AusBonsai

Ok so collected these two monster figs today from a ladies backyard:
1. ficus benji before... After a haircut 2. Moreton bay ficus before (no I didn't take the cat)
After haircut So I think after all the work of hauling the beasts home I've come to the conclusion big bonsais are not for me (or the wife) so need the advice of readers of where to go with these...
Personally I see three options for each of these trees:
1: grow back into big tree
2: cut smaller
3: sell/swap (anyone interested? If so make an offer)

Any virts would help as I'm useless at them. I'm a member of my local club but there is almost zero chance of me hauling these to and from.
I also have a trailer load of cuttings from both for free if anyone is interested (big and small cuttings take as many or little as you like)
Thanks in advance

Mate, thats great material but cut them right back to say 300 mm from the soil level and they should bud profusely in the spring. You can develop new leaders and select branches for wiring after it grows a bit. Another comment is try to get taper in the trunks..

Thanks for the feedback Brian...

Yep cut them both back hard ( the second one maybe I would leave a little longer on the left trunk) so can utilise the taper in that branch as the apex.

Let them grow and shoot back till this time next year and then do you branch selection.

If by then you cannot cope then you can sell them to someone younger

Ken

With the Weeping Fig, I would use you third photo and cut the left trunk off to the small one at the base and the right one back to the smaller branch half way up. I would leave the central one for now untill it gets shoots and pick a new leader later.

The other Fig, most likely not Moreton Bay, I would cut through the middle of the root ball so you have a twin and a single and leave them as they are. As Ken said, at least you have some taper on the big trunk already into that branch.

Tony

So, the Benji has now passed into my care. It has been completely stripped of all foliage. A fingernail test near the top of one of the trunks shows it is still green underneath with white sap flow when damaged.

Given Benji's propensity to die back, I'm calling for all suggestions on how to promote back-budding. Old wives tales, witches brews, experimental treatments, all advice welcome.

All I have done so far is stick it in a plastic pot (left the concrete pot with Angus, easier to transport), watered it, and misted the trunks with some Thrive (I did say experimental). Should I bag the whole thing to hold in the humidity? Any other thoughts? I seem to recall reading somewhere that inflicting mild damage with a ball pein hammer will help promote back-budding.

Amanda