided.

Second, you have two main issues with this tree - first has been mentioned already (no taper) and the second is major bar branching which will cause reverse taper.

Your options are to chop and use one bar as a leader and the other as a first branch, or layer the top following the same process. Of course layering means you'll get to keep the hard work you've done on the top half of the tree.

Layering however will mean the top half will still not have any taper.

A drastic angle change is difficult due to the heavy root system, so this limits other options you could take.

If this were my tree, I would chop and use the right hand bar branch as a continuation of the trunk turning the tree into a raft style. In other words, angle change to the far right, causing the right hand bar branch to touch the ground and perhaps even bury it a few cm under the soil. The left hand bar would become the main trunk, and subsequent shoots along the raft would become secondary trunks.

Cheers,
Mo

First time I've heard the term "bar branching". What does that mean in newbie language?
Thanks

From the looks of those leaves and the lack of health this tree appears to be in my focus would be 100% on trying to regain the health of this tree!
Health first before anything!