Aerial roots

[Ben Thomas]

This is my happy moreton bay fig. As the pic shows, it's healthy and growing well. I Repotted 11 months ago, roots r coming from everywhere! Couple of nice ones growing from trunk towards base but many coming up n out at sides of pot. What to do??

[shibui]

You can use aerial roots to thicken the trunk Ben. Train them down along the trunk and into the mix. They will eventually graft onto the trunk and give it some extra contours and thickness. You need to be a bit careful with the ones coming from the roots though. If they really get going they can make the root thicker at that spot and reverse taper is just as bad on roots as the trunk and branches.
The ones coming up out of the pot do not matter. you can leave them or cut them off if you don't like the look.
I notice a smaller root coming from just above the large root on the right and circling around the front of it. looks like it has already compressed the main root a bit. I would cut that one off before it marks your main root any worse than it is.

[Ben Thomas]

Thanks Shibui.