Ficus ID please. Pos/Neg feedback also welcome.

[Pearcy001]

Hi guys,

I've had this ficus for a little while now but never been 100% sure on what species it is. I've only been guessing, can anyone tell me?

Criticism is also welcome as its a great way to learn. My apologies for the photos too they were done on my mobile. Thanks all.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

[Brian]

its always difficult to identify a small fig with juvenile leaves, but could be one of the commonly grown fig varieties like Port Jackson, or Moreton bay fig.

Try to keep it out in the sun, figs flourish in the heat.

[kcpoole]

I vote for PJ or MB fig as well

I woud cut back the trunk to just after the first 2 branches on the right of that section. Use the left up ward heading shoot as the new leader.

Ken

[shibui]

The way I understand fig ID is that you will never be sure until you have a fruit to check. Many ficus species have leaves, trunk, etc so close to the same that only the differences in the fruit can tell them apart.
Of course it does not matter what species it is, as long as you are happy with it as a bonsai.

I think the roots need to thicken quite a bit so there is no space between the roots and the rock. Not sure whether you are already feeding it but they do love fertiliser and will still thicken quite quickly, even in a bonsai pot, if you feed it well.
Also do not allow them to grow long and leggy. Pruning is your friend with figs. You can cut branches short and be certain that it will produce lots of new buds from whatever branches you leave. I think I would cut almost all of those branches back by at least 1/2, maybe a bit more on some, to make it grow more bushy.
The 1st? branch on the left (the really long, upright one) is one of the lowest on the tree but is trying to be a leader. I think this tree needs only have 1 apex so that lowest branch needs to become a branch or be removed completely. The tree might be ok with a small branch to the left but the trunk does have a strong movement to the right so maybe removing that branch completely would enhance the natural movement even better.

[Pearcy001]

Hi guys and thanks for the replys. I do shift work so may be a little slow on the reply some times.

It currently getting soaked in Charlie C for 1 hour every 2 weeks which I will push back to once a month in the down season. It gets around 8 hours of Melbourne afternoon full sun after I made a little merbue deck on my second story over the tin roof. Unsure if I should be using Seasol as well?

As far as the style goes, the tall branch on the left was just a sacrifice that has grown a bit long and will eventually be cut. I was considering either like you have said kc or keeping the far right. Here's a couple of virts.


Eventually I would like a nice low canopy along the length of the first virt but I'm still considering options.

Thanks for tour input guys and any further would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

[shibui]

The charlie carp every 2 weeks should be good though I would have expected a little more growth on the tree with such regular feeding. Could it be getting a bit hot on the tin roof during the day? There would be a lot of reflected heat and light, even with your little deck maybe? You could possibly try adding a humidity tray to help keep it a bit cooler and to keep the air around it a bit more humid during summer.

You can add some seasol if you want but I rarely use it and mine grow just fine.

The sacrifice branch is a good idea. You can leave it on for a while yet. Just need to get rid of it before it gets too thick and will leave a big scar. Either of your virtual designs would be ok though my personal preference is toward the 2nd with the slightly more upright leader. Where you have cut in the virts was about how I would cut it back too. Always remember that they only ever grow longer rather than staying the same size where you cut so it will grow out past the shape in the virts.

[Pearcy001]

Maybe the Charlie C is too diluted Shibui? I dilute roughly 10ml CC per 1l of water. Possibly may need to use more CC? I was also thinking I was doing the right thing having in a higher heat as it wasnt appearing to burn or anything like that, but if you think it would be too hot I may need to try moving it to somewhere not so hot but still in the sun.

[shibui]

Don't be too hasty to make changes. I am only offering suggestions and observations but I can only see the photos. I have no idea what conditions are like at your place or where you have the tree, etc. Maybe it is already growing as well as it can. If you want to try something, try just changing one thing at a time so when the growth alters you will know what it was due to.
Do you know how hot it gets during the day on your roof? maybe a thermometer would help. Does the mix get really dry during the day? Good thing about figs is they don't die straight away but being dry will slow growth.
Mine are in the poly tunnel where it gets pretty warm but they do have light shade and the poly cover ensures relatively high humidity. They seem to do very well in those conditions except for a little fungal dieback in late winter and spring.

[Pearcy001]

Great idea about the thermometer! I'll get onto that in the coming days and let you know how it goes. Mix seems OK although I do seem to only water it every 2-3 days depending on the weather. I was paranoid about root rot so I didn't want to keep it wet. I'm thinking I may need to create some form of green house for them

[shibui]

I don't think it will get cold enough down there in Billstown to upset your fig in winter so a greenhouse will probably only supply some shade and humidity. You can provide humidity with a humidity tray under the pot. I prefer the lightest shade you can supply and I only have shade on in summer when it gets too hot in the igloo with full sun. Heavier shade causes long, spindly growth and we need short internodes and compact growth for best look.

I don't think you need to make major changes to growing conditions. The fig looks quite healthy and is growing ok. Just a few minor tweaks may get it going just a little better.

[Pearcy001]

So I went with virt 2 today, and now I'm glad to say I did. I think I'll let it grow for a year now and reassess it then.

Cheers,
Pearcy.