AusBonsai

Aerial roots. You've got to love it when you get some... and I finally have.

I've moved my Morton Bay Fig to a new location. Ever since it has begun sprouting Aerial roots so I must have raised the humidity without meaning it

I'll start off by saying that I hope this isn't a silly question, Aerial roots are new to me so I would like to clarify;

Can fertilizer be detrimental to Aerial roots at all before they have reached the dirt. The Aerial roots have only been growing for a couple of weeks and I'm not wanting to burn the tips of them.

All advice and clarification would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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I've been using liquid fertilizer on my figs for years and I've never had it burn the aerial roots.

The only problem I've ever had with liquid fertilizer is on banksia leaves. If its too hot the next day and the fert is left on the leaves it can kill the leaves.

Thanks Rory. I didn't think it would be a problem but thought I had better double check.

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In my experience I have noticed that if you are wanting to encourage aerial roots it is better to shade the area you want them to form on. In other words, if the tree gets most if its sun in the afternoon for example, place the tree so the side you are trying to encourage the roots to grow from, is facing the shaded side a little bit longer. I usually turn my fig 180 degrees when it has developed a good dose of aerial roots after a while on one side that have thickened and are feeding the tree. (please note, don't expose the aerial roots into the sunnier side UNTIL the aerial roots have thickened to signify they have taken, as you don't want to suddenly shock them with higher levels of sun until they have set, and if you want to be meticulous you can perhaps move it 15 degrees each day until you get to 180 degrees, but that is being pedantic - not that there is anything wrong with that for bonsai growers).

I get them growing all the time, but I do notice more grow on the shaded side than the sunnier side. It may not be the same for everyones experience, but I find that the aerial roots grow better when shaded for longer, (not overly so, but just more than the side that is subjected to higher levels of sun). I've heard that spraying occasionally helps too but I don't bother with this.

It is funny you mention the fertilizer question, as I've noticed on the odd occasion when an aerial root hits an osmocote slow release ball on the surface, sometimes the root will split into 3 or 4 shoots immediately at this point, as it must trigger a 'jackpot' mechanism in the root indicating it is a great place to setup camp.

Some people do spray their aerial roots to encourage the growth, but where I live this is not a problem as we get a lot of constant moisture and humidity. The only issue I would have with the 'straw' method is that the root will grow quite straight, although you do see them growing straight down in nature as well.

Yeah I'd say you are right about the shadier side growing them. The few that did pop on the other side for me just shriveled up and died in the direct sunlight. I have noticed since it has begun sprouting the Aerial roots the already expired roots have swelled, leaving cracks along the length of the roots.

Unfortunately for my figs I live in Melbourne, so keeping up the temps and humidity can be a little hard haha. These Aerial roots have inspired me to make a mini greenhouse for over the winter here - I'll probably just try using a 60L frosted packing tub.

Here's a photo of the few roots that have popped in the last couple of weeks. Don't mind the poor stock, it was the first tree I ever received.

Front.


Front Rotated.


Back.


Cheers,
Pearcy.

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These are just my thoughts....

What is with all the rocks and large rocks? You can sometimes read more into a fig by looking at the aerial roots. From my experience, take note that there are a lot of them and they are fairly new which to me indicates a problem. I'd say the medium you have them in is either staying wet for too long or something is wrong with it, or there is simply no room in the pot. The tree is probably pushing out a stack of aerial roots because of this, or that there is simply no room left for the roots to grow in that shallow bonsai pot.

Firstly, I would get rid of the rocks in my opinion. Depends on what you are trying to achieve, but rocks on the surface will usually just keep the soil wet longer and I would think in Melbourne this wouldn't be one of your goals.

The sooner the roots hit the soil the sooner they will start to feed the tree. I'd also place the whole thing into a larger growing tub, but if you are happy with the thickness of the trunk then okay. It looks like quite a bit of entanglement with those large exposed roots.

I hope this doesn't come across as rude, just trying to help

No stress at all definitely not rude.

The large rock you can see in the centre of both the 'front' and 'back' photo is under the dirt filling a portion of the pot. This rock was placed there by the previous owner that the tree was purchased off. The other couple of rocks were just used by me previously to support and prop the tree in strong winds but have since fallen over.

