QLD small leaf ficus banyan style progression

[Glenda]

I am thinking I will keep this one mame size, if its not too big already. The biggest difference between mine and yours is yours is twin trunk, isn't it?

Glenda

[Jamie]

yours is mame size mine is shohin

mine isnt a twin trunk, it just looks a little that way, it possibly was a long time ago where twu trunks got close enough to fuse over time, i cant be sure as it is a collected tree

jamie

[Glenda]

I am working on the ramification now. Lots of defoliating etc to come. Do you think the trunk is in proportion the thickness it is?

Glenda

[Jamie]

hi glenda,

for the height of your tree the thickness is good, the hardest part for your tree is going to be getting the ramification to look right on such a small tree, it is definatly do-able though

as you can see leaf size can be brought right down to tiny, which is what you will need to do to bring the size of the tree in scale

the tiny leaves on mine will work when i fill the tree full of them as it will make the trunk look like a big old spreading fig which is what you will need to do

jamie

[Jamie]

hi guys,

its been a while since I updated this one, I didnt think it had changed much since a couple of months ago, how wrong i was. since being in that pot and after some good advice I have potted it up to let this tree get cruising, and it hasnt skipped a beat! It went into a collander style pot, and you will see the advantages of this with an explanation.

ficus obliqua.jpg

as you can see from the previous pic, this one is really taking off

colander bottom.jpg

what the collander has done is allow the roots room to explore and search for water, these roots get to the edge of the collander and go through the holes, what happens from here is a technique called Air-pruning. when the roots reach the open air and also get sunlight they die back and cause the root system to basically branch off and ramify, creating a nice healthy fibrous fine feeder root system. which is what we are after in bonsai, the good thig is it also allows us to keep a root ball quite compact, so when it does go into a pot it wont need to be severly smashed from a massive root system

cheers guys

jamie

[bonscythe]

Looking very healthy there Jamie, good stuff!
Now where can I find a 50cm wide colander?!

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Jamie,

Did you get that colander from an Asian shop?

Down here, in Victoria, after 6 months, it will disintegrate. You pick it, it will break into pieces.

The plastic is for inside use, not outside.

That was my experience anyway. Please let us know how you go.

Thank you and best regards.

[Jamie]

Hi Daviet


the collander is from a $2 type shop, they arent actually collanders but are food outdoor food covers, I removed the centre handle (where you can see the mesh in the undershot) and I have had them outside full time for the past 10-12 months they are getting a touch brittle but I had expected that. while they are still holding together there doing the job

thanks champ

[Jamie]

hi guys, a little update

defoliated and wired. will let run again for a couple of months now and do it again in summer

QSL banyan defoliated and wired2.jpg

jamie

[hugh grant]

Great job Jamie and great wiring. Your really bringing out the best in this tree and it's turning out really well in such a short time.

Hugh

[Jamie]

thanks mate its getting there!

next step is to get some airials really going to develop the nebari

[Matthew]

Jamie its spitting along. great progression just for 10 months. I cant wait to work on my figs, hopefully december when the night time temps stabilize a bit. Keep up the good work

[Mitchell]

Great stuff mate. I think i'll do the same with one of my lil' PJ's, tonight after work.

[Jamie]

thanks noah if you were back home you could be working on your figs but you have larch, maple, pine and the list goes on doesnt it! Im pretty happy with how this one has come along, for 10 months I have to be happy. as I said before now the nebari work starts, I will be using sphagnum moss or similar around the base of the to encourage lots and lots of airials to strap to the trunk and rebuild a nebari

thanks mitch this one has been a learning experience for me, working it hard has worked well but I feel if I was so much more patient then it could be a lot stronger and further developed.

jamie

[craigw60]

Hey Jamie you have really worked hard with this tree and it shows. You must be really pleased with its progress.
Craigw