AusBonsai

Hi all picked up an old ficus hillii from my local bonsai nursery i think it is 12 years old or so got some nice nebrari.
I have cleaned up some of the crossing unattractive surface roots and teased out some of the pot bound roots and planted my new baby into a larger grow box.
Going to chop it back to try and get some back budding. any ideas of where to chop?

Looking at the second photo in the grow box I would chop off the trunk on the right hand side with the scar. Then grow it to get some taper and chop it later on to get to the height. The Hills fig is a bit more work than the other figs - secondary branches come off the primary trunk in a bunch and some have to be pruned out. Looks like a great score !


Tony

Thanks for the advice Tony so you would cut the whole right hand section and go with the central branch as the leader?

Yes I would - then the trunk still has some movement. Then feed and feed it and the taper will improve. I always find that I have too much height in the trees for the girth of the trunk so you can chop it again later on if you so desire.

Tony

Dido Mugen

This Tony agrees with that Tony. Give it a bit of a foliage prune also now to get the back budding for more branching, and then chop harder later to establish the height. Probably wouldn't do that till mid/late spring.

Best Regards

Tony

Thanks heaps for the help Tony one and Tony two I will do a light chop soon and do some major chopping next spring. Does any one else have any ficus hilli pics to get some inspiration from?

Bougy Fan wrote:Looking at the second photo in the grow box I would chop off the trunk on the right hand side with the scar. Then grow it to get some taper and chop it later on to get to the height. The Hills fig is a bit more work than the other figs - secondary branches come off the primary trunk in a bunch and some have to be pruned out. Looks like a great score !


Tony

Nice find!

Can not really add anything to what Tony have advised so i have made a virt of his suggestion:
Lennard

Thanks heaps for the virtual lennard it's hard to get the confidence to make the chop but having having the visuals of what to aim for helps so much!
Thanks

Bear in mind trunk chopping to get rid of this partially healed scar produces another bigger and as yet unhealed scar. Before chopping find the best root base and lower trunk shape front. If you are not doing a demo with an audience then sit and wait for a until you decide is it really the front you want for the next hundred years? Then try to find a chop point that will not give you a 'bulls-eye' scar in the middle of the front of the trunk. With radiating roots like your tree it shouldn't be too hard to get what you want.

This is pre-prepared stock right? Like you couldn't be so lucky as to walk into a standard corner nursery and find this in their pot plant section could you?

Ash

Hi Ash first of all happy birthday!
Yeah this is pre-prepared bonsai stock. I hear what you are saying about a larger scar if I were to remove the right hand trunk.it would be much bigger than the existing one. I think I will give it till next spring/summer before I do any drastic styling.
Thanks for your advice ash much appreciated.

Do you have any examples of ficus hilli in your collection Ash? I have been greatly inspired by what I have seen of your work so far

Posting some update pics not the best shots will post more later .
Also a shot of a thread graft I am attempting not having much luck with back budding after trunk chop at apex

I dont know why but i liked the root that wraped around the back side of the fig, makeing a wall.

Hope the graft goes well! Your tree has a very promising root flare and the shape you have introduced is looking good.

I realise I did not answer your question a year ago Yes I do have Ficus microcarpa that I think might be var. hillii in my collection but they are still in training phase - one day when it is not raining I will take some pics.

I have a sneaking suspicion your tree could even be Ficus natalensis but I cannot quite see the leaves and I am also happy with F. m. var. hillii as an ID.

cheers

Ash