Newbie - first Ficus

[8MadDog8]

Hi All,

So basically i just bought my first bonsai starter, a Ficus. I purchased it online, and just placed it into a pot when it arrived, and have just been watering it since.
A couple of pictures:

Front.JPG

Right.JPG

Left.JPG

Back.JPG

I have been reading up online and in the wiki here but i still have a couple of questions.

Do Ficus's like full sun, part sun, or shade? Taking into account where i currently live and how much bite the sun can have. I have been reading online, but some people say full sun, where others say shade

Should i leave the tree in this plastic pot or go bigger? And when should it be transferred to a bonsai pot?

What fertiliser is the best and how often? I just use some of that liquid seaweed fertiliser on my ferns, is this suitable? (take into account there isnt a huge selection up here)

What i have chosen for the front, does this seem suitable?

Thats all the questions i can think of so far, im sure there will be pleanty more....

Cheers

[Goff]

Welcome! Where online did you get it from??

[8MadDog8]

Welcome! Where online did you get it from??

I got it as a present from the missus.
It was from BonsaiShop:
http://www.bonsaishop.com.au/shop/362-f ... r-kit.html
Probably paid a bit too much but doesnt matter now.

[treeman]

Hi Goff,
That looks like Ficus Hillii, a native variety of F. macrocarpa which is native to tropical asia.
If it is the former, it is very hardy and likes full sun all year except for the very hottest days (over 35c)
There is no problem in selecting branches to wire/trim and repotting into a shallower training pot right now.
As for fertilizing use some slow release type or some blood&bone. Seaweed is good but not enough.
Cheers.

[Hornet]

G'day mate and welcome to Aus Bonsai.

You could leave it in that pot till it becomes root bound then i would be putting it into a larger pot, the ground or a grow out box for a year or 2 to help thicken the trunk.

Full sun, plenty of water and plenty of ferts. Seaweed emulsion isnt normally used as a straight fert, more of a tonic to get plants going. If you can get fish emulsion or even chook poo that will be good.

John

[cuwire]

Hi MD

In my opinion you have not done wrong by putting the fig into a plastic pot at this stage while you assess the situation.

However you wanted a bonsai and at your stage of the game it needs to look like it means to be a bonsai that means getting it into a bonsai pot in a month or so and the one in the picture will be fine.

If your friends want to see the bonsai your wife got you -- you cannot tell them its out in the garden with the tomatoes.

In a years time when you have purchased more trees you will find that you will rather keep some in grow pots for some time but for now enjoy your fig.

No offense to experienced members who recommend grow boxes and the ground - off course you are right but I do not believe that a first timer will go for that idea.

Cheers

[8MadDog8]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!!!

I think i might buy 1 or 2 more ficus trees. Then i can keep two in plastic pots to get bigger and one to plant in the bonsai pot (plus it will give me a backup if anything goes wrong..)

I will probably make a bench and plant them on the verge of being under the house (highset) so that they dont get the full midday sun.

Also, seen we live in the tropics and the wet season is coming up, how does rain affect them? I mean, it will be raining every day soon, so i dont want them to be overwatered. Should i move them so that the only water they get is when i give it to them in the morning/afternoon?

Cheers

[NathanM]

looks like a healthy little tree dude.
I would be putting it in a bigger pot now. No point waiting for it to become root bound. If you have any available get it into one of the 300mm ochid pots. They aren't deep, so you can encourage the shallow roots, but give heaps of room for the tree to grow. Even a 200mm one would do to begin with.
Get it into a free draining mix as well. if you can get diatomite up there, mix approx 50/50 by volume diatomite and premium potting soil. Perhaps even more diatomite give then amount of rain you'll be getting. That will help it not to become waterlogged. And figs grow well in diatomite anyway.
If you have decide on a front, remove the unwanted branches and wire the rest. Are you going to change planting angle at all?
I try and fertilise every weekend, but usually turns into every second lol. I just use primarily miracle gro, and have been for years.
Feed heavily and get it into a bigger pot and it will go crazy.

[Bougy Fan]

Hi Mad Dog
Welcome to the forums. You have made a great decision in purchasing a fig - they are near bulletproof. I agree wholeheartedly with what Nathan has said about growing it on. With a hills figs the leaves are a bit larger and the internodes are a bit longer - so they usually look best as a larger bonsai. It never hurts to have a few more trees either

Tony

[8MadDog8]

Thanks for the feedback Nathan and Tony

Well i just ordered some 300mm orchid pots because i cant get them up here, so they should have some room to grow now
Going to see what mitre10 has in the way of potting mix tomorrow, i highly doubt they will have diatomite but i will see if there is anything similar

I think i may have found a better front for the plant:

Ficus_Blank.JPG

And this is what i was thinking of doing with it:

Ficus_Idea.JPG

Red - remove these branches
Blue - wire these branches downward more
Yellow - bend the trunk to the right a little

Any feedback would be appreciated as its my first attempt at style

Also, what is the best way to bend the trunk of the tree? Using a tie-wire to the side of the pot? Or using something like a branch-clamp?

Been doing a lot of reading today, but i guess i just need to get in a give it a go.... And hopefully not do anything too bad

Cheers
Adan

[Bougy Fan]

You may be able to get some diatomite from a large pet store chain being sold as kitty litter (Kleensorb) which is Mt Sylvia diatomite. As for wiring you need to get some aluminium bonsia wire - usually about 1/3rd of the diameter of the branch or trunk you are trying to bend. Keep an eye on the wire - figs in a tropical environment could need thge wire removed in as little as 3 weeks.

Tony

[Hornet]

if you cant find diatomite its no issue. Figs grow just fine in regular potting mix. Grab some of the cheap stuff and mix in some slow release pellets and chicken manure pellets (dimanic lifter).

[8MadDog8]

if you cant find diatomite its no issue. Figs grow just fine in regular potting mix. Grab some of the cheap stuff and mix in some slow release pellets and chicken manure pellets (dimanic lifter).

Ok, cheerss for the heads up
I noticed that mitre10 up here has Searles bonsai potting mix, so i might give that a go.
Plus i have a bag of kleensorb getting shipped up, so i will probably mix that in with some premium potting mix like people have said.

[Hornet]

IMO your better off with the cheap potting mix then the premium, the cheaper stuff has more larger particles, the premium stuff is pretty fine, i tend to stick to using that for my indoor plants