AusBonsai

This is one of those bonsais. You get it on day 1 of your bonsai life and are then stuck wondering what to do with it. Dad planted some pj cuttings over a rock and gave it to me. Now I stare at it and think how unnatural it looks. Option 1. Bin it. Has done sentimentality though. Option 2. Grow large and let it engulf the rock and try for a banyan style tree (would take a looong time though). Would love your thoughts...

For sentimental reasons I would keep it. Wish my Dad was interested in plants - he just likes cutting them down and poisoning them I would move the group over to the left in the picture and forward a little. If you don't want it to engulf the rock keep pinching out the tips to slow down the growth. Oh and not a blue pot I would like a brown or tan handmade oval from Penny myself.

Definitely a keeper, wish I had a tree with this sort of sentiment, have a few my dad has helped me with so I guess thats something... I like it and think with a slight change of angle it will feel less 'unnatural'

To clarify Bougy Fan's comment on the pot, Penny is an australian potter whose studio is called Mudlark Pottery, she is also a member on here so look out for pics of her work. I have more than a few Mudlark pots & love them for everything from native to exotic. Having said that I dont mind the blue pot you have it in, in another 30-50yrs it will be starting to show beautiful changes in colour thanks to the patina of time.

With the sentimental value, you definitely keep it. I think the real question is grow it on into a larger group (or maybe one tree if they merge) or develop good branching and ramification at current size. While it will probably never win an award, I don't think it's hideous, and in fact I kind of like it. I would probably just work on it at current size and see what can be done in regards to leaf reduction and ramification.

Either way, cool to have one your dad made.

First question: Why do you think it is unnatural? When we know what the problem is we can seek solutions.

Just wondering if it is that all 3 are the same height and thickness? - Grow the right front tree a little larger to give some variation in height. It will naturally grow thicker as well.
Is it the lack of ramification and large leaves? More selective pinching and some time will see good ramification and leaf reduction.
All the branches grow from one point? This is a common problem with trees that have been cut back relatively recently. Selectively remove shoots where several grow from the same place on trunk or branch. For really pleaing ramification and branch structure only have V forks. Where 3 twigs (or 2 branches and trunk, etc) or more are growing close together remove 1 to leave only main branch/trunk and 1 side shoot. This applies to ALL bonsai, not just figs.

I think it is a nice starter. A little time and some good technique will iron out any problems they are figs after all

Thank you everyone for the responses. They give me hope.

shibui wrote:First question: Why do you think it is unnatural? When we know what the problem is we can seek solutions.

Just wondering if it is that all 3 are the same height and thickness? - Grow the right front tree a little larger to give some variation in height. It will naturally grow thicker as well.
Is it the lack of ramification and large leaves? More selective pinching and some time will see good ramification and leaf reduction.
All the branches grow from one point? This is a common problem with trees that have been cut back relatively recently. Selectively remove shoots where several grow from the same place on trunk or branch. For really pleaing ramification and branch structure only have V forks. Where 3 twigs (or 2 branches and trunk, etc) or more are growing close together remove 1 to leave only main branch/trunk and 1 side shoot. This applies to ALL bonsai, not just figs.

I think it is a nice starter. A little time and some good technique will iron out any problems they are figs after all

Shibui, thanks. To be honest your identification of faults is probably much better than mine. I've been doing bonsai for 8 years but still feel very raw. I know what I like and what I don't but often can't identify why. I live on the lower north shore of sydney near the water and there are so many pjs growing round here. They are either the huge park variety or stranglers that are contorted and crazy in their structure. I'm in love with them. While some grow over big rocks I've never seen three candlestick style figs growing together with very few surface roots.

The faults you spotted all contribute too. The leaf size is easy to reduce I've done this at times with these trees but left it recently to give it a bit more height.

The fig behind is horrible too. I'll post the picture next post and show you why.

Thanks again everyone, seems like my plan should be this: grow a little more, make the size of them uneven, work on better branch structure and ramf, and get a suitable pot.

I do have a tendency to be negative about all my trees, so this discussion has helped me save what could in time be an ok tree. Thanks again.

Here's the fig behind. Crossing roots looks like a pregnant lady busting to go to the toilet.

Wow. Change of plans. Just pulled it up to look at the roots and the rock shattered. Probably something to do with all the translucent ants living in the rock

So the front one will be styled as a ROR. The left one grown on to develop nebari and then another ROR. And the pregnant lady given the force feed growth treatment to grow her into something big.

Thanks again everyone but nature determined the way forward!

Dusty, in my experience ants do not shatter rock but fig roots regularly do. They exert huge force as they grow and thicken. My first PJ root over rock quickly broke the protruding bits of sandstone rock and enveloped the rest so it is now hard to see that it was once ROR. ROR plantings need a really solid rock or they will certainly be very short term ROR.
Good luck with further developing these trees.
New roots are quite easy to develop in figs. Toothpick method, lifting flaps of bark or simple ground layering will all work to give a new, better radial rootsystem for the 'lady'