Inducing aerial roots to hide reverse taper

treebeard55 · 01-22-2011, 09:53 PM

Some of you, I know, are already familiar with the technique I demonstrated at the Ft. Wayne Bonsai Club meeting this morning. But others may find this thread of interest.

The tree is a willow-leaf fig, Ficus salicaria. When I bought it, three major branches were emerging from the same point on the lower trunk, and this had resulted in a bulge (orange arrow.) I removed one of the three immediately, but the bulge has slowly gotten worse.

So I decided to try to induce some aerial roots to form on the trunk below the bulge (yellow bracket.) This, if all goes well, will result in more visual bulk in that area, and hide the reverse taper.

I first made a number of wounds in the cambium with the points of a leaf-cutter. Then I rigged a sleeve of .4-mil polyethylene around the trunk, and filled it with long-fiber sphagnum. A couple of strips of ordinary packaging tape closed the polyethylene sleeve on the side and top.

Two things to note, please.

First, I used latex gloves when handling the sphagnum. Sporotricosis is rare, but infection is not impossible.

Second, I used polyethylene sheeting for the "sleeve" because, according to research by the late Dr. J. R. Cody of Texas, polyethylene will allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass, but not water (liquid or vapor.) This is not true of all plastics, and makes polyethylene my choice for any project of this type. I bought a roll (as much as I'll ever need) for a few dollars, at a local paint store that sells it for drop cloth.

I won't rush it, but I hope to see roots well enough developed by summer that I can repot the tree then. Veremos -- we shall see!

dankone · 01-27-2011, 06:05 PM

great idea! i think it will work well for the tree.

treebeard55 · 01-27-2011, 07:15 PM

Thanks, Dankone. We missed you Saturday; several people wondered aloud. Darlene asked me to write up a description of the procedure for the next newsletter; I'll give an update (if it's warranted) at the same time.

KimchiMonger · 01-30-2011, 07:40 PM

Inducing aerial roots to blend away reverse taper? *Slaps forehead* BRILLIANT! Very ingenious and creative. Let us know how it goes with this one in months to come.

Phil · 01-30-2011, 10:51 PM

It should work like a charm as I've done it quite few times. I've always simply placed a plastic sleeve (cup), or even use aluminum foil as I did with my epiphytic ficus with a few holes punched in it and no problem whatsoever. Wow, I've never heard of Sporotricosis before! Hell, I'm not going to worry about it now as when I was young I used to play with Mercury and even handled pounds upon pounds of asbestos powder when I used to do some taxidermy with fish. Ignorance is bliss!

~Phil

artyanimal · 01-31-2011, 05:04 AM

I used to go the huge ball of moss route for these "repairs" too. After endless hours of carefully picking it out of the resulting tangle of roots however, I just decided with too many of these type projects at any given time, life was too short.

I now just feed the area frequently with an organic lower nitrogen higher phosphorous fert and loosely tie the new roots to the trunk with string as needed. The optional wounds or the application of poly this or that including saran wrap, aluminium, foam cups or whatever else you have handy can still be used as they do help with inducing and humidity respectively. Personally, I prefer a little better air circulation like Phil's "few holes punched" in the material. For what its worth, I don't bother wounding.

If there is any root production loss (especially on ficus) without moss, or even wounding, it has not proved significant enough for me to even notice.

Call me Roberto Duran if you must but, "NO MOSS" for me!

Cheers,

Arty

centaura · 02-01-2011, 11:57 AM

We have a large natal plum at the Garden that we've packed with spaghum to induce rootage on, to fill in a part of the trunk that died. Another solution for aerial roots on a ficus is to put the whole thing in a clear plastic bag for a few months, but there you're going to get aerials all over the place and not just in one spot.

Sorry I missed the meeting, right now it looks like the next meeting down there that I'll make will be the spring show. I have to work every Sat. between now and May.

-Centaura

treebeard55 · 02-01-2011, 02:26 PM

This tree has been throwing the odd aerial root ever since I built the Crate, and I'm sure would have kept doing so thru the winter. But I want to get a good spaghetti bowl of aerials in that part of the trunk by summer if possible. At 58, I don't want to spend longer on a project than the project really needs!

I hereby offer "spaghetti bowl" as the collective noun for a bunch of aerial roots.

artyanimal · 02-02-2011, 05:38 AM

LOL

"Spaghetti bowl" seems pretty darned accurate to me!

In keeping with the gist of this thread...

A couple of years ago a customer gave me a ficus as seen in the pic on the left since she was moving north and could no longer keep it. Her objective was to eventually grow the considerable root structure she had already 'built' into a single fat triangle of a trunk. This was about two years ago and I actually just let it sit there for a year while I made up my mind.

