AusBonsai

Hi All,

I live in Sydney, directly under the nightly flightpath of the bats travelling from the Royal Botanic Gardens to Centennial Park/Moore Park. They crap everywhere - on roofs, into gutters, into cracks in the footpath, into all the trees, cracks in walls and all over my car. There is no shortage of healthy established young plants for me.

Except for on my car, i can find all sorts of different and interesting ficus growing healthily, some of which have pretty impressive root systems for such a little tree (see a previous post of mine). i've identified 3 different species of fig growing in my neighbourhood. i am sure there are a few more, but i've not noticed them, or am just not interested in them - eg elastica

What i really would like to know is this:

If i plan to have say 2 different species of fig growing in the same pot and the roots/plants come into contact with eachother, does anyone know if the different figs will fuse and help eachother, or will they compete and try to kill eachother?

Regarless of what people say, i wll give it a shot anyway, but i would really love to hear the opinions of this community.

Also, is embarking on a project like this considered as inpure or 'not real bonsai' in the established way of thinking?

I just want to recreate nature in my own urban inner-city sydney neighbourhood, but in a tiny little pot - so in my mind, it's real-world stuff.

cheers all

No idea on same type of ficus, like the strangler, hence the name might hurt it, but if they are brothers, then it might be interesting, don't worry about not bonsai crap etc, if it is a styled tree in a pot its a bonsai.

rch003 wrote:No idea on same type of ficus, like the strangler, hence the name might hurt it, but if they are brothers, then it might be interesting, don't worry about not bonsai crap etc, if it is a styled tree in a pot its a bonsai.

If it is a styled tree, in a pot it is a Bonsai, is a false statement. .
Bonsai, Penjing Saikei are trees styled in pots. As you can see, not all trees in pots that are styled are Bonsai, another is Topiary, which is not a Bonsai or Penjing.

Cheers Pup

Well, it sounds to me like you are planning a type of bonsai there. At least the horticultural aspects of bonsai will apply to your little experiment. Don't worry too at this point as to what constitutes bonsai or not, but get guidance from those on this forum as to how to keep your trees going in their pot. Also, do some Google image searches for "Penjing", "bonsai forest", and "bonsai clump", and you will see what these are.

The Ficus experts can correct me, but now is probably not a bad time of year to be getting your project up and running. Do some searches on ficus in these forums and get down to your local bonsai nursery or club should you need hands-on advice.

Most of all, enjoy your experiment and let us know how it goes! Don't forget to photograph it as you go along! Before and afters can be most satisfying, and while there may be those out there that may cast the odd negative remark, just remember that you are doing this for you, and not for them! Whilst you may not be doing pure bonsai or penjing etc, what you are certainly doing is related and this forum is as good a place to start as any other.

Good luck and enjoy it!

Andrew

They will do fine together in the same pot, and should fuse together.

'The word bonsai is often used in English as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots' from the wiki, don't start a war Pup, trying to help this kid, not discourage him.

Thanks all,

I think I might just go ahead and push on with the experiment. I will be collecting some rocks and things over xmas and pick up some grafting tape today, so i can get cracking after xmas.

i've got some stranglers going from seed which i'm going to mix with a pj (i think).

i will post some pics when i start getting my hands dirty, but here is the established plant i'm starting with: Have an awesome xmas!

They will be fine. If not, just control the dominant plants growth.

I took a medium sized Strangler and wrapped it around a massive Port Jackson the other day to add character to its bland straight sided trunk.

Hey Man,

Try to look for plants with different sizes and trunk thicknesses. This way, with a bit of luck, you end up with something that does not resemble a plantation, but a more natural scene.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone,

Andrew - that's a great tip - one I never thought of and makes sense completely.

I found one seedling today and will go hunting for more after xmas.