Ficus potential yamadori

[PWC]

Just relocated and have this ficus growing in the water course that feeds the dam. If it was growing on the bank I would leave it but as it is growing in the middle it is causing an obstruction and if left to grow would only get worse, so it has to go. Not sure of the exact type but I'm sure it could have some potential.

My initial thinking is to prune it heavily down to about 3 feet and get a better look at the base see how it recovers and make a final decision in Summer.

[shibui]

Leaves and growth habit look a bit like weeping fig but it is notoriously difficult to accurately ID ficus.
I understand that benjamina do not always react well to either pruning or root reduction but it would be worth a try.
Pruning now and attempt transplant in summer would be my preferred option too.

[PWC]

I understand that benjamina do not always react well to either pruning or root reduction but it would be worth a try.

The other option I suppose would be to apply some air layers on some of the larger branches that have some interest and prune back the others that don't. They will set roots fairly quickly up here.

[PWC]

Got the chainsaw out to see what was underneath all that foliage. Decided not to go ahead with layers, I think there is a tree in there somewhere. Didn't have a beer with me for scale( always a good idea when you are using a chainsaw ) the base is beer can size and about 40 cm. to the fork in the trunk. I will leave it until it recovers and gets some new growth before digging it.

Now to wait and see.

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[kvan64]

Yep. There is no rust. Just keep coming back to it and trim once every quarter. You'll be surprised how much faster it can grow there than in a pot. Just feed it with some chicken pellet next time you visit too

[PWC]

Yep. There is no rust. Just keep coming back to it and trim once every quarter. You'll be surprised how much faster it can grow there than in a pot. Just feed it with some chicken pellet next time you visit too

It's in the bottom of a gully that feeds my dam I plan to clear the gully to improve the water flow into the dam. Thanks for the feedback but It will be coming out along with other less desirable plants that are causing issues along the watercourse.

[melbrackstone]

Root pruning Benjis in our climate is generally not a problem at all. I ripped one out of the bole of a tree and it very happily settled into pot culture. There are many thousands of beautiful benji bonsais around, and you should have no trouble with getting it out. If you've got a nice warm spot out of wind you could even take it now. The Sunshine coast has a bonsai club where you can get extra help and info if needed.

[PWC]

Root pruning Benjis in our climate is generally not a problem at all. I ripped one out of the bole of a tree and it very happily settled into pot culture. There are many thousands of beautiful benji bonsais around, and you should have no trouble with getting it out. If you've got a nice warm spot out of wind you could even take it now. The Sunshine coast has a bonsai club where you can get extra help and info if needed.

After a closer look and removing some of the build up around the base it looks like this is emerging from a large root of a previously remove much larger tree. This is going to complicate the removal I would imagine, I am not sure on the best way to proceed. If anyone has had any experience similar to this I would appreciate any suggestions.

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[melbrackstone]

As long as you can get some of those aerial roots you can flat cut it. Know that the roots left in the ground will shoot again though, so if it's important to clean it out, you might need to inject some blackberry and tree killer to stop it regrowing.

Edit, if you do flat cut it you'll need to make sure it isn't kept too damp. You can almost treat a fig like a succulent in this instance, and growing them in a slightly drier condition will make them produce roots without rotting out the trunk so quickly...

[PWC]

An update on this one, as expected it put on a lot of growth after the cut back so I decided to add a layer. There was one rather large branch that was disproportionate to the other three so I decided to remove it and layer at the junction of the remaining three.
I lost some of the roots removing the plastic, if there is not enough roots to sustain the tree I imagine some die back will occur or should I reduce the foliage now?

I will leave the remaining stump to regrow and probably take it at the end of summer.

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[melbrackstone]

You're in Qld now Peter. Figs grow from cuttings that thick here. I can't see it looking back once it's settled into the pot.

Yes, there's likely to be some dieback, so by all means cut it back to beyond the profile you want, and it'll reward you with multiple shoots. Just be careful not to go back past the green though, just in case. It is a benjie, after all.

[PWC]

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I should have enough growth by this time next year to begin refinement process I hope. I plan for probably no more than 10 cm of additional height, just develop more ramification and better secondary branch growth in the canopy. I did lose most of the third trunk but there is a shoot low down at the base of that failed trunk that should grow and replace it.

I will replant the the removed section of the trunk to see if it will send out shoots, nothing to lose but I don't expect it to be successful.

[PWC]

I thought I would update this as it I was not expecting fruit, and was surprised at the size it has a nice scale about it I would have thought they would be larger.

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I have tried a thread graft on the lower left trunk to try to get a better balance with the right hand trunk that has a branch lower down.

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A long way to go with the refinement of the canopy, and no root work done as the layer is quite young. I will inspect the roots in a couple of months and see how they are progressing. I think the earlier the intervention the better for the future of the nebari.

There is significant scaring and die back from the initial cut back that will need to be addressed in the future, not sure about how Ficus go with carving.

[shibui]

Very soft wood and they heal larger cuts slowly so exposed wood tends to rot. That does not preclude dead wood or carving but expect to end up with a hollow rather than jins or smooth shari.

[PWC]

It's been a while since the last update, some progress and some setbacks. The thread graft was successful, even put out a few roots and the fruit has been prolific. Unfortunately the wind knocked it over and it lost three major branches. I did a little carving in a hope that I can get the major cuts to heal over and get better taper. The cuts were large and the die back could be too large an area cover, if so will probably have to let it rot and see what it gives me.

As far as the roots go I haven't checked yet, there wasn't any significant roots last year so i will check in spring when I do a repot.