Many years back, bought a couple of Ficus from Tesco - like minature trees
with variegated leaves.
Small pots, plants about a foot high at the moment, think they started out a
bit smaller.
Cycles of care and neglect have seen them drop leaves and regrow them many
times.
Ove the years some branches (twigs) have stopped producing leaves so the
whole thing looked straggly.
The overall size has remained much the same.

I have recently done two things:

(1) Cut off all the unproductive straggly twigs - there are some signs of
new growth and the existing growth seems to be O.K.

(2) Finally got round to re-potting. Potted on into significanlty larger
pots.

Now prior to and during repotting, these Ficus, which have two vertical
stems each, turned out to be short lengths of very thick branch laid
horizontal with a couple of shoots forming the two new stems/strunks.
This implies that the parent was a tree of significant size.
Which in turn makes me think of the different sizes of similar plants/trees
I have seen.

I had one (long dead) which was in a big pot in the sun lounge and grew to
about 4 foot high.

I have seen similar looking trees in shopping centres which were much
larger - 20 feet or more.

Which brings me to wonder if all are the same plant/tree - I had assumed
that I had a minature version but perhaps what I have is a couple of
severely pot bound trees.

Anyone else taken a small version and grown it on to be huge?

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

In article ,
David WE Roberts wrote:

Many years back, bought a couple of Ficus from Tesco - like minature trees
with variegated leaves.

Odds on they are Ficus benjamina. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina

This implies that the parent was a tree of significant size.

Which brings me to wonder if all are the same plant/tree - I had assumed
that I had a minature version but perhaps what I have is a couple of
severely pot bound trees.

Yup - see that article :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , David WE Roberts
writes
Many years back, bought a couple of Ficus from Tesco - like minature
trees with variegated leaves.
Small pots, plants about a foot high at the moment, think they started
out a bit smaller.
Cycles of care and neglect have seen them drop leaves and regrow them
many times.
Ove the years some branches (twigs) have stopped producing leaves so
the whole thing looked straggly.
The overall size has remained much the same.

I have recently done two things:

(1) Cut off all the unproductive straggly twigs - there are some signs
of new growth and the existing growth seems to be O.K.

(2) Finally got round to re-potting. Potted on into significanlty
larger pots.

Now prior to and during repotting, these Ficus, which have two vertical
stems each, turned out to be short lengths of very thick branch laid
horizontal with a couple of shoots forming the two new stems/strunks.
This implies that the parent was a tree of significant size.
Which in turn makes me think of the different sizes of similar
plants/trees I have seen.

I had one (long dead) which was in a big pot in the sun lounge and grew
to about 4 foot high.

I have seen similar looking trees in shopping centres which were much
larger - 20 feet or more.

Fide Wikipedia, Ficus elastica grows to up to 200 feet tall. Even Ficus
benjamina can reach a 100 feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_elastica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina

Which brings me to wonder if all are the same plant/tree - I had
assumed that I had a minature version but perhaps what I have is a
couple of severely pot bound trees.

Anyone else taken a small version and grown it on to be huge?

Cheers

Dave R


--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in message
...
In message , David WE Roberts
writes
Many years back, bought a couple of Ficus from Tesco - like minature trees
with variegated leaves.
Small pots, plants about a foot high at the moment, think they started out
a bit smaller.
Cycles of care and neglect have seen them drop leaves and regrow them many
times.
Ove the years some branches (twigs) have stopped producing leaves so the
whole thing looked straggly.
The overall size has remained much the same.
snip
Fide Wikipedia, Ficus elastica grows to up to 200 feet tall. Even Ficus
benjamina can reach a 100 feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_elastica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_benjamina

Which brings me to wonder if all are the same plant/tree - I had assumed
that I had a minature version but perhaps what I have is a couple of
severely pot bound trees.
snip

Don't think it is Ficus Elastica, assuming that this is what in the '70s was
generally called a rubber plant and grew up and across the ceiling of many a
flat.

Leaves are much smaller and variegated.
Benjamina looks far more likely - but some of the pictures show large leaves
and the leaves on mine are quite small and delicate.
Could be one of the variegated cultivars mentioned in the article.
I note that there is a minature version much used for indoor Bonsai.
However, the more I read (including bits about aerial roots) the more I
wonder.
I thnik I will post a photo or two.

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

In article ,
David WE Roberts wrote:

Don't think it is Ficus Elastica, assuming that this is what in the '70s was
generally called a rubber plant and grew up and across the ceiling of many a
flat.

It isn't and that is.

Leaves are much smaller and variegated.
Benjamina looks far more likely - but some of the pictures show large leaves
and the leaves on mine are quite small and delicate.
Could be one of the variegated cultivars mentioned in the article.
I note that there is a minature version much used for indoor Bonsai.

Precisely. The chances of it NOT being a benjamina are infinitesimal,
though it is less clear what variety.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote in message ...
In article ,
David WE Roberts wrote:

Don't think it is Ficus Elastica, assuming that this is what in the '70s
was
generally called a rubber plant and grew up and across the ceiling of many
a
flat.

It isn't and that is.

Leaves are much smaller and variegated.
Benjamina looks far more likely - but some of the pictures show large
leaves
and the leaves on mine are quite small and delicate.
Could be one of the variegated cultivars mentioned in the article.
I note that there is a minature version much used for indoor Bonsai.

Precisely. The chances of it NOT being a benjamina are infinitesimal,
though it is less clear what variety.


http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/z...s/DSC_0769.jpg

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

On 04/06/2012 15:14, David WE Roberts wrote:

wrote in message
...
In article ,
David WE Roberts wrote:

Don't think it is Ficus Elastica, assuming that this is what in the
'70s was
generally called a rubber plant and grew up and across the ceiling of
many a
flat.

It isn't and that is.

Leaves are much smaller and variegated.
Benjamina looks far more likely - but some of the pictures show large
leaves
and the leaves on mine are quite small and delicate.
Could be one of the variegated cultivars mentioned in the article.
I note that there is a minature version much used for indoor Bonsai.

Precisely. The chances of it NOT being a benjamina are infinitesimal,
though it is less clear what variety.


http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/z...s/DSC_0769.jpg


There's also a nice variegated form of Ficus australis