My biggest Ficus

[The Ficus Guy]

Does anyone think covering that "belly button" with cut paste would be a good idea? Water gets into it and kind of just sits there, and I really don't want that spot to rot out.

[Bougy Fan]

I would get a dremel and take the bottom out so it drains. I don't think trying to seal it with cut paste will work. However I do use cut paste when I have carved a fig to get the bark to roll over and not have the bark seperate and rot. Looking good Ryan

[The Ficus Guy]

I would get a dremel and take the bottom out so it drains. I don't think trying to seal it with cut paste will work. However I do use cut paste when I have carved a fig to get the bark to roll over and not have the bark seperate and rot. Looking good Ryan

Thanks Tony! However, I don't own a dremel and I think I'd be a little scared of using one on such a beautiful trunk. I would think cut paste could work, as it would really just prevent the water from sitting in that area.

This tree is also now pushing tons of growth:

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[The Ficus Guy]

Tons of backbud:

[The Ficus Guy]

Yesterday I took this guy up to a bonsai nursery to the north of me and had one of the owners work on it for me. She dremeled the button down to live wood, created a small channel so water doesn't pool there, then covered in cut paste. I also gave the tree a small trim to get backbud started. Looks pretty good.

[Bougy Fan]

Looking good Ryan but to my eye that big branch on the left is too heavy. I think it needs to go and replaced by a thinner one. If you ever get a dremel touch up that uro - it looks too round and perfect. I would make it more oval shaped and make the depth less neat as well. They can look good if the dremel goes in behind the bark to create shadows and depth.

[The Ficus Guy]

Looking good Ryan but to my eye that big branch on the left is too heavy. I think it needs to go and replaced by a thinner one. If you ever get a dremel touch up that uro - it looks too round and perfect. I would make it more oval shaped and make the depth less neat as well. They can look good if the dremel goes in behind the bark to create shadows and depth.

Thanks Tony. Going off the virtual picture of where I'd like to take the tree, I'm not sure whether or not I'll need that left branch at all...

ficusvirt.jpg

As to the uro, I think I'll just leave it for now. It should close up in the next few years, but for now I think it adds character

[The Ficus Guy]

I chopped the middle branch of this one back today:

[The Ficus Guy]

After having this tree outside for a few weeks it finally started backbudding on that trunk. However I'm leaving for the beach and will be gone all next week, so in order to protect the buds on this tree from any possible freak cold weather, it's been moved back indoors. It'll stay under lights until I get back, then go right back outside. It seems pretty happy.

[kcpoole]

Nice buds

[The Ficus Guy]

Arrived home and noticed this tree has spider mites again. Don't know where they came from, but I'm just about fed up. I wonder what the chances of the mites destroying the newly forming buds are....

[Biofusion]

Hi Ficus guy,

I find when I amend my pots with worm castings (either in the soil mix, spread on top and watered in as fertilizer, or the leech ate watered into the plants) that I don't get this problem.

Also, planting in diatomite, or even dusting with diatomite dust is a great way to deter them as well.

Worm castings improve the feel thickness of the shoots and leaves and are harder for pests to get anything out of, the diatomite is the same, but the silica does the job, and diatomite dust will puncture the exoskeleton and suck out the moisture killing the pest.

Worth a shot, as with both you get a result and an added benefit

[The Ficus Guy]

Hi Ficus guy,

I find when I amend my pots with worm castings (either in the soil mix, spread on top and watered in as fertilizer, or the leech ate watered into the plants) that I don't get this problem.

Also, planting in diatomite, or even dusting with diatomite dust is a great way to deter them as well.

Worm castings improve the feel thickness of the shoots and leaves and are harder for pests to get anything out of, the diatomite is the same, but the silica does the job, and diatomite dust will puncture the exoskeleton and suck out the moisture killing the pest.

Worth a shot, as with both you get a result and an added benefit

Thank you!

I've got worm castings mixed into the soil of half of my trees, and they seem to love it, but haven't repotted this one with the castings yet. The growth I get from those trees is pretty great.

I just don't understand where the bugs came from. They weren't there when I brought the tree in, they just appeared out of nowhere. Considering just throwing the towel in.

[Neli]

The belly button is called a horse eye, in one of the chinese schools of penjing, and it is considered a beautifying feature on figs. The Chinese like to make lots of them on their figs.

http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/BigPicture ... tml#Suzhou



Some Lingnan styling techniques, such as hollowed scars of branches cut off at the trunk ("horse eyes") and leaf-cutting defoliation ("changing clothes to gold"), are seen here:
http://vimeo.com/11287978

[The Ficus Guy]

Wanted to keep you all updated on this guy. The buds have extended into branches, while still green and tender, they're branches nonetheless. This tree is still sitting in the shade, but I hope to have it in full sun by the end of the week.