Ficus Benji ideas please!

[Pearcy001]

Hi all and welcome to my first post!

I'm quite new to bonsai (definite noob) and extremally new to the ausbonsai forum (definitely super epic noob) but learning a great deal from all of your conversations that probably seem so simple to yourselves.

I acquired this Benji a couple months back as a gift from my partner.



She didn't find out a great deal about the tree so I can only guess its about 10-12 odd years old?

I've spent oh so many hours staring at it trying to figure out the direction I want it to to go in. I am now at the point where I feel a little (or a lot) of advise is in order before 12 months goes by and I still don't know where its going.

So I'm tipping most of you may say "put it in a bigger pot and let it progress for the next year or two", and if that is what you say then it is what I'll probably do because your input is after all what I'm after from this post. As I've said I'm new to bonsai so as you would have all once felt, all I want to do is play with it :D

The only thing I've done to this tree is slap on some wire and attempt to invisage where I want it to go, this is it as of today, with the first photo being my front.






I was considering selecting the rear of the 2 main trunks as my leader, that is presuming I can get a new growth from where I cut the old leader to fill in the current void in the center of my tree (when I repot I'll straighten up that reverse taper). I also was considering chopping the root coming awkwardly out the side of the trunk an inch above the soil, but would hate for it to be giving more life then it can afford to lose.



As I said any styling ideas/input would be greatly appreciated and thank you all for reading. This rough virt was done on my phone so be kind




Cheers guys,
Pearcy.

[Matt S]

Hi Pearcy,
I remember my first few Bonsai quite well and even though I would now treat them differently than I did in those early years I don't regret what I did because I learnt so much by getting stuck into them. Sure, the trunks were too thin and I was impatient to start the ramification but the end results were good enough to keep me happy and enthused.
You could put it in the ground and let it fatten up and this would be good advice if you had a lot of other trees to work on (including some advanced trees) but for a beginner I reckon you start getting your hands dirty and start wiring and styling now, especially while the weather is warm. You'll learn a lot from this tree and have some fun in the meantime.
I'd get some thick wire around the trunk and get more movement in the trunk, exaggerating the existing curves. Remember as the tree fattens over the years the bends will get less pronounced, so don't be afraid to get some real movement happening. After that you can choose the branches and wire them to reflect the curves of the trunk.
You're right in wanting to remove the root, so go with your instincts and get rid of it. Ficus are really tough so it won't skip a beat if you do it while the temps are high.
Finally, don't just take my advice, see what others to say about the style. But do something. Start your journey with your tree.
Matt.

[Pearcy001]

Thanks for the reply Matt.
Reading it put a smile on my face and not just because i got a reply but because I definitely know what I should be doing - putting it in the ground and feed feed feed. I have two branch benders that I recently acquired that I had planned to do exactly what you advised and bend the heck out of that trunk (the more the better I think). As for the planting, I will either put it in the ground or at least move to a larger pot - as my collection only extends to 3 in total at the moment.
Thanks for the advise,
Pearcy.

[fae]

Hi Pearcy

Welcome to Ausbonsai

Glad that you worked out the answer to your question, for quicker growth you need to repot your tree into a larger pot or plant in the ground.

I would suggest a larger pot as these figs are quick growers with a fast invasive root system if left in the ground.

I too planted one of these lovely trees in the ground and was well watered and fertilised. A beautiful tree grow and with the massive root system it caused lots of damage.

Hope to see this trees progression and your collection grow.

Fiona

[Pearcy001]

Hi Pearcy

Welcome to Ausbonsai

Glad that you worked out the answer to your question, for quicker growth you need to repot your tree into a larger pot or plant in the ground.

I would suggest a larger pot as these figs are quick growers with a fast invasive root system if left in the ground.

I too planted one of these lovely trees in the ground and was well watered and fertilised. A beautiful tree grow and with the massive root system it caused lots of damage.

Hope to see this trees progression and your collection grow.

Fiona

Thanks for the welcome Fiona. But thank you even more for the tip about the pot. Since I got this tree it was sort of my ugly duckling so to speak, due to it being quite plain in its girth and movements. Hopefully it can progress into something a little more (and if not who cares, I'll have plenty of fun trying )

[Jarad]

Charly carp, seasol, water and sun.

Would a chop be worthwhile? I have some tiny ones, cut them in half, put them in a bigger pot, added seasol, charly C, shoved them in the sun and they exploded with new growth.

[Elmar]

Our neighbour has a 'giant' Ficus in the ground and I am currently discussing passionately to have it removed as it is leaching all the lime out of my concrete entertainment area out back ... Perhaps lime could be added to benefit your tree?!? Not sure of how much, tho. It seems they love the stuff....



Cheers
EZ
Via Tapatalk

[Pearcy001]

Charly carp, seasol, water and sun.

Would a chop be worthwhile? I have some tiny ones, cut them in half, put them in a bigger pot, added seasol, charly C, shoved them in the sun and they exploded with new growth.

It currently gets soaked in Charlie Carp for 1 hour every two weeks and I will push back to every 4 weeks in the off season. No Seasol for it as yet (but considering its the most used word on this forum I may have to invest in some ) it then gets placed on a miniature merbau decking shelf I built outside a window (at window height) on my second story, giving it around 9 hours of full sun. I thought the heat from the tin roof would scorch it but it was out through repeated days of 36-38 degrees and did just fine.

The only reason I'm even considering a chop is to attempt to fill the void in the front of the tree, but my novice knowledge is unsure if that is even worth doing or if it will be pulled off? Also if I was to Seasol as well as Charlie C how often would you suggest? I understand that its not a fertilizer. Thank you for the help.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

[Pearcy001]

Our neighbour has a 'giant' Ficus in the ground and I am currently discussing passionately to have it removed as it is leaching all the lime out of my concrete entertainment area out back ... Perhaps lime could be added to benefit your tree?!? Not sure of how much, tho. It seems they love the stuff....



Cheers
EZ
Via Tapatalk

Hi elmar.

I read the other day that powdered limestone can be added to the soil for a great result. Apparently figs seem to thrive in slightly alkaline soils, and the limestone supplies the mild alkalinity that the figs prefer. But the amount you should add to your soil depends on the original ph of it. I may need to invest in a cheep pH test kit to test the levels if I want to try this out? On the other end of the spectrum I have also read that figs gain very little from lime (slices) except some calcium and magnesium. Although lime can help adjust soil acidity, too much can cause plants to grow poorly (I guess there's only one way to find out ).

Cheers,
Pearcy.