As seen in numerous bonsai books, I directed the two largest into two seperate straws that went down into the soil. The straws are loosely filled with cotton swabs to hold moisture. I watered them daily.

My goal was to encourage and control the growth of the roots toward the soil surface. At first it seemed to work as the roots seemed to grow a little more and one even branched. But now, they appear dark brown and dry (versus suculent and green as before) and are not growing.

What did I do wrong? Are they indeed dead or do roots do this as a part of their growth pattern?

The problem was the daily watering. Just like you cant water a bonsai everyday that is kept indoors, you cannot water the roots daily. roots of most trees need to dry between waterings - not long, just a day or two. Otherwise they get rootrot, fungal infections etc.

Including cotton in the straws made compounded hte problem. With one end in the soil, the inside of the straw will remain fairly humid on its own - not to mention that airial roots appearing in the first place means it was humid enough for the roots to grow and extract water from the air.

I would suggest removing hte straws and removing the roots beforethey spread a fungus or mold to the tree.

Next time the airial roots appear, just place straws around them and nothing else - the purpose of the straw is solely to protect the root from damage and to guide it.

If you want to stimulate new airial roots, its actually really easy. First gently scar the trunk forming a ring - this can be done by gently pressing a knife or razor plade point against the bark - exposing the Cambium (green layer directly beneith the bark). Next wrap moist peat moss around the trunk over hte part you scarred. Then wrap that in Cellophane (cling wrap, etc.). This keeps the peatmoss in place and keeps it moist. Wet the moss periodically to ensure it stays moist.

Within 4-6 weeks you should notice roots growing inthe peat moss. Remove the moss and insert straws - so that about 1/2 inch of straw is actually in the soil.

This is how I grew arial roots on my Willow Leaf Ficus bonsai.

good Luck

When I did it, I just gently pushed a razor blade tip through the bark, making small scratches.

i used rooting horomone, but supposedly, its not necessary - but doesnt hurt, so.....

Your advice is appreciated,

David

I have put cuttings of sheflera in vases of water before and left alone, they will sprout and grow extensive roots. Why can they exist totally submerged, but not if watered daily?

David

what happened when you tried to transplant those sheflera into soil from the standing water? My guess is they died - if not all of them, then most of them.

I dont understandthe exaxt science behind this (I'm not a Botonist), but apparently, trees are capable of growing two types of roots and they are not interchangable.

When a cutting is placed in water, it will grow roots, but those roots are actually incapable of surviving or extracting water fom soil. rots grown in soil are incapable of surviving in water.

What kills the rots in water is Root Rot or other types of fungus and mold.

What killsthe water roots when placed in soil? I have no idea - but my guess is they die as the tree dies bacuase of lack of water.

The other problem with growing cuttings in water is that you will lose a large percentage of them to rot - just simple rot that results from placing any vegitative matter in water.

When I take cuttings from my Ficus, I place them in regular potting soil and keep it waterloggedfor the first week or two - not runny mud, but very wet (If i tip the pot some, the soil soes not run out. After a few weeks I start to water Like I would a regular plant and after a six months or so I transplant into better soil.

Im sure someone else will say potting soil sucks and shouldnt be used, but itworks for me, so.....

In short, if you leave the sheflere in a vase, it will probalby live a very long time, but you will never be able to transplant it into a pot of soil.

"When a cutting is placed in water, it will grow roots, but those roots are actually incapable of surviving or extracting water fom soil. rots grown in soil are incapable of surviving in water.
The other problem with growing cuttings in water is that you will lose a large percentage of them to rot - just simple rot that results from placing any vegitative matter in water. "

This is total bunk! Don't you believe a word of it. But he is right about one thing - he is definately not a botanist!

People have been rooting plants in water for propogation for centuries. And they do very well when placed in soil, thank you.
Sheesh, the internet is a wonderful thing, no?

Its funny you say that.

considering almost all sources say to root cuttings in soil, not water.

Considering when you do usually see people discussing rooting in water only, it is about specific types of plants and almost never about trees.

Considering almost everyone who roots in water talks about how the plant is still doing well in WATER several years later.

Considering the VAST majoirty of trees are incapable of growing in water in the wild.

dont believe me if you dont want to, but do an experment - the vast majority of cutting, if not every last one of them, from trees rooted in water will die when translpanted to soil (unless translpanted when only root nodes have emerged.

The roots even look different, have a different outer layer and feel different

Apparently in Woody plants (which includes Trees) there are two types of roots.

1) Woody roots: These form the structure that support the plant - it is also where other roots grow from

2) White roots: These are the roots that actually absorb water.

Woody roots will survive and send out new roots until either the tree dies or until the roots sickens and dies.

White roots survive for only a few weeks at the very most (according to my source, iits only a few days to a week.

A Tree grown in water has no use for and thereforewill not grow Woody roots, they will only grow white roots. As the tree is constantly in water, even as the roots die, the plant can absorb water while it grows new ones.

When planted i the soil with no woody roots to help grow new white roots, and no constant water supply, the will have difficulty absorbing water until it can grow a true root system for soil (usually not fast enough to save the plant).

As I said, they grow different types of roots depending on whether they are in water or soil. While oe type will survive in soil, they dont live long enough to make a difference, and as anyone who has ever overwatered a plant knows - woody roots cannot survive in water.

Below is the source discussing Roots

Thanks for the help. I removed the straws and you were right, the roots were definitely dead - even brittle.

My hope is that new ones will sprout that I can train down later (with less watering). I do understand that this can be affected by exposing the cambrium layer and surrounding with a rooting hormone. But given my last attempt with aerial roots I am a little gunshy. Hopefully nature will give me new sprouts to work with.

David