Hi Nick,
Agree it is likely to be Ficus Rubiginosa (Port Jackson Fig). Best time for ficus repotting and pruning is when it is warm.
People say minimum 10° night time lows for ficus to recover, they get more vigorous when it is warm and you need to allow 6-8 weeks recovery at those temps. My guess at your location is: September to March.
I have no issues doing repotting and pruning at the same time so long as the tree is healthy and vigorous. Over winter you will have a few leaves go yellow and drop off over winter, that is normal, but remove them from the soil as they can attract fungus.
I would not sit in a saucer of water as that can make the roots rot, I would not do this any time of year, but especially over winter when they are less vigourous. Figs can and do grow in air, they love humidity especially if you are taking cuttings – so pick a time when the weather forecast is for a rainy week and that will always help. I have a 100% success rate of taking cuttings off small branches, no need to any special treatment or air layering.
As others have said, I would try and resolve any reverse taper; a few things to consider:
• the Frankenstein method sounds good and I have been considering doing that to some ficus to make the base bigger, I have seen it work, but can take some years to smooth out the trunk.
• Use cuttings off the same tree so it has all the same foilage type It definitely works.
• You will need to secure the cuttings to the tree well – use wood screws, and remove after they have solidly fused.
• You could try and raise the base of the cuttings higher and have some exposed roots, will help to breach the gap between the roots.
Another idea is take a cutting the whole tree at the widest point; I have had success on a similar size benjamina ficus with a 50-60mm trunk. That said it was not my prized tree and I was not overly worried about it being a success, whereas you might be more reserved being your first tree and after waiting another 3 months before doing it.
You could try and ground layer at this widest point – this method might be worth looking into
http://redlandsbonsai.blogspot.com/2017 ... g.html?m=1 .
Regarding styling, I would not be too concerned will pulling branches down. if you want a dense foliage tree you only need to worry about the movement in the first 25mm-75mm, everything else is sacrificial and will be probably cut off to get more branching. My general rule of thumb is to keep maximum of 2 branches/trunks at any point to prevent swelling – see my picture for where I would cut, but styling is totally individual, so long as it looks good to you.
Ficus .png
My method for getting more branching is initially cut back (when warmer) then allow to grow out for 150-200mm then cut back to 50mm-75mm initially, then let 2 branches grow out from this point to 150-200mm and cut back again, as the tree grows keep reducing this down to less than 25mm – usually around every 2 months over the growing season (sep-mar) and each time you do it you get double the number of branches. If you want faster trunk thickening, allow the branch to grow until it is no thicker than your thumb, which will take longer, but give far more trunk girth, then cut back to 50mm-75mm initially, then as the tree grows keep reducing this down to less than 25mm. On this method you only need to worry about the movement in the first 25-50-75mm, everything else is sacrificial and will be cut off and replaced.
As the others have said check out natural grow habit of ficus : up and out, then up, then out, then level, then up and out. They tend to have multiple trunks with branches up high tend to grow more vertical and the lower end up more flat, but always with lots of movement. If your interested in a book on natural style, try Stephen Cullum's Bonsai Foundations – you can get on amazon or far cheaper is go to the Redlands Bonsai Society and they should have a copy for $30 if you contact them on facebook before you go.
Good luck, keep posting the photos to see how it progresses.
