Plant Care

I have always wanted a Redwood Bonsai. In the Spring of 2001, I collected seeds from the trees, but as of September 8, 2001, they have not sprouted.

I also collected seeds from two other trees. I believe one is a Jack-o-Rama and the other is unknown, but I have a frozen sample.

I went back to Sequoia trees. This time I decided to try some cuttings. I read in National Geographic that branches will break off a tree and "spear" into the ground. The part of the branch that is buried in the ground grows roots and a new tree is born. The apartment trees have miniature forests of growth at the base of the tree. I broke off a few pieces about two or three inches and a quarter inch in diameter. I also dug into the small root system around this miniature forest and pulled a two inch cube of clay that contained a root and several little trees. The biggest tree on this cube is about an inch with two or three smaller stubs.

March 8, 2005. I purchased a Giant Sequoia seed kit that contained five seeds. After a few weeks in the refrigerator to simulate winter, two of the seeds sprouted. Each seedling grew to an inch in length. I decided to transplant into permanent pot earlier than normal because one of the seedlings didn't sprout out of the ground properly. While transplanting, I accidentally disturbed the soil around the seedlings and they dried out a few days later. Good thing I bought two kits!

Bonsai Stuff

Ficus Benjamina as Bonsai

It seems most sources of information about using Ficus Benjamina as Bonsai conflict with each other. My care guide for Ficus Benjamina as Bonsai is based on my personal experience and other sources where I hope to resolve the conflicting information when possible.

Bloom-Rite? Bonsai Care Booklet

Other Bonsai Information

Predefined Searches

Photos

FAQs

Miscellaneous

Ficus

Water

This is probably the area where ficus causes the most problems. Ficus generally can adapt to a wide range of moisture levels. What they want as much as anything is a consistent environment. This holds true for water, and fertilizer. Depending on the indoor environment watering should be weekly. Many people overwater the plant keeping the soil soggy. Soil should be kept moist but not soggy. The soil should not dry out between waterings. Excessive drying out can cause massive leaf drop. When watering use water that is at room temperature. Allow city water to sit to allow chlorinating to evaporate. Ficus grow very well with sub-irrigation, visit Everlife for more information on sub-irrigation and take the headaches out of watering you plants.

Moisture stress and low light contribute significantly to leaf drop, and abscisic acid levels increase as ficus plants go into interior environments. What really happens is that ficuses generate internal ethylene when exposed to moisture stress. The plants think it is the dry season coming, and leaves are shed. Exposure to ethylene causes leaf loss, as does low-level exposure to mercury from paints. Moisture-stressed ficuses tend to drop yellow leaves, whereas green leaves are shed when exposed to ethylene, low-light stress, or mercury.

Light

Ficus can survive low interior light but would prefer bright filtered light. Position ficus near or opposite a curtained southern window. Ficus has been used by interior plantscapers for many years, the plants must be acclimated to their location and will respond with a floor full of leaves as they go through the process.

Houseplant Index

The Houseplant Index-http://www.planet-pets.com/hseplntndx.htm helps if you don't know what your plant is called. It gives you a list of plants, and if you follow the link there is a picture of the plant. I used this index to finally confirm I had a Ficus Benjamina

General Care Instructions

SUPERthrive

SUPERthrive is vitamins and hormones for plants. It is kind of expensive, but a two fluid ounce bottle should last a long time. It is hard to find in stores. I recommend calling nurseries before looking for it. It is available via purchase on internet, but I strongly suggest you price shop first. Don't be fooled into believing that online purchases are good deals. You can always find cheaper at your local stores. I paid $5.99 for two fluid ounce bottle at local store.

Dracaena (DAMAGED)

Dracaena (Warneckii): This house plant can tolerate any light except direct, hot sun. Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings.

Water

Depending on the indoor environment watering should be weekly. Many people over water the plant keeping the soil soggy. Soil should be kept moist but not soggy. The soil should dry out between waterings. Excessive drying out can cause brown tips and edges. When watering use water that is at room temperature. City water should sit to allow chlorinating to evaporate. Fluoride in the water can lead to tip burn. Janet Craig is one variety that will tolerate considerable dryness BUT the plant should be relatively free of fertilizer, this can also lead to tip burn.

Light

Dracaenas will survive low interior light but would prefer bright filtered light. Position dracaenas near or opposite a curtained southern window. Janet Craig has been used by interior plantscapers for many years when a low light dracaena is needed. Plants that have been acclimated for use indoors should NOT be placed in direct sun or it will sunburn.

One day I noticed this plant started to develop yellowish spots in the leaves. These spots were hard to see, but if there was a bright light behind the leaf the spot was obvious. I figured it was not getting enough sun and put it on my sun-drenched balcony. I leave the plant on the balcony only for a few hours otherwise the plant would get too much sun. Guess what I did? I left this plant out on the balcony of my apartment for two days during the Summer of 2001 which damaged the plant. My cousin came over, the next thing I knew I was at the movies and completely forgot my poor plant.

About 30% of this plant was burned. Over a couple of months I cut off the burned parts. The shape of the plant is ruined, but the plant at least looks better.