Believe me, this is one instance in which I really wish I had two such tress for a definitive method comparison. I honestly did not really know what to do with it. On one hand, I could have continued the rooting in progress and would have been able to see through this framework of a "trunk" for (many) years to come. On the other, I could condense them all and actually make it a proper trunk from the get-go and carry out her plan of fattening from there.

In the end, I opted for the second choice as seen in the middle pic from last season.

Yesterday, I took the right pic after reading this thread and still don't know if I made the correct choice ~sigh~

Arty

treebeard55 · 02-02-2011, 10:50 AM

Sometimes you make the best call you can and go with it. Personally, I think you called it right.

One thing in your favor. As those roots, in the 3d pic, fatten up, they will close some of the little see-thru spots; and, their greater bulk will add to the overall visual bulk of the trunk. The eye will come to see trunk-plus-aerials as one object.

01-27-2011, 07:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
treebeard55 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw IN, USA USDA zone 5b Posts: 511	Thanks, Dankone. We missed you Saturday; several people wondered aloud. Darlene asked me to write up a description of the procedure for the next newsletter; I'll give an update (if it's warranted) at the same time. __________________ Treebeard 55 Steve Moore http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

01-30-2011, 10:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
Phil A bit "Windswept" Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chicago, Ill. USDA Zone 5 Posts: 1,051	It should work like a charm as I've done it quite few times. I've always simply placed a plastic sleeve (cup), or even use aluminum foil as I did with my epiphytic ficus with a few holes punched in it and no problem whatsoever. Wow, I've never heard of Sporotricosis before! Hell, I'm not going to worry about it now as when I was young I used to play with Mercury and even handled pounds upon pounds of asbestos powder when I used to do some taxidermy with fish. Ignorance is bliss! ~Phil __________________ Please, always keep in mind that the typewritten word does not always convey what you wish to say, and to always treat others as you would have them treat you. Think twice-submit once. I started out with nothing....and still have most of it. "Its hell out there, give them hell back." ~ Prowler/Victor Gray 12/31/1943 - 11/24/2008

02-01-2011, 02:26 PM	#8 (permalink)
treebeard55 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw IN, USA USDA zone 5b Posts: 511	This tree has been throwing the odd aerial root ever since I built the Crate, and I'm sure would have kept doing so thru the winter. But I want to get a good spaghetti bowl of aerials in that part of the trunk by summer if possible. At 58, I don't want to spend longer on a project than the project really needs! I hereby offer "spaghetti bowl" as the collective noun for a bunch of aerial roots. __________________ Treebeard 55 Steve Moore http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

02-02-2011, 10:50 AM	#10 (permalink)
treebeard55 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw IN, USA USDA zone 5b Posts: 511	Sometimes you make the best call you can and go with it. Personally, I think you called it right. One thing in your favor. As those roots, in the 3d pic, fatten up, they will close some of the little see-thru spots; and, their greater bulk will add to the overall visual bulk of the trunk. The eye will come to see trunk-plus-aerials as one object. __________________ Treebeard 55 Steve Moore http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

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01-27-2011, 06:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
dankone bonsai monk Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: huntertown IN zone 5 Posts: 27	great idea! i think it will work well for the tree.

01-30-2011, 07:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
KimchiMonger Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Dallas Zone 8a Posts: 26	Inducing aerial roots to blend away reverse taper? Slaps forehead BRILLIANT! Very ingenious and creative. Let us know how it goes with this one in months to come.

01-31-2011, 05:04 AM	#6 (permalink)
artyanimal Snipologist Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mid-coast Maine / Zone 5 and S. Florida / Zone 10 Posts: 89	I used to go the huge ball of moss route for these "repairs" too. After endless hours of carefully picking it out of the resulting tangle of roots however, I just decided with too many of these type projects at any given time, life was too short. I now just feed the area frequently with an organic lower nitrogen higher phosphorous fert and loosely tie the new roots to the trunk with string as needed. The optional wounds or the application of poly this or that including saran wrap, aluminium, foam cups or whatever else you have handy can still be used as they do help with inducing and humidity respectively. Personally, I prefer a little better air circulation like Phil's "few holes punched" in the material. For what its worth, I don't bother wounding. If there is any root production loss (especially on ficus) without moss, or even wounding, it has not proved significant enough for me to even notice. Call me Roberto Duran if you must but, "NO MOSS" for me! Cheers, Arty

02-01-2011, 11:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
centaura Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 334	We have a large natal plum at the Garden that we've packed with spaghum to induce rootage on, to fill in a part of the trunk that died. Another solution for aerial roots on a ficus is to put the whole thing in a clear plastic bag for a few months, but there you're going to get aerials all over the place and not just in one spot. Sorry I missed the meeting, right now it looks like the next meeting down there that I'll make will be the spring show. I have to work every Sat. between now and May. -Centaura

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