Not in Indiana! They're tropicals, and you get WINTER. Come on!

Idaho, too.

Al

Oops!

I meant just for the summer, or in a greenhouse bed (if I ever get a greenhouse)

I meant just for the summer, or in a greenhouse bed (if I ever get a greenhouse)

I meant just for the summer, or in a greenhouse bed (if I ever get a greenhouse)

Oops!

Flash:

Think about what you are suggesting. Does uprooting your plant twice a year really seem like a reasonable approach? Any benifit that may be gained by field growing would surely be negated by the constant disturbance of the roots. Put it in a oversized pot, (not huge), in other words not a bonsai pot and let it grow outside in summer, providing the required protection over the winter.

Norm

I don't see any reason not to try it other than your zone 6 growing season. It might be a little short. A internet friend here in zone 7 puts a large number of her flowering and ornamental container tropicals in the ground each year. It's a lot of work, but she is very happy with their growth and performance.

Norm,

Ficus is a tropical weed that if put in the ground would probably outgrow a a similar sized plant in a container 2 to 3 times. Your response about repotting twice a year being constant root disturbance sounds a little pessimistic. I've had ficus that needed repotting twice a year:-).

A well prepared soil or bed should easily out-preform a container hands down, even if it's only for 6-8 months. A good composted organic bed would be heaven on earth compared to most bonsai soil mixes that depend heavily on outside nutrients for growth and root production.

A tropical in the ground will not suffer through the constant soil temperature swings a container plant would experience. Also to some degree will not have a large degree of moisture variances.

I've found the bonsai community overall somewhat close-minded about things outside their normal sphere. If it's not done by the Chinese, Japanese, or well documented by a well-known author, it hasn't or will not happen :-).

I've got quite a few ficus I may break into 2 groups this spring and do a little field test on just to see how well they will grow in the ground.

randy

Hi, thing is, Flash is in zone 6, and that usually means being in the ground only 3-4 mos, not the 6-8 you mention, for what it's worth, and who knows how well drained his particular plot is when it might come to lots of rain?

I have some open land and was going to prepare it specialy for the pourpose of feild growing. We have clay soil but I was planning on digging down a couple of feet and putting in new soil (what would you recommend?). If I ever get around to getting a greenhouse I will probably put it over this bed, even though it is shaded in the early morning and in the evening(unfortunatly, it is in a north-west facing corner).

I'm not sure if investing time and effort into a shaded area in zone 6 for a tropical sun loving plant is going to be productive or even worth the effort. I think you should do a little horticultural research before starting.

You can have the soil tested by your county extension office and amend per their recommendations.

randy

Flash:

A small greenhouse can extend the growing season both at the beginning and the end but unless you intend to supply supplemental heat, (expensive), it still will not provide the appropriate year round environment for a tropical. Your Ficus will still need to be removed to an indoor situation during the coldest months. The greenhouse would however be very useful for propagation and for winter storage of any native trees that you may have in pots. In an earlier post you mentioned some Elms that you may have access to; if you grow trees that are native to your particular zone you wonÂt have to deal with these issues. You still have time to rethink your approach for the upcoming season.

Randy:

Ficus may indeed be a tropical weed but consider the situation facing Flash. By the time the ground in his area warmed to a degree even remotely approaching a tropical climate it would probably be mid June, possibly later. Add 2-4 weeks for the plant to become established and now your looking at mid-July. By mid October air temperatures will be falling enough to necessitate bringing the plant indoors.

I am doubtful that the difference in growth between 90 or 100 days of active growth in the ground versus the whole season spent in a training pot would outweigh the negatives of such frequent repotting. Do you routinely repot all of your Ficus twice a year or is that specific to a larger, older plant, or perhaps one in a bonsai pot?

Having said that, I readily admit that I have only been growing Ficus for about a year and would be interested to see the results of the experiment that you describe. You would need a group of clones of the same age large enough to account for any possible variation in watering, fertilization, insect damage, etc. Your results would of course still be specific to your climate.

By the way my opinions are my own, Flash asked and I told him what I think.

Norm

Since I haven't traind my ficuses yet I may plant them as a trial planting and see what happens. The other species that I currently have in my possession are 2 kinds of maple, 3 willow cuttings(globe, weeping, corkscrew), a prostrate blue juniper(not sure on the species), and possibly, if they survive the winter, 2 dogwoods: one red, the other yellow. If we are lucky enough to have that wind storm again I may add elm to the list. I also have a unidentified "shrub" in my front bed that may make an okay bonsai if I can get it ID'd and propagated.

Hi, Flash. You can gain some of the benefit of planting out by simply planting the container in a sunny spot and allowing roots to "run" into soil. A few extra quarter-sized holes in container sides will be helpful. In autumn, simply dig up the container, prune off the roots and place the plant in another container, like the altered one, but w/o the extra holes.

Planted out, Ficus b. does not require much in the way of nutrients, but it does appreciate good drainage - more so when it's resting than when actively growing. I wouldn't dig a hole & amend the soil surrounding the planting site. This just creates a "bathtub" effect & causes water to collect in soil around the roots. Plant out in an elevated, sunny spot; a raised bed over clay would be ideal.

Al