centaura

This is a second strangler fig that I just started working on this year. I have another one, and I'm trying to take some of the lessons that I learned from that one and apply it to this one. One of the lessons from my first strangler attempt was that I did not start with a large enough central dead trunk. The cuttings grew too quickly, and were soon the same size as the dead part of the trunk. This made the tree look more like a failed phoenix graft than a tropical tree that's been strangled by a fig. This is still hope for that first tree, my new goal is to get enough aerial roots on it to hide the dead trunk and just have it look like a tangle of aerial roots.

So, for this second attempt I took a large walnut stump out of my yard and am using it as the base. I am also using two different species of ficus - which will probably be lost on most observers, but to me it makes it look more realistic because that's what would happen in nature. The main species I am using is ficus burt-davyii, because it can grow wild and yet still get some great leaf reduction when its mature. A secondary benefit that I didn't know going into this project was how easily it throws aerial roots. Its already spontaneously given me two aerial roots - on my previous strangler I had to bag the tree for 100% humidity before I got aerials. The second species is ficus buxifolia, which I put a couple small cuttings in for contrast.

Here is a current shot of the beginning of the project, I'll have a few more close-up shots later today.

-Centaura

Attached Images

strangler2scale.jpg (71.1 KB, 42 views)

centaura

Here are two close-up shots of the walnut stump. One is a shot of the front, and one is of the back. The back shows the main burty-davyii cutting and its aerial root that's already down down to the soil. To bad that its on the back, but its thrown another aerial that's self-wrapping itself around the front. If it keeps putting out its own aerials, then I should get the look that I'm hoping for - a basket weave of various trunks and roots back and forth over the central stump. The other thing that I've tried to do with this strangler is to have the cuttings follow natural crevices in the trunk. There's a gap in the lower left side of the front where there is a "fold" in the walnut stump, in which I've planted one of my cuttings. This will hopefully help keep the tree looking "natural" - like it was ficus seeds getting caught up and then growing in various parts of the original "tree".

I do like the character of the walnut stump, though I don't think I'll do anything to preserve it. It would work either way - to have a rotted out empty interior to the "basket weave" of roots and trunks, or to have the dead stump in the middle. We'll see how it progresses over the years, as I see this as a long-term project.

-Centaura

Attached Images

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	strcloseup2.jpg (91.1 KB, 14 views)

treebeard55

Looking good, Centaura. If it works, you'll have a real attention-getter!

You and I talked about this project recently, so it's nice to see pictures of it. As you know, I'm especially interested in how your project turns out because I'm familiar with full-sized stranglers (called matapalos, "tree-killers") from growing up in Ecuador.

One thing surprises me: that you're using two species of Ficus because, you say, you believe that's what happens in nature. You may be right, but every time I saw a strangler fig in the rain forest, it looked to me like a single tree.

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centaura

I could be way off base in my assumption that there would be more than one tree that was "strangling". When I've seen tropical trees, they just always seemed to be big mixes of lots of things - ficus, ferns, air plants, etc. So the logic that I used was that this would also be a mix of things - I have a tiny orchid that I'd like to put in the branches in the far future. The idea that I'm trying to convey with the two species, is that they are seeds that have started around the base of a large old tree, that eventually grew up over it. Whether they grew around a dead tree or ended up strangling it to death is up to the observer. And I might end up taking the buxifolia out of the picture sometime in the future - I need to see how it grows in comparrison to the burt-davyii. If it doesn't read well as a composition it won't stay, but I thought it was an interesting experiment.

And, waiting in the wings is a recently acquired, very large dead bonsai that is fated to be strangler #3 in my collection. But its even bigger around, and taller than this walnut stump, so right now space is an issue. I won a large ficus at a raffle this last summer, and I had to get rid of a few things to make space for it. I don't know yet how I'll get my third strangler under light, so I haven't started it yet. But the thoughts are perculating in my brain.

-Centaura

treebeard55

After more thought, I realized you could be right: it never occurred to me as a youngster to see whether there was one strangler or two (or more.)

