Port Jackson Fig

[Mitchell]

Hi all! This is one of my figs I've just pulled out for a re-pot and to sort roots. It is number 7 from my 10 PJ cuttings viewtopic.php?f=133&t=4486&hilit=samurai .
I plan on trying to get rid of the inverse taper and achieve a little taper to the trunk. Don't know how successful I will be as it is fairly short and squat. Perfect for a sumo, but I would still like a bit of taper to the trunk.

This one has a few little aerial roots going on and should hopefully make for an interesting bonsai in the future.


Managed to produce I hope a front and some taper. I also got rid on the inverse taper at the top. I defoliated it a month or so ago and there are plenty of new shoots to work with. I'll save the rest of the carving till next season once I have some decent foliage.

5.JPG

Exposed the rings of a side branch whilst carving, the branch was 97 years old. Can only guess how old the trunk is.

[Jake]

nice trunk, that's going to turn out great in a couple of years mate!!!

[bonzaidog]

Nice one Mitch,Can I ask ,do you have a green house or hot house,for aftercare,or are you just super keen to get to work on it-mid winter isn't the usual time for defoliation/repotting.Having said that,PJ's are pretty tough,so it should be ok..I'd go for a nice open mix and a poly grow box and let it settle before cranking on new growth,come the warmer weather,that'll give you more choices for branches in the near future!..It would also be a good candidate for a trunk fusion project,if you get hold of some PJ seedlings and build more taper that way...good luck mate ....Dog.

[Mitchell]

Jake, I hope it will.

Dog, it will come in under the veranda and be put under glass. It would be fine outside though as my yard is protected from frosts, got a couple earlier on in winter, but it's not too bad in Sydney now. I'll baby it through the rest of winter, it'll be fine.

[FlyBri]

Gday Mitchell!

I'm a bit confused by your photographs: in "compare.jpg", which is the 'before' and which is the 'after'? (I assume 'before' is on the left, as you appear to have corrected the reverse taper in the RH photo.) Either way, it's a monster of a cutting, and should give you years of enjoyment as you help it find its form! In your climate, I would be looking to strike as many cuttings as possible, with a view to grafting a nice set of roots onto the beast in years to come.

Exposed the rings of a side branch whilst carving, the branch was 97 years old. Can only guess how old the trunk is.

Without wanting to be a killjoy, I don't think we can use the rings of a tropical tree to determine its age: deciduous trees have very distinct rings (one per year of growth) due to the fact that they experience dormancy once a year), but a tropical tree growing in your neck of the woods probably does not ever experience dormancy as such. I would guess that the rings you counted indicate 97 growing seasons and not 97 years, so it could be as young as 12-15 years (but probably more).

Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to further updates!

Fly.

[Mitchell]

You assumed correct Mr Fly! Certainly is a monster of a cutting, this would have to be the thickest of the 10.
When I first got the cuttings a while ago I cut back all the standard lanky growth. I struck all of those and now have dozens rooting out. I think these will take some time to become matching in girth to suit the trunk. I have a dozen or so more advanced PJ figs so they are looking like better donation candidates. The other cuttings are in poly grow boxs and have tonnes of roots smashing through the poly, so when I repot them, I'll grab some of their roots also.

Yes I did know, rings represent growing seasons, got a bit ahead of myself.

Thanks for your comments.