AusBonsai

is it possible to take some established aireal roots that have not yet reached the ground off a fig and grow a tree from it?

im wondering this myself mate, there is one near me that i want to get but cant be sure whether or not it will shoot at all if removed. i cant see why not but there may be a reason it wont!

yeah i've just been walking round my street latley and the local parks have some awesome trees that have given me some crazy ideas. might take my camera out next time and take some video.

I have cut off a branch with aerial roots, planted it and it grew without dropping a single leaf.

Not for most figs. If there is no branch material, they will not shoot out. For instance, you cant take a root cutting of F. macrophylla or F. rubiginosa. You could graft onto the masses of roots before separating it though. It would, however, be effective on a willow leaf fig, as they DO strike from root cuttings. But i have never seen a mature specimen.

Joel

i was thinking get cut one off with quite a substancial amount of bark on it as well the young roots that haven't quite made it to the ground and just planting that in the ground or a pot with a small amount still exposed and see what happens. i'm gonna try it anyway just to see would i be wise to wait till summer?

Greenhorn wrote:i was thinking get cut one off with quite a substancial amount of bark on it as well the young roots that haven't quite made it to the ground and just planting that in the ground or a pot with a small amount still exposed and see what happens. i'm gonna try it anyway just to see would i be wise to wait till summer?

Depends on the species but most likely it would die. Most species do not strike from root cuttings. Doesnt matter about maturity. They will not shoot, or are at least VERY VERY VERY unlikely to do so. You would be wasting good material to graft onto. Graft it then take it.

Look at the photo in this link. See how there is no foliage or branches emerging from the roots? They dont have the ability to shoot. If you sever a root, it will not shoot unless its from a willow leaf. Maybe F. pumila too.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... tralia.JPG

Joel

Greenhorn wrote:i was thinking get cut one off with quite a substancial amount of bark on it as well the young roots that haven't quite made it to the ground and just planting that in the ground or a pot with a small amount still exposed and see what happens. i'm gonna try it anyway just to see would i be wise to wait till summer?

Are you talking the root itself, or branch with the aerial roots? Branch with aerial roots WILL work well.

Glenda

thanks Joel and Glenda,at first i was hoping that just the root would work oh well, what if i took a bit of the branch off as-well would it then shoot if i planted it?

Greenhorn wrote:thanks Joel and Glenda,at first i was hoping that just the root would work oh well, what if i took a bit of the branch off as-well would it then shoot if i planted it?

Yes, so long as you take some from the side the root is supplying water too. For instance, imagine you are looking at a trunk. A branch comes off pointing to the right. A root comes from this down. You must include some of the branch to the right hand side of where the roots are. Does this make sense? If not i can make a quick sketch later.

Joel

Joel wrote: Greenhorn wrote:thanks Joel and Glenda,at first i was hoping that just the root would work oh well, what if i took a bit of the branch off as-well would it then shoot if i planted it?


Yes, so long as you take some from the side the root is supplying water too. For instance, imagine you are looking at a trunk. A branch comes off pointing to the right. A root comes from this down. You must include some of the branch to the right hand side of where the roots are. Does this make sense? If not i can make a quick sketch later.

Joel

thanks Joel i understand that's what i originally thought i just wanted to see if the roots would and if not why? i try to make a point of when i understanding everything about anything.

I have actually put some thought into this myself. I would really like to graft some grow points onto a large clump of aerial roots and then strike it as a cutting. Unfortunately, i dont have a huge fig in my backyard...... just a couple small ones in pots.

Perhaps it is worth trying with certain species. But from my observations, shoots dont appear on pillar roots.

Joel

regarding grafting would it be possible to graft another trees branch to the root and it continue to grow? if so how and when? i'd like to try.if not why?

i will be trying to free graft an airial root that i am going to collect of a tree first, i beleive it will be possible as fig will stay alive a long time, long enough for a graft to take anyways.

and to answer your question green horn, you can get a cheap starter or seedling in its own pot and thread graft into the airial root and keep watering it while it is thickening and the graft taking

there was a japanese master that created a kokufu tree in under 15 years i think by using that method on a maple. i will see if i can find the article i seen it in

jamie

sounds interesting jamie i'd like to read it when i get the chance.