AusBonsai

Hi,I bought this ficus from a bonsai nursery yesterday. it has been trimmed by the nursery staff and the new growth at the top taken off to make it bushier. any chance someone could tell me what kind of ficus it is. also, do I just leave it to grow for next year or start doing things to it now?

cheers

Adrian

Hi Adrian it's hard to tell from the poor quality photo but it looks like a Ficus benjamina.

Tony

Thanks Tony, sorry about the poor quality of the photo as I took it from my Iphone. must get myself a decent camera one of these days!

Just on another note, is this tree too young to begin training and shaping? Or should I wait until its trunk becomes thicker etc?

cheers

Adrian

Gday Adrian
That all depends on what direction you want the tree to go. I would put it in a grow box or styro box for 12 months or so and feed it well to get some girth in the tree. Then you might have a bit more to work with.
Just my

Andrew

It is also better if you take photos against a plain background I second what Andrew has said - get the trunk somewhere near the finished size you want and then start styling. Pelletised cook poo will get it moving and make sure the mix is free draining - put some diatomite in the mix if you have some.

Tony

Hi Andrew,
thanks for your advice. I was thinking the same thing. can I put it in a largish pot or does it have to go in another type of container. I have a bunch of large plastic pots I can use. I take it normal potting mix and regular feeds of fish fertiliser and seasol would be good?

cheers

Don't overpot it - better off stepping up in the size of the pot everytime it is full of roots. Make sure it's a good quality mix but putting some diatomite in makes a big difference. Seasol is just a tonic which is OK to use regularly for a healthy tree but a fertiliser with N, P and K is what you need to get growth. Have fun

Tony

Thanks