Inherited Port Jackson Fig

[anzacspirit76]

A few months ago I inherited two Port Jackson Fig bonsai from an Aunty who no longer had the time from them. I have the trees "birth certificate" which talks about their care whilst at the bonsai nursery when they were first purchased in the 90's but I'm really unsure on how to prune it. I have pruchased a bonsai care book but to be honest it doesn't detail how this specific species should be pruned. I have attached a picture of the two trees in hope of some advice on how i should go about pruning it or if i need to do it all. I would love to go to a course but live in country South Australia and it really isn't an option at the moment. Any advice would be welcomed.

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[paddles]

first bit of advice I'd like to give, is find a local club, and join (you prob will need to travel a bit to get to one, but it is worth it) I can't give advice specific to figs, but there are many here who will give advice... main thing I can say is to give them a feed, and be certain not to overwater.

[anzacspirit76]

i have quite a few standard ficus at home so can look after them ok its just the pruning of these little trees that has me stumped, the bottom tree seems a bit strangly yet the top one seems a bit compact, if i could make both of them into something between the two i'd be happy. i feed all my plants vermicast as in my experience it has the best all round qualities of any fertiliser oh yeah and it is free when you have a worm farm .

[nick-laing]

If you can maybe invest in Leongs book Ficus Bonsai in the Temperate Climate.


Probably best you will get for ficus/fig info for Australian Climates.

Maybe someone can suggest alternate books if you are unable to get to a club.

[Mitchell]

Not sure how much pruning I would be doing atm, perhaps a good feed and a wiring. The straggly branches can be compressed inwards towards the trunk, by wiring S's into them.
Unless there was a recent defoliation done and these are all new leaves, it appears some decent leaf reduction has been done to the plants, so you have a head start there.

[shibui]

To make the straggly one more compact just prune it - simple! to stop this happening in future you need to pinch new growth constantly as it grows.
PJs will sprout new buds wherever they are pruned and need constant cutting. Best time to prune is when it is warmer - we wait until summer but I have heard 20 deg C used as a guide. If you prune in cooler weather they will not shoot until it warms up and there is some risk of dieback.
You will need to prune back a bit further than where you want the outline of the tree so the new shoots can grow out to the required shape. It might look a bit bare for a few weeks but will soon look much better.

Have another think about vermicast as a fertiliser. It is good on garden soil but is very fine and can block up the spaces in potting mix which can cause problems in pots, especially small bonsai pots. Just my

How long since these were repotted? They look healthy enough but to keep them that way need fresh potting mix every couple of years.

[anzacspirit76]

thanks for the info, not sure when they were last repotted, i would say around 2 years now. when is the best time to repot?

[Rowdy]

When night time temps are consistantly above 18 degrees

[Waltron]

I doubt it's even possible for night time temperatures to be consistently above 18 Celsius in Mannum, it's certainly not in Melbourne, our mean minimum temperatures peak at 14.6 in February (it will exceed 18 of course, but not consistently ) yet there are plenty of successful Fig growers/re-potters down here. I'm no expert on Figs, I just don't want you waiting your entire life for night time temps. to consistently exceed 18 Celsius. The Wiki says 16 Celsius so according to this you may just be able to repot in January or February (But an average of 16 means that temperatures are consistently around, not above). But of coarse this is just a guide, if you take it as being gospel your fig will never be re-potted, your best bet is to try and find out what more local growers are doing.

[Jarrod]

I just repot late Spring, really late spring, and i keep the trees in an unheated hot house. I dont look for night time temps, just when i feel like.

[Bretts]

Hi Anzac
I have been told and do, repot my figs late Spring early Summer. They love heaps of fertiliser so don't be shy. Do not over water.
You may not like this idea but if these where given to me I would prune like this.

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[shibui]

Our club fig repotting and pruning day is held in mid January each year but its probably warm enough here to do them from mid Nov. Your climate would be a bit warmer than ours so possibly a little earlier for you if you need to.

From Bretts pictures you will understand that figs will grow back from quite hard pruning. My advice would have been to prune a little higher than Bretts marked line - depends on the result you want but either will work.
Not sure about his second idea. It might produce a better tree after a few years of growing back but I don't think its what you are after and would need some knowledge and skill to ensure the new tree developed to its potential. Those decisions are up to you.

have fun with your new trees but beware the bonsai addiction.