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Bennz
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:06 am Posts: 675 Location: Waimarama NZ
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Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
Borrowing unashamedly from Mo's earlier post, here is an example of why survival alone is not necessarily enough.
I have loved banyan trees for a long time. About 25 years ago I purchased my first Ficus benghalensis, knowing it was a tropical tree that really needed a much warmer climate than I could give it, but prepared to take the risk. My original tree died but I had taken a cutting and having come up with the idea it needed a very free-drained spot to survive the cold wet winter soil here I planted it on a rocky slope. I can't remember exactly how long ago I planted this tree, but at least 15 years, maybe 18 years. It is still alive and looking ok, but very far from impressive. To be fair I didn't actually feed or water it, so it is an indication of the hardiness of the species. Here it is today about 2.5m tall;
About 20 years ago I planted my first Ficus columnaris. Unlike benghalensis this banyan is actually from a mild temperate island that is only a little bit warmer than here, and in habitat extends to an altitude where temperatures are quite similar to mine. This tree has grown far faster, is massively larger and looks like a banyan tree already. I didn't water or feed this one either, but it is in better soil.
So, two trees of basically similar growth habit that perform very differently here. F. benghalensis is still worth growing for the interesting foliage but I really wanted the aerial root habit. Sometimes it is worth focusing on the hardy plants.
_________________ Waimarama NZ Oceanic temperate climate
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Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:17 am |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
I would like a F.benghalensis healthy and does well on natural rains. Here,everything needs to be watered artificially is second nature. I have F.Macrophylla.2 of them. One waiting to be donated to a large park!...the other,due to Bonsai on a bigger scale. I like the aerial roots on it. Also- IF you did water and feed the F.benghalensis,Ben,it might be twice or 4 time or more larger. In San Francisco,Metrosideros send out sheets of aerial roots when sprayed with those oscillating sprinklers. Where grown harder as a street tree? Not so awesome. If it doesn't look healthy? Is where I draw the line. Even then,I think if its alive I'm going to hit on a way to make it thrive one day.
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Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:05 pm |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
It is still incredibly impressive. And yes....out of my reach. There is always someone jealous of someones plant . It's posts like these that cause the problems for me That would fit in so well with what I am trying to do in my garden and the plants. So jungly!
_________________ Regards,
Mo
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Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:37 pm |
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Kev Spence
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:59 pm Posts: 10902 Location: Loughborough, Leics, central UK
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
Cracking tree Ben that is simply massive already..........go on Mo have a go!
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Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:58 pm |
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Paul Spracklin
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:55 pm Posts: 2564 Location: North Thames delta UK
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
Love those banyans!
Mo - you could always grow one of the ficus-y Magnolias and dangle string from the branches?...
Just because I have the pictures to hand, here are Fascicularia bicolor ssp bicolor and ssp canaliculata - pics taken on the same day on spring 2010 after they had been exposed to -8C, a week below freezing and 2ft of wet snow dumped onto them. Guess which is which!
_________________ visit my website - www.oasisdesigns.co.uk
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Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:16 pm |
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themes
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:42 am Posts: 2148 Location: birmingham, UK
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
_________________ Regards,
Mo
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Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:21 pm |
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Bennz
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:06 am Posts: 675 Location: Waimarama NZ
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
_________________ Waimarama NZ Oceanic temperate climate
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Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:14 pm |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
London and Hayward are having identical temps the whole week. On another board a young lady posted her cat on the fence in the UK. Both cat and wet hills in the distance were like I stood at my corner and took the same photo. Her cat identical to mine- part Abyssinian.
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Mon Jan 22, 2018 10:23 pm |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
Imagine what Maurice could do with Ben's Ficus. I've see them on the net heavily planted with epiphytes near resorts. As tropical looking as can be.
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Sat Feb 17, 2018 11:25 pm |
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Stan
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:52 pm Posts: 10687 Location: Hayward- S.F. Bay area Ca.
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Re: Is survival enough? (plagiarised)
This recent cold reminds me too that while the inner bay area escaped frost,inland they have had record cold some nights. Tropicals took a freeze and most will survive. Yet,if you want a perfect all year garden,then exotics are not the way -right? Plenty of years I've watched my soft leafed plants nipped..knowing they recover in warm weather. I've seen local plants..cut down after a frost because the owners thought they had died!..if they had waited it would have returned just fine. So,another angle to this.
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Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:15 pm |
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