Banyan & Pomegranate Tree

Tree species : Banyan & Pomegranate tree

Collected on : Nov 21, 2015 

Banyan tree trunk with aerial roots.

Pomegranate tree with tiny feeder roots

The banyan tree's roots were unreachable, going into concrete. So I selected one of the multiple trunks and cut it with a hacksaw blade, leaving the rest still on site. Being a ficus, banyan roots easily.

With the pomegranate tree I got very lucky. Due to the anthill at its base, the tree grew tiny feeder roots at that height also. So I just sawed off a little below them and did not bother about the unreachable main roots. The feeder roots are the secret behind such a fast recovery. 

The Y-shaped branch to the right of the cigarette lighter has been planted as a cutting and there is no development on it yet.

Pomegranate - New roots & shoots just 10 days later.

14 days later.

1 month later.
 

Banyan tree - 1 month later

  

New roots (right) 5 months later - April 18, 2016 

 

Transplanted into a shallow container. The roots have been spread out radially and sit on a flat stone, under the soil. The new pot gives enough room for the roots to spread out and grow further. The
colander type container helps in root aeration and air pruning of the roots, leading to a more fibrous & dense root mass when compared to regular plastic pots. (more on air-pruning)

 

 

The soil mix is covered with fully soaked moss to prevent erosion and to protect some exposed roots at the top of the mound. The moss is then pressed nicely into the soil and wrapped tight with a net to 'fix' it onto the soil.

 

 

The new branch tips are pruned to keep the inter nodes short. The netting will come off after 2 weeks and the new branches will be bent into position with wires. The leaves are still too big and will be reduced in size progressively over time. The beauty of this specimen will be its surface roots (nebari) and aerial roots, assuming all goes well.

UPDATE

Just when the plant had settled down and started producing new leaves, my cleaning maid accidentally knocked down the pot, causing minor damage to the roots.

By now, since I had a bigger pot (colander) I decided to re-pot into that, for radial roots. The rectangular pot had root growth only on one side. Doing well again now. In between, I battled spider mites successfully by spraying half cap of neem oil mixed in 1/2 litre of water.

Part 2 of Pomegranate story