help i got my lava fig in today now what should i put it in the ground for the summer or pot it or go straight to bonsai container its only about 6in tall so it could use some fatting up any suggests will be great thanks
lava fig
Your fig, Ficus petiolaris, forms a swollen trunk making it appear older than it is. See:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/65145/
This fig is a tropical and will not survive your winters outdoors. Planting in the ground to 'fatten up' is fine if the plant can survive the winter outside. Otherwise, it's barely getting over transplant shock and you'd be yanking it out again to overwinter indoors. Put is in a large pot and you'll probably achieve the same growth without having to wash off all the garden soil to put it in a pot.
I have had a Ficus peiolaris for about 6 years now. It's in a 10' pot and has a 14" circumference. I disagree with palmbob regarding watering. I've read that the more water it gets, the faster it grows. Don't let it sit in water. Limiting the water will slow its growth. Be on the look out for scale. Scale seem to love it.
BettyDee
hey thanks for the reply sounds good do you have any more info on scale
Scale are small, about 1/8 inch long, covered insects that look like mini oysters. By the time you see these, you also have young scale in the crawling stage. Control or eradication has to be at the crawling stage as most of the covered ones are dead or protected from the insecticide by the shell. This means repeat spraying until you get all the little ones. I've used Malathion. I've enclosed a link for more information.
BettyDee
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1019.html