Thursday, August 25, 2011

About the Banyan Tree


Banyan Trees are a unique tree that is indigenous to India. The tree’s name is derived from “Banians” which are indians who conduct business under the trees. The trees can span several hectares. They achieve this by using its special aerial root system. These aerial roots shoot down off the tree’s branches. These roots can develop into truck like structures. After time these roots can become indistinguishable from the original truck.
Banyan Tree

The tree is sometimes referred to as strangler. This is because the trees can grow on an existing tree of another species. The roots will essentially climb down its host tree and eventually cut off nutrient supplies. 
These figs require a hot, damp environment to flourish. If you are growing one you should make sure to keep the soil very moist. 

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Banyan Seedlings

Now, after about a month and a half of watering my sprouts my Banyans are starting to take shape. As you can see I have a number of them growing. I am going to wait a little while before I start separating them into different pots.
Banyan Seedlings
I was not too sure if these were actually banyans at first. This is because I used some random soil that one of my roommates had laying around. I also wasn't too sure if there were some other kind of seeds in it.

I will be posting more pics and describing the growth of these banyan trees as they grow larger.

Banyan Seed Collection

I went on a family vacation to Key West, FL in late June 2011. During the trip I discovered a bunch of large banyan trees. These trees were impressive. I had never seen anything like them before.  So I collected a bunch of seeds and put them in a zip-lock bag. I believe I got about 5 berries in total. Each berry was loaded with seeds.
Banyan Berries
I marked the bag "Banyan Seeds" and went back to my home in Gainesville, Fl. After returning home I placed the seeds in a pot of soil and added some water. After a couple of weeks I got my first sprouts.










Check out this post on how to grow a banyan tree. http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/trees-shrubs/growing-a-banyan-tree.htm