Ficus ramification and re-potting Advice

[Deceptoid]

Hi everyone,

I'm very to new to bonsai (and am already hooked). This is my first post in fact

Anyway, I bought this little fig bonsai which is apparently 28 years old, though it had been in a small pot for about 8 years without being re-potted. It naturally defoliated over the winter, probably due to my not watering it correctly. When it started dropping leaves I moved it into a larger pot with fresh soil, though only loosened up the roots at the base as I didn't want to do a proper re-potting over winter. It's starting to bounce back now but clearly is going to need a lot of work.

I want to wait for it to get more vigor over spring and then re-pot it late spring / early summer. Once that's happened I want to focus on ramification, branching and reducing the height of some of the branches.

Does this sound like a good strategy?

The branches are quite woody so if I cut them back, will the branch out from the woody parts? Is it safe to cut back all of the branches at one or should I do a few at a time?

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated!

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[Boics]

First things first welcome.

2nd, this tree doesn't look exactly healthy.
The "leggy" branches (long sections with no branches and growth at tips) indicates not enough light.
Can I assume this is kept indoors? Does it get enough Sun?

Being a Ficus warmth and Sun are essential.
Ficus are evergreen - they should not "naturally defoliate"..
I'm sure others will chime in and assist in guiding you on your journey and that this post will spur some constructive discussion as intended.

[melbrackstone]

Some figs are deciduous here in Brisbane, there's one I used to be able to see from my childhood house, and it would drop its leaves and regrow new ones within two weeks....think it was in Sept, as a general rule....no idea what the variety is, but it's a massive great big tree...

They also tend to lose their leaves when kept in pots inside, without enough sun. Doesn't kill em though, so it's just a bit of a cry for help, I've found....

I suspect you'll need to feed it up and give it lots of warmth over Spring to get it to start growing vigorously, maybe even give it til next year before starting to clip and wire.... patience is needed. Good luck.

[FruitFly]

Welcome Deceptoid,

I'm a newbie as well, just short of 12 months and as such can't give you much advice about your fig. I too have a couple that were given to me form a work colleague that have not been repotted or trained in years and they are quite leggy, so any advice your given I'll be interested in too.

I plan to chop mine down and start again with them and repot into smaller pots as their pots are too large for their size.

Being in Canberra I have to wait a few more months yet.

Good luck on your Bonsai adventure and don't be afraid to ask lots and lots of questions. It's how we all learn.

Cheers
FruitFly

[EdwardH]

With figs, the general rule is all day sun and plenty of fertilizer (if you want a thick trunk). I would not do any hard pruning until the plant is very healthy, at least until December. In the meantime (spring and summer) just pinch the growing tips once it starts growing vigorously. This will encourage back budding lower down those bare branches. If the plant is growing strongly by Christmas, being a fig it probably will be, you can repot it into a wide pot, spreading out the roots horizontally. The resultant sideways root groot growth will cause the base to flair out giving you a nice taper. During this time you can decide what size and style of tree you want and then plan accordingly.

[Jarad]

The only thing I can add is get rid of that green stuff on the surface of the soil, it will just suck up water and nutrients that should be going to the fig.

Use osmocote all purpose it has regular pellets and chook poo (green bucket with a handle). That's what I use on my figs and they love it.

Also, get some seasol (not the spray bottle stuff) and every other week add some to your water. Seasol is a tonic, not a fertilizer, it just helps you tree get healthier.

As for trimming, you want the branches to come out almost horizontally from the trunk. You can start trimming around December as Edward said, I'd start by cutting one branch back quite hard to see what happens. And if that goes well, cut back the others gradually.

I'm quite harsh with my figs, but they always bounce back quite well.

[kcpoole]

Fertilise Now and water well, pull out the moss and keep the tree in Full sun till mid spring when it shodu be growing well.
cut back real hard then (yes it will backshoot on old wood), and completely remove any branches you do not want to keep in the eventual design.
You can then start to build ramification and wire the tree to shape.

Ken

[Jdceng]

Hi There

My advice would be to drop into Bonsai South and purchase the fig book that Leong compiled, oh and you will see some awesome ficus there as well to stimulate you.

This is the link for the book and the address is on the page as well.
http://www.bonsaisouth.com.au/product-category/books/

[Deceptoid]

Wow, what an amazing response. Thank you all for your input and making me feel so welcome.

Yes, it's not looking so happy, but at least it's starting to grow new leaves. It does get decent sunlight and hasn't been inside that I know of but I'll move it to a position where it will get all day sun. It was kept in a very tiny pot where the roots and dirt were very compressed. I think most of my watering was just running down the sides of the pot and not soaking into the root base, which caused the leaves to drop.

I'll follow the advice given around fertilisers, pinching the buds, removing moss, etc, and nurse it through the spring. I'll post back here in early summer before I repot or do any other major work on it so you can see how it's progressed.

Do you have any suggestions for the arial roots? They're a bit chaotic at the moment and I can't decide if I like that or if they need to be sorted out a bit, straightened etc.

Thanks again!

[kcpoole]

Do you have any suggestions for the arial roots? They're a bit chaotic at the moment and I can't decide if I like that or if they need to be sorted out a bit, straightened etc.

Thanks again!

Now that is another can of worms to open!
Some like them, Some not.
Thos that like them, do they like straight ones or all twisted and contorted.

Personal choice on them all really

Ken

[Deceptoid]

Thanks Ken,

That's fair enough. I kind of like them at this stage but we'll see what happens with it.

Cheers

[viniv]

Hi,

I would leave the moss (if it is moss) on the surface of the soil. It will help to maintain moisture in the soil

Ficus grow vigorously in tropical climates.

If you can place in a full-sun position that will be great! During winter place in a warm area that receives sun. If you can increase humidity around the plant during winter that would be great. Can you construct a mini shadehouse that protects the tree from cool temperatures, also if the tree is exposed to open sky above it (hot air rises) then energy (heat) will be lost, place among other plants or underneath something. You may need to move the tree out in the day into the sun, and under cover at night in winter.

Winter where you are the air is very thin, as there is less moisture in the air.

Ideally: hotter temps, more humidity! Take a trip to Cairns in summer and the humidity will hit you, the air is thick with moisture.

I hope this helps.

Cheers
viniv