As you know, some species of stranglers start as epiphytes, sprouting in bits of duff in crotches and crannies of a host. They run roots down to the soil, and then start Operation Overwhelm. From what I was told, the ones in Ecuador do sprout in the soil and grow up alongside the other tree, then reach out with the fatal embrace.

In either case, tho, it would be possible for more than one strangler to be involved, I guess. Presumably they would eventually start to compete with each other if of different species; or fuse if they were the same.

Now I wish I could pop back to Ecuador and head out into the rain forest to look!

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

centaura

I had tried to start this one as an epiphyte (in the crotch at the top), but had issues with keeping the roots moist enough until they could hit "ground". So, I had to go with the planting on the side. Hopefully I can get enough inter-twinning so that it doesn't matter in the end.

As well, what I understand of ficus physiology is that they'll fuse inter-species. Its one of the basic premises behind grafting - fusing two different (related) species together. Its hopefully one of the ways that I'll be able to accent the interwoven trunks/roots/branches. I'm hoping that there will be a bit of a different between the buxifolia trunk and the burt-davyii trunk, to help add texture to the final tree (years from now).

Anyway, these are the thoughts that are going through my mind as I think of this project. I would really just like to get that over-lapping "basket weave" look of an old ficus. Nothings says "Tropical" like that does to me. And if I'm going to play with tropical trees, I'd like for them to look like they were tropical trees - not just try to style them like northern trees. I have deciduous trees that I can style as deciduous trees. So far I've fixed the biggest mistake I made on my first strangler - I've started with a larger "canvas" to weave trunks and roots upon. I'm also excited by how easily the burt-davyii is throwing aerials, that's a good omen.


-Centaura

Phil

Hi Centaura,

I’m not at all sure if it was you or someone else that I referenced to my Epiphytic Article or not.
Securing the roots securely and then wrapping with sphagnum moss should solve the problem.
I wouldn’t recommend using rubber bands as they will certainly lose their elasticity over time. It would be better to wrap it securely with something like electrical tape. Then simply cover it all up with sphagnum moss and then wrap it up with either plastic or aluminum foil and of course keep it moist and you should be all set to go after about six months to a year. You would be amazed at the plethora of aerial roots and how they will overtake everything.

~Phil~

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centaura

Greetings,

I think it was someone else you referenced to your article, though I might have seen it if it was posted here in the past. Thanks for the link though, I might go back and reread it.

When I first tried to start a cutting in the crook of the branches, I had wrapped it in sphagnum moss and wrapped that in plastic, but I couldn't keep it moist enough and it dried out before it sent roots as far as the soil line. It had been such a hassle to try to figure out a way to keep a cutting moist that I just gave up and planted them in the soil. I should get enough aerial roots to still get the look that I want. I might go back and put moist moss on the sides of this to get aerials, now that I know that their main root systems are safe from drying out, but I hadn't decided yet.

As for rubber bands - what I'm using in the picture is raffia. I will sometimes use rubberbands for fusing things, as they apply a small bit of pressure but not enough to leave a mark. But if I use them, its for short term applications. In this case I want the raffia to last about a year or so, which it will do since it will spend half of that year indoors not getting wet. By the time that I move this outside next summer, hopefully I will be done with the current raffia placements, so they can disintegrate outdoors.

-Centaura

Phil

Hmm...I can't really see how the sphagnum moss would get dry if wrapped in plastic unless it was not watered. Did you first soak it? In my epiphytic project I opted for the aluminum foil as I could easily unwrap it for watering, but in all actuality I never had to as I had an opening at the top (somewhat flared) so that I could simply pour in water. Worked like a charm!

~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

centaura

It was hard to get a good seal for the saran wrap around the two forks of the tree, and if I missed a day the moss would dry out. I sometimes have to miss a day of checking on my trees due to my work schedule. Also, I was not able to keep the moss pressed into the crevice between the trunks, so I found out that it had been really dry there even when the moss around it was moist. So, figuring I was fighting a loosing battle (i.e. trying to keep up with something that wasn't working), I just went with planting the next set of cuttings in the soil. I'll hopefully get enough of a nest of ariel roots that I can still achieve the look I was going for even though the first cuttings weren't actually grown epiphytic-ally.

-Centaura