Due to this tree never being a favorite of mine it got neglected and I never repotted it, I may try this arvo to get it repotted if it's not too late.

You're also right about the substrate. It appears to stay wet appearing to have minimal aeration again telling me I should have repotted it long ago but got lazy. I had a f. Benji that I received at the same time which was purchased from the same original owner, it too grew poorly until I repotted it at the start of summer.

If I was to repot now would all the Aerial roots die unless covered by the substrate? I'd guess all the trees energy would be put toward the regrowing of new feeder roots not the Aerial roots.

Thanks for all your advice Rory it's greatly appreciated.

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Pearcy001 wrote:If I was to repot now would all the Aerial roots die unless covered by the substrate? I'd guess all the trees energy would be put toward the regrowing of new feeder roots not the Aerial roots.

I am not sure of the temps where you are, but as long as the nights are still above about 15 / 16 degrees you shouldn't have a problem.
I would get rid of all the rocks. When you place into a larger growing container, (make sure the medium will drain well), just wire the tree in so it is structurally secure. In other words literally having a wire come out from the bottom of the pot and wrapped around the base. You should only need one if done well.

Just be careful of the aerial roots if you don't want to lose them. They will easily break off when you bump them too hard. No, aerial roots will have no problem with a repot. You don't need to cover them with the soil, they will keep growing until they get there. I always repot all my trees by spraying the roots with a hose on a medium spray mode to keep the roots damp and help to work the roots apart. Each to their own. Depending on how pot bound the roots are you may need to get in there and see.

Seems like we repot the exact same way. I too wire mine into the plastic post, normally I remove it after a couple of months once I know it is secure although this one may be a bit wonky with the roots mainly running in one direction.

Thanks for getting me motivated again for this one Rory. I'll try my best to get it repotted this arvo. Fingers crossed I have a spare orchid pot laying around.

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Although I am tempted to leave it in there a little longer to produce more Aerial roots haha

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I'm a big fan of aerial roots on figs.
I found a very useful technique to keep them alive is to use a drinking straw to maintain the humidity.
I like to split the straw down the middle beforehand just incase it needs to be removed.

Original source here:
http://www.bonsainorthsidenursery.com.a ... ial-roots/

I also keep my figs close to the ground and spray water all over the place to give it more humidity.

Aerial roots are probably much easier to promote in Queensland, but at the right time if year they seem to pop up down here in Sydney as well

With the split straw method .. Does it matter if the staw is/not coloured ? I was looking for thinker straws but the ones I got were clear- would they cook the roots?

Ive got clear blue ones on mine and they are rocketing towards the ground! The picture is 10 days growth between the lines up here in brissy when we had some pretty humid weather

This one recieved a repot the other day.

It appears the Aerial roots may have been being caused by a small amount of rot through one of the large main roots.

It was in a poorly draining organic mix from when I recieved it.



The root was cut off above the rot but I did not think to seal the base of the root where it was cut.

Will this be a problem?

I was fairly vicious with the roots and would rather not disturb them again if not needed, but am able to rip it up and seal it if required.

Thanks in advance guys.
Pearcy.

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Seeking advice if I may guys.

So since this one's repot the leaves are beginning to turn yellow and I am presuming, about to fall - aprox 1/3 of the foliage thus far.

I bare rooted the MB Fig, and was quite rough with the roots. I don't think I've overdone it, but would rather not lose the tree from over stressing it. Once repotted it was placed under my verandah receiving partial sun, but no real direct sunlight except maybe an hour early morning (I normally leave them in the garage for a week after repot, but thought I'd change it up to try it out this time).

The repot was a must due to the poor substrate and root rot. Just wondering how people think I should proceed?

A - Removing some foliage/branches so the roots aren't working so hard to recover - It was going to be restyled eventually anyway - Or;

B - Leaving the leaves to drop and push new buds. More foliage may get the roots to grow a bit quicker before winter? I'm also thinking more foliage may be better over winter to suck more water up from the soil, in an attempt to try keep it slightly dryer in those wet months.

Thoughts?

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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