Major haircut for a ficus - advice please!

[Drico]

So i havent hugely posted on here much, but has been super helpful seeing other peoples advice/bonsai!

I have a fig bonsai ive had for approx 15 years, but only seriously started working on it the past 4 years (was at my parents house), been trimming it down slowly each year, and end of last year gave it a pretty big haircut.
Some general advice would be helpful, how long should the wired branches stay wired? and what should i be feeding it? (at the moment its a mix of some slow release in the pot, and seasol about once a week)

Im in Adelaide so its been frightfully hot here lately, should i tone back the fertilising so i dont burn the roots?
The tree is in bad need of a re-pot, but other than that is extremely healthy and vigorous.

[Bougy Fan]

Hi Drico the wire stays on until it starts cutting in. If it is tropical conditions and you are fertilising heavily that could be 3-4 weeks. Seasol isn't really a fertiliser so that and a slow release will not harm the fig. I favour handfuls of DL as I have had some over fertilising problems with some chemical ferts. Once it cools down I would repot and have found figs do better with a very open mix. If the mix is old and has broken down it can get gluggy and figs don't seem to like that in a bonsai pot. You should be able to cut it back to no leaves and have it shoot right back if it's healthy enough.

[Drico]

Thanks heaps for the advice!
when i do repot, should i go pre-bought bonsai mix, or is there a good soil mix youd recommend for mixing up myself for a ficus?
in terms of the plant, it probably going to be pretty root bound. figs in my experience seem pretty hardy so can it handle a good root chop?

the plant is definitely healthy enough for defoliation (i think). i guess ive always been a little scared i might kill it by doing that, is it too late in the season to defoliate now?

[Stu]

Hi Drico,
I have totally leaf pruned a couple of figs (about 3-4 weeks ago) and they are beginning to show bud growth. Got through Melbourne's weather this last week too it appears.
I was nervous when I leaf pruned my first fig but it came back looking much better. Fresher and smaller leaves and additional branch opportunities.
I am told they love the warmer months so root pruning is suppose to be fine. Don't know about 40+ though.
Be careful of commercial mixes. Some are good but I have found some are absolute . Large particle size (2 - 7 mm) for drainage and airflow seems to be a requirement.

[kcpoole]

I am more cautious than many and will not repot in this weather. I will wait for a month till the worst is over.
Any good bonsai mix will do well so long as free draining.
Re ferts. Just us normal Strength ferts at the normal application rates


Ken

[Drico]

Hmm, stuff to think on.
oddly enough of all my pot plants that ficus was the only one that was totally unphased by the week of 40+ days we had in Adelaide recently.


When repotting happens, is it better to go with a pot roughly the same size to encourge more new growth? im never sure if i should be training into a smaller pot or weather that would be harmful/stunt growth.

[Bougy Fan]

The bigger the pot the more it grows. Over time the tree slowly gets bigger and needs to go up in pot size but you should be able to root prune and put it back in the same pot. Not sure how much of a newbie you are but remember when you root prune you have to trim back the foliage to balance the tree. You can mix some diatomite 50/50 with a good quality potting mix and that will be fine.

[thoglette]

I am more cautious than many and will not repot in this weather. I will wait for a month till the worst is over.

The key with ficus is they want warm overnight temperatures - above 21C if possible. I'm about to start my ficus repotting as we're finally getting some hot nights. Hot, muggy nights are great for ficus recovery.

[DustyRusty]

I am more cautious than many and will not repot in this weather. I will wait for a month till the worst is over.

The key with ficus is they want warm overnight temperatures - above 21C if possible. I'm about to start my ficus repotting as we're finally getting some hot nights. Hot, muggy nights are great for ficus recovery.

That's true but I think Ken's cautiousness is due to him being in Sydney's west and this experiencing 40C days at the moment. That is risky for stressed plants. But where I am, it's only been 30C max so much safer. So the risk is up to the op and where he is and his micro climate.

[Drico]

Thanks all for the advice, i repotted the bonsai about a month ago.
Nothing too drastic with root trimming but definitely needed the new soil, the old stuff was soggy and heavy.

Seems to be going well since then and has continued to throw up new shoots and is backbudding well.