Strange, I have been having some issues posting. It appears to be related to the images. If I post only text it's fine, if I include any images it goes to never never land and never "complete". The only way I was able to make the post and have the images show up is to post in text only, then edit the post to include one (and only one image) then update. Then edit again and include one more image and update again. If you include 4 images it will crash. But if you have 4 images you need to do four successive edit/updates and add the images progressively.

This is a constant problem for me. I have several species of Ficus that are "stranglers". They're good in cyclonic weather as they don't get damaged as readily as many other trees. But their roots are very adventurous and can grow upwards as well as downwards.

You'll need to cut the roots high above where they come in contact with the palm. The cut off stubs of roots will shoot out again and quickly reconnect with the palm. You'll never get rid of them, you just have to make the gap as big as possible.

Roots that are cut off (below the cut) will die. What's still attached to the tree will continue to shoot more roots.

I have seedlings coming up all over the place as well. They're in pots, on trees, rocks and logs in the garden. One of the 'joys of gardening'.

tropicbreezent thanks for the helpful advice.

So the lower portion below the cut will eventually die off, so I don't need to chase that to remove it? Since it grew into the body of the palm, I have no idea if it "touched down" or not. Any chance it may grow as a new plant?

As far as the hanging roots that's been cut, what if there is some "flex" in the root and I pushed it back onto the existing trunk and perhaps secure with a nail or rope, that would cause it to attach back to itself right?

In the picture below you can see in red circles the new roots coming out after the original aerial roots were cut. If I just take those new roots, weave them together into a bundle and tie them back to their big trunk with a screw or strap, that should take care of it I assume?

There is a smaller palm that happened to have grown in the empty space between the cluster of figs (shown in red arrow).

It's being surrounded by them so I am guessing it has no chance of making it eventually if it's not killed by the roots and branches then the lack of sunlight?

Roots separated from the tree, provided there's no bit of trunk or branch attached, will die. If a branch crosses and touches against the palm (or other tree) it will attach and send roots down. That would become another tree if you cut it away from the main Ficus.

You can tie back the roots but more will come from that same area along the branch. It just delays the process. Humidity is what encourages it. It's in the nature of Ficus. Some species are less prone to it, others do it very well.

A friend of mine plaited some long aerial roots of a Ficus virens many years back. She's passed away now but the last time I saw it the roots had enlarged and looked quite good. Haven't seen them for years now but generally they end up fusing together and become a single massive prop root.

I've seen palms caught up in the "embrace" of a Ficus last quite a while, but inevitably they're doomed in the long run.

"Roots separated from the tree, provided there's no bit of trunk or branch attached, will die. If a branch crosses and touches against the palm (or other tree) it will attach and send roots down. That would become another tree if you cut it away from the main Ficus."

I think one issue I have is I can't really tell the difference between a root and a branch. They look the same to me.

Today I spend about two hours disconnecting the ficus's branches/roots from the palm. I made a cut at about 7 feet high where the aerial root/branch is about 1.5" in diameter, then I started to cut away the additional branches below where it grew into the palm, there were branches as thick as a sharpie pen and there were ones the size of phone charging cables. All of them interconnected and warped around the palm from 5' down. I made a lot of cuts and I think I disconnected as much as I can and just have to wait and see if they grow back.

I really hate pruning/trimming these ficus branches and roots. The finer roots are darker in color and will leave a tar like residue on you after handling. The bigger branches after cutting has a sticky white secretion and I got some on my hair. My lopper and garden shears are now all sticky and gummy. I guess I need to clean them with mineral spirits.

I know you said the branches I cut off at about 7' above ground will shoot out more roots. I wonder if there is a way to stop them from doing so. If I take a heat gun and heat the cut ends, I wonder if it will stop the root growth.

Also one thing I find peculiar is sometimes when I cut a root coming down from above, it will shoot out several smaller roots (about pencil sizes) that winds around and around. Sometimes it will instead grow a bunch of darker color beards that hangs down.

What about brushing the cuts with a strong 'brush killer?' I've done that to kill ferns which took over potted plants. No matter how I pulled out the ferns, their root system is huge inside the pot. I took Round-Up on a small brush and painted the leaves and stems with it, careful not to touch the potted (desirable) plant.

'Im thinking a brush killer, carefully painted on the roots or leaves of the fig, should travel down killing the entire fig. It would be time consuming, but might work.

Jane

If you look closely you'll be able to tell apart branches and roots. I find the way most large Ficus grow is they put out new growth from the top. Older branches tend to hang further and further down. Eventually as they lose light the leaves fall and the branch dies. So branches tend to have leaves, or perish. Roots just seem to go on forever.

The sap from Ficus is annoying but I've found in time and with practice it becomes easier to minimise getting it all over you.

Any branch cut off and thrown on the ground during the wet season will grow up into a tree as well. They're persistent.

Beards, or 'mops', commonly form at the ends of cut off roots. In the humid conditions of the wet season it happens quite fast. Dry season slows them down, unless they're getting irrigation.

These ficus trees are parasites Terrible trees that kill others the way parasites could kill us. Remove those roots by first severing them from the fig above, then cut the root were it reaches the soil. Detach any pieces of roots from the palm tree I would remove that fig tree or else keep it u der close surveilance by keeping its roots sway from any other vegetation. Please safe that palm tree from such horrible death