When we left "Twister" one year ago in this post, it had just been re-potted and readied for summer. It had a great summer outdoors, greening up quite a bit and putting on a bit of wood all over.
October 19, 2019: Early fall update...
May 29, 2020: Twister has been thriving under lights all winter and spring. I am not quite inclined to set it outdoor yet. The re-adjustment will surely set it back a bit, and I am worried about pests, especially spider mites!
And while indoors, in early spring, this guy even tried to make fruit! I noticed a couple of small green balls, though I never saw any flowers. But they soon fell off ☹️
It would have been so cool to have ripe fruit on a ficus indoors!
Imagining the tree (thanks Gimp!) without the lower branch… "imbalanced" is the word that pops up :(
That doesn't mean, a good haircut and some wiring will not happen!
October 19, 2019: Early fall update...
Clipped off apex. Probably still too tall -
but I can't get myself to lose the movement at the top I achieved by wiring. I see several buds pushing out in various branches closer to the trunk - some of
them should help fill the big voids, and help compactify. Did a little more wiring - needs more done.
May 29, 2020: Twister has been thriving under lights all winter and spring. I am not quite inclined to set it outdoor yet. The re-adjustment will surely set it back a bit, and I am worried about pests, especially spider mites!
And while indoors, in early spring, this guy even tried to make fruit! I noticed a couple of small green balls, though I never saw any flowers. But they soon fell off ☹️
It would have been so cool to have ripe fruit on a ficus indoors!
But staring at it
some, I am starting to wonder if the lower left branch (purple oval) is a bit
too low, and will eventually have to be removed. Then the next left side branch
(blue arrow) will need to thicken to fill the void. That's probably a big leap
of faith.
Given the lower branch might go eventually, it's probably a good idea
to remove the aerial root on it (orange arrow) so that the branch contributes
to the thickening of the main trunk.
Imagining the tree (thanks Gimp!) without the lower branch… "imbalanced" is the word that pops up :(
One thought was, if
I could induce some aerial roots on the 2nd branch on the left, it could thicken
faster. So, I have wrapped a wet cloth around it. But a previous attempts on the right
side branch (albeit with wet moss), didn't do anything - so hopes aren't high.
No drastic measure are going to be taken yet. Wise people have said repeatedly that don't cut branches unless you are absolutely sure. I am definitely not.
That doesn't mean, a good haircut and some wiring will not happen!
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