Get your own Free Home PageMany species of fig trees develop aerial roots, which hang down from the trunk or branches, and eventually grow down to the ground, where they will continue to grow as conventional underground roots. Examples include the Benjamin fig (F. benjamina), rubber tree (F. elastica), fiddle leafed fig (F. lyrata), banyan (F. benghalensis), and Bo tree (F. religiosa). The edible fig (F. carica) does not have aerial roots. In the case of the banyan, these aerial roots can develop into full trunks, which then send out branches of their own, and continue the cycle indefinitely. If a bird drops a fig seed in the top of a host tree, the seed can sprout up there, and send aerial roots growing down the host trunk, to strangle it and steal its place in the rain forest. This is called hemiepiphytic growth [1].
Unfortunately, the aerial roots only grow naturally when the fig tree is in a very humid environment. Many commercial Benjamin figs have a few aerial roots, since they are grown in hot and humid Florida. However, it has been impractical for the hobbyist in temperate climates to add any more aerial roots to his fig trees, and few hobbyists have done so successfully. In southern California, figs are used as landscaping trees, but they often lack aerial roots [2].
There are several useful books about fig trees. George King's ``The Species of Ficus of the Indo-Malayan and Chinese Countries'' is a natural history book, that describes all species of figs in its region, with sketches of leaves, but not of aerial roots [3]. Ira Condit's ``Ficus: The Exotic Species'' discusses the use of figs as landscaping trees in the southern US, and has some good pictures of aerial roots [2]. Berg and Wiebes' ``African Fig Trees and Fig Wasps'' is another natural history book, with a good description of hemiepiphytic growth [1].
This article presents a practical method for the hobbyist to grow aerial roots on fig trees, by a specialized form of air layering. We first show how to make moss tubes, and then explain how to use them to grow aerial roots on branches and for hemiepiphytic growth. Finally, we discuss the aesthetics of aerial root placement. These techniques were developed for 2m tall indoor trees, but they should work equally well for bonsai and landscaping trees.
[2] I. J. Condit, "Ficus, the Exotic Species". Berkeley: University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences, 1969.
[3] G. King, "The Species of Ficus of the Indo-Malayan and Chinese Countries". J. Cramer, 1888, reprinted 1969.
Get your own Free Home Page