AusBonsai

Here’s my entry to the [A Forest Tale] comp. I Collected a bunch of figs from some nice looking tree’s in the south of Sydney. I’m not entirely sure if they were Port Jackson or Morton Bay figs or possibly both. I planted the seeds about a year ago and had heaps of success. I have a heap growing as experiments for trunk fusion but had a heap of left overs I didn’t really know what to do with. This competition is the answer. They have been neglected for periods of their life, and are still kicking. On the first day on Summer I cut them right back to where they are now. As far as style of forest, I’m still quite undecided. I have never made a forest before. Depending on how wide the bases get I’d imagine it will not be overcrowded, possibly with some variation in height.

Another cool entry ,looks like some of those bases are starting to swell already. Have fun Mike. Cheers John.

A figin’ ripper of an entry. I love the fact that you are attempting your first forest - that’s the idea - to get people trying something new. Thanks for entering Mike.


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3 months later and I have decided to plant them together. I figure it will be good to let them grow together. I may try and reposition them a bit closer together as it will be massive if left like it is.

Hey mikeboyle,
I'm loving the idea of a figarama...your observation about planting them closer together to reduce the size of the final composition is wise. I can see a time when I'll have trouble lifting some of my pots and now realise (belatedly) that I can save lots of real estate and create interesting designs by planting trees closer to together or having less trees or indeed, breaking bigger groups into two at a future point.
Looking forward to watching your progress here.
Cheers,
Mark

Today I finally got round to repotting into a smaller tray. It’s a much more manageable size now which helps with my limited bench space. Now just waiting for spring come so they can grow together. Hopefully thicken some more too.

After letting the fig forest grow over winter and early spring it looked like this. So I cut it right back and now it looks like this. I’ll now let it grow again and see how it forms.

After leaving these in an area that gets little to no attention, they ended up looking rather sad. I decided to change it up a bit. It might eliminate me from the competition depending on how it ends up. Pulled the trees out individually and then planted them in something deeper to give them more of a chance to survive my neglect. They are very close together so may end up being closer to a clump than a forest but I guess will have to wait and see how they grow.

Thanks for the update Mike - pretty loose rules/guidelines - no drama there - keep going and enjoy the journey.


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14 months since I showed Figarama any love but now starting to get closer to the end I needed to pull my finger out and do some work to the forest.
All the trees have been growing much happier in a bigger pot but the clump they were in didn't really sit well for a forest competition so today they were repotted into a bonsai pot.
I left out one tree due to room which has left me with 4 on the right and 3 on the left. There's enough of a divide between the halves to create some kind of dry creek bed at a later stage.
Now I just need to let them settle and grow together and become one.

Ok, I just realised this competition has come to an end.
Here is an update.
The shelf that was holding the fig forest collapsed last autumn and the pot smashed. I transplanted the forest into the largest spare pot I had but it was pretty cramped.
The forest did bond in this time and came out as one.
I recently acquired some used pots and one was much better size and more suitable.
It needs a little longer for me to add moss and maybe a character or two but that's something to look forward to in the future.

Anyway here are some photos. Here it is cramped into the largest spare pot I had. Out with the old, in with the new. The forest had bonded well. And here it is, the final image. This is Figarama.

Any for the final piece of the puzzle, here is a rhyme.

Amidst the fig forest so green and fair,
I walked in wonder, a scene so rare.
Each leaf a canopy, a gentle embrace,
As sunlight filtered through with grace.