Hail The Ficus!!! (Possibly F. microcarpa var. Hillii)

[FlyBri]

Gday folks!

Melbourne's Xmas Day hailstorms caused all sorts of loss, damage and heartache, the likes of which I haven't seen here before. I am glad to have survived relatively unscathed.

However, there is a silver lining: NURSERY HAIL DAMAGE SALES!!!

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I picked up this beaten & battered standard Ficus for $40, marked down from $140. I have no idea of the species, nor how well-suited it is for Bonsai, but at that price, I figure I can probably layer off 6-8 individual trees to experiment on. Including the pot, it is about 1.5m tall, with a girth of 30-40mm.

Updates to follow.

Fly.

[EDIT] I've done a bit of Googling, and it appears that F. microcarpa var. Hillii is commonly grown as standard Figs. From what I can see, the foliage is a match. It doesn't sound as Bonsai-friendly as F. rubiginosa, but I'm gonna give it a go! [/EDIT]

[Hornet]

Looks like a hills to me, they can make great bonsai from what i have been told. Nice score

[FlyBri]

Looks like a hills to me, they can make great bonsai from what i have been told. Nice score

Gday Hornet!

I am still getting mixed reviews regarding this tree's suitability for Bonsai. As Bougy Fan wrote in another thread:

I do find they are reluctant to bud back on the trunk and the secondary branches come out in opposite pairs. It is the only fig that I have problems with some kind of parasite on the leaves - they have little bumps all over them and eventually curl up if I don't cut them off.

Anyway, I haven't had Figs for a while, and I am keen to experiment with this one. Here we go:

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I am hoping that 5-6 weeks will give me enough root growth that I can remove the layer before March. If not, the layer will remain in place until next Spring.

Thanks!

Fly.

[kcpoole]

A fig at this time of year you should be easy to remove by then:-)

Ken

[Bougy Fan]

You should have no probs Bri - it would be 4 weeks if you lived up here in heaven You will find it should put out 2 or 3 buds on the bare lower section. They are also easy to propagate from cuttings too.

Tony

[Hornet]

Those pests he mentioned would be a gall wasp if i remember correctly, i too have never seen them on any other fig bar the hillls but eucs and lilly pillys get them heaps, the best way to get rid of them if you do get them is to remove all affected foliage. They might not back but as strong and as quick as other figs but they do back bud fairly well from what i have seen on lopped tree's in parks. Keep us updated