Hello all, I am new to this forum, and this is my first post.
I am interested in learning as much as possible about the ficus benjamina tree.
What I would like to accomplish is, bonsai that can be placed in vivaruims, for the use and enjoyment of crested geckos.
The geckos come from New Caledonia, offshore of Australia, and many ficus can be found in Australia as well.
In naturalistic setups, cresties have shown ficus benjamina to be a favorite.
They live in trees in the Wild.
My thinking so far is,
There needs to be a good trunk size, for support, and good branches to
follow.
The growth needs to be more horizontal, with a good thick canopy to hide
in. Depending on the cage size, growth may be allowed more vertical.
From what I have read about the root growth from healthy trees, and about how regular root care helps vigor, I was thinking it would be best to leave the trees in a pot, as opposed to planting directly in the tank.
For the "ready tree", I thought a shallow bonsai pot would look nice, like the "hill " in the landscape.
I was also wondering if an Unglazed clay pot would help the roots to "breath "in the more humid inviorment of a terrarium.
Lastly (for now :), Ineed to figure out how to grow cuttings as quickly as possible.
I'm having trouble finding older stock to work with.
I have a greenhouse, but it's not heated yet, so I only have until Oct. To Grow ficus outdoors.
Any questions, comments, and sharing of knowledge would be welcome,
Thank you :)! Loretta