u/Happy_Cryptographer1

Most people buy a tree for the graft, but I did the opposite. I bought a Bloodgood this year, noticed the 4–5 year old rootstock pushing this insane growth, and decided to entirely cull the Bloodgood to let the rootstock take over. The top 2–3 nodes are giving me this vibrant orange reticulation with bright yellow veins. You can see one of the older, darker burgundy leaves in the background. Zero regrets on sacrificing the cultivar for this seedling!

Found in Cambria county Pennsylvania

Took this ficus microcarpa cutting on May 4, 2026. Photos are in order from the day it was potted to the current day.

The cutting started as a small sprout with no base flare. Over the past month, the root base thickened fast and is already close to the same diameter as the trunk. The roots are spreading laterally and forming a clean radial pattern. Growth has been in a well‑aerated mix with steady moisture and warm temps.

I’m trying to figure out if this kind of early nebari expansion is typical for microcarpa cuttings, or if there’s anything I should be doing now to guide the base for long‑term structure. Planning for a swamp/banyan style later, so I want to set the foundation correctly.

Looking for practical advice from people who’ve developed microcarpa nebari from young material.

my VFT is growing teeth on the petiole😦

It’s on every leaf from the same growth point, so this looks like a stable developmental mutation (ectopic cilia). Not damage — the cilia are actually growing from the petiole tissue.