Leafless ficus ginseng with new root shoots
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April 12, 2021 at 1:56 pm Reply
I really tried taking good care of this ficus (it even had an uv lamp), but it lost all its leaves.
When I removed the tiny braches they were dry.
But now some new shoots are started to come out from the root!
Any advice what should I do next?
How can I tell if the rest of the plant is dead? Should I remove the part above the new shoots?
Images:
April 12, 2021 at 2:22 pm ReplyWow I have to admit it’s impressive. I would definitely keep the stem as it is. I think part of it might still be alive. Your pictures are clear and you can kind of see that two stems are twisting around each other. At the root area one of them looks dead but the one with the shoots looks great.
To tell if a portion is dead, just scrape the bark very lightly – if it’s greenish underneath, then there’s still hope. If dry and dead, well it’s dead.  😕  😕
I would try to let the new shoots grow. I’d even try to train them to follow the twisted stem as they grow, that would make it look so cool like a bonsai. Use bonsai training wire to guide the growth while it’s still flexible. I’d go for exaggerating the curves by making them twist around the outside of each curve. Or make one shoot trace along the outside, and the other streak through the curves going straight up dodging the old wood. It can be lots of fun but it’ll take a lot of time.
Usually too much water kills these ficus. Is there drainage? Does the bottom of the pot wallow in water? That’s the key thing you should avoid at all costs.
April 12, 2021 at 4:19 pm ReplyHello benna! Thanks a lot for the fast reply! You sound like a real ficus expert.I’ve never tried bonsai training, but I will look into that. I don’t think it was the water, I tried to keep the soil moist around the roots, but never overwatered it. Also the pot is quite deep (we repotted it after buying). It started to lose leaves quite long ago (a year i think?), so I tried to find a better place that is not too dark, also tried the lamp. I’m not sure what the problem was but i tried everything.  😥 Maybe it didn’t like relocating or/and repotting. Now my only hope is these new root shoots.
April 13, 2021 at 7:34 am ReplyI know these are often sold in stores that really optimize their growing: lights, perfect watering, etc. It comes home and wham, everything is different, usually for the worse since our houses aren’t perfect for these plants.
What’s really good is that any new growth you’re getting from now own is already compatible with your growing environment as it is already, which is excellent! So just keep doing whatever you were doing and those new shoots will come along great  😉 Please share any updates!
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