AusBonsai

Has anybody grown ficus in 100% scoria/red lava rock?

Today I repotted this ROR ficus in 100% scoria and topped with rooster booster/dynamic lifter.

This tree has been severely neglected in the shade for a few years.

I was out of pumice/akadama so figured I'd experiment with the scoria.

I also cut it back hard a few weeks ago

Yes I have used straight scoria for a cutting. It was basically a small tree sized cutting, around 5cm across, flat cut and wired into a small bonsai pot. Scoria was 7mm+ size, so plenty of oxygen around the cut site. No pics on hand, but pretty sure I could find one or two.

I'm sure if you have some roots on yours it'll be fine, as long as the rooster booster isn't too thick as to stop the exchange of oxygen.
Found this pic from 2019. Plant has doubled in girth since planting into a plastic pot.
This one from Sept 2018. Clearly the scoria wasn't a problem for it.

My Mother NATALIE (Ficus Natalensis) spent a few years with a pure scoria base and nothing but chook pellets and was fine for a few years

Here is a recently acquired pjf I’m assuming, It had a hard prune on big, long and leggy branching from the previous owner. I’ve flipped it around 180 degrees as I saw more character from this new front and repotted it into something more suitable I think. Cheers

Nice aged bark on that one

This guy is ready to do some growing.

Very nice, my I suggest you remove that one root growing side ways, as it gets larger it will be even more jarring
Great tree.
Cheers
Susan

KIRKY wrote: ↑November 10th, 2022, 10:39 am Very nice, my I suggest you remove that one root growing side ways, as it gets larger it will be even more jarring
Great tree.
Cheers
Susan

Yes. It's on my to do list. I thought about keeping it for a while, just to be different. But it will eventually go.
Cheers

Oliver E wrote: ↑November 10th, 2022, 9:32 am This guy is ready to do some growing.

Beautiful tree.

I often find the roots on figs a bit overwhelming. Putting aside the horizontal one, they look great.

A fun ficus I have been messing around with since 2016

Some earlier photos and ones from today. The back if this tree is probably going to end up being the new front.

I thought I'd post an update to my frost bitten fig I posted last year.
I'm happy to report that it has recovered quite nicely. It lived over winter in a small wooden framed greenhouse (in the background) that I grow capsicums in through summer.
There are lots of dead branches in amongst those leaves so the next step will be a complete defoliation and dead branch removal.

A root over rock Ficus benjamina I've been working on. I think it might be 'nana' variety but not sure. Bought it as 'midnight' from Bunnings ages ago.

Need to start doing some major work on the top now.



Cheers,
Dave.

Just a progression of this cutting. It's grown a very thick base now. No work other than a branch removal, and not much feeding, but it's nice and strong.

Feb 2024

Around 2yrs ago






Today


Needs a trim, cutback, roots removed leaf reduction, in otherwords the works.
Collected from the wild 20yrs ago as a seedling/stick