Making Mould for Ficus Roots

[Chris H]

In another thread on big ficus a technique described on page 52 of Leongs book has it has been mentioned which involves creating a mould and putting it around a tree filled with moss and letting the roots fill the space.

Im keen to have a go, but have no idea how to make a mould.

I know the answer is out in Ausbonsai land!

[Jamie]

hartos.


i am working out a way to do this now, when i got it sorted i will post


jamie

[dayne]

get some foam or chicken wire cover it with fibreglass easy as that you could even incorporate a trunk mould and use a heap of cuttings to fill it and fuse together

[Jamie]

i was thinking somethin like that myself dayne, gotta make it so i can get it off aswell though so it has to be cost effective, maybe chicken wire and aluminium foil might be the way to go?


jamie

[Chris H]

I think the roots would get caught in the chicken wire if you were just using aluminium foil.
Never done anything with Fibreglass (amazing what you need to learn to grow little trees!)
The mould in Leongs book looks like it is made from some sort of resin.

In the past Ive just wrapped moss around a tree with glad wrap and when I get the roots going I tie them into place simple and cheap but not as exciting as cracking open a mould to see the fused roots form a great buttressed trunk.
Unless the mould is going to be smooth enough on the inside to allow the roots to be pressed into the shape and shaped exactly as the end trunk should look then it will be little better than my glad wrap.

Could you make a mould in two parts so that it is reusable? it could simply be tied together with cable ties or tape.
Then if we made three or four moulds we could use them for a few years, fly them around the country and let others use them and in 10 years time discover what the differences are in the trees which came from the same mould.

[Jamie]

I think the roots would get caught in the chicken wire if you were just using aluminium foil.
Never done anything with Fibreglass (amazing what you need to learn to grow little trees!)
The mould in Leongs book looks like it is made from some sort of resin.

In the past Ive just wrapped moss around a tree with glad wrap and when I get the roots going I tie them into place simple and cheap but not as exciting as cracking open a mould to see the fused roots form a great buttressed trunk.
Unless the mould is going to be smooth enough on the inside to allow the roots to be pressed into the shape and shaped exactly as the end trunk should look then it will be little better than my glad wrap.

Could you make a mould in two parts so that it is reusable? it could simply be tied together with cable ties or tape.
Then if we made three or four moulds we could use them for a few years, fly them around the country and let others use them and in 10 years time discover what the differences are in the trees which came from the same mould.

thats all very feasible mate, resin isnt to easy to work with but it is possible, and two parts would be the way to go, i was thinking foil on the inside then chicken wire on the outside to create the stability, i think it would work but not sure, that system had been used with foil on the black pines roots if you remember the thread on it?


jamie

[dayne]

resin is easy as just buy a tin and some hardener use chop strand matting or even an old bed sheet cut up as the reenforcing its just like paper mash dip in the cloth lay it over wait about an hour and its rock hard if you want two pieces just cut it in half with a grinder