AusBonsai

Hey all,

I am very new to this whole Bonsai thing and am needing some advice.

I have attached 2 photos of a smallish Pot Belly Fig which has contracted a weird whitish mark on the trunk.
It is not a part of the trunk and you can feel it over the trunk so i am thinking it may be a build up of salt or something.
But again i say i am a novice and need to know A) what it is exactly and B) should i get rid of it and how to do so.


Any feedback would be much appreciated.


Mike, SA.....

Hi Mike,
Got a crick in the neck trying to look at your photos. Maybe its because they were taken in Adelaide then transmitted in an easterly direction?

The white marks could be salt (should say 'salts' because its probably a mixture of different compounds and NaCl (which we know as table salt or just 'salt'.)will only be one of the salts included) or calcium deposit (probably also technically a 'salt') from the water or the fertiliser you are using or both.
First I do not think that either should harm the tree. Most figs are very salt tolerant - not certain about pot bellied fig - but I have seen Port Jackson figs growing in the front row of plants just above high tide mark. Just imagine the salt load they are coping with! They also enjoy a bit of calcium and are often associated with limestone in the wild.

Salts deposits occur when water with dissolved salts in it evaporates leaving the salts as a solid. I get a calcium film forming on the cuttings that are regularly misted with our bore water.
What fertilisers do you use? Using an organic fert might reduce the salt deposition if its coming from the fert. How often do you water? Frequent light misting increases the deposits of salts on leaves and trunk as the water evaporates off the tree but as its closer to the mix I'd guess its water rising up the trunk from the mix by capillary? action and evaporating. Your tap water in Adelaide probably has a pretty high salts level cos we upstream look after your water so well before we send it your way. Watering with rainwater would help if that's the problem.

Heavier watering could help to wash it off as well.
Any more thoughts from fig growers or others with poorer quality water?

Hi Shibui,

Hahaha re photo orientation. Yeah my bad on the photos.

Yeah it doesnt appear to be harming the plant and it has been quite hot over here as of late so the spray waterings may be evaporating quickly leaving the salt. The fertilizer i am using is in the pic below (correct way up for your convenience, hehe) but am not sure if this is great or not. i was told it is a great all rounder.

thanks again for the help, really appreciated



Mike

Fertilizer is OK
Do you keep this tree inside
Can this build up be wiped off with a damp cloth
Is there any evidence of this white build up on the foliage

Hi Gerard.

Tree is kept outside under a shaded pergola. It gets natural light but no direct sunlight ever. (is this a problem, our sun is very violent and has destroyed alot of my plants).

It is quite hard to the touch, a damp cloth will remove some of it but will need to be rubbed pretty hard to get off completely.

No white marks on the foliage.


Mike

The fertiliser you are using is a good all rounder as you say but its made from chemical salts so it is more likely that these deposits will appear as the salts precipitate out as the water evaporates. Its not likely to harm the tree at these levels but can sometimes build up to levels that are toxic to sensitive trees (not figs though). It is also very difficult to get the deposit off when it accumulates on the pot.

I'd try using an organic fert during summer when the problem is worst - Try blood and bone, chook poo pellets, etc - and use the general purpose fert in spring and autumn when evaporation levels are not so high.

Hello, I might hazard a guess here, you are using one of the ( for better expression) heat sensitive fertilisers. Your temperatures have been very high as you say.

You might have had a dump of the fertiliser, as when it is so hot the membrane will release all of its contents in one go.

This could the result in a sudden influx of the salts in the fertiliser.

Just my Pup

Thanks a heap all.

Really appreciate this.

I agree with all of the above comments. Give your fig some Seasol and let it drain through. This just might get rid of some of that salt.