Reviving A Ficus

TomCho

I'm in the process of trying to rescue a nearly dead ficus. It did not get any sunlight and was rarely watered.

The pot is shallow, oval and a pleasing blue colour.

The problems:

1. The trunk is very thin.
2. The lower branches have been cut off so the canopy is very high. (middle)
3. There is no main central trunk, but three beginning at almost the same height.
4. There is this odd rim of glued pebbles that has been set over the soil.

There were two intact leaves on the tree but new shoots have formed with regular watering and a little fertilizer.

I would like to grow it into a format style.

Is this possible without seriously endangering the tree?

Tom Cho

Sorry, but there is no picture.

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treenut

Ficus are very hardy,if you remove it from the pot without disturbing the roots and put it in a large plant box or something similiar this will give you your best chance to salvage it,you can place it back into a bonsai pot later when it has recovered,ease off on the fertilizer too,would you like a nice big feed if you were on your deathbed?,just lots of water will do for now.From your description it sounds like it would only be a mediocre bonsai anyway,but it will be a good learning experience for you.

groan

and those mallsai pebbles should easily break off as well.

just get a knife into the edge near the pot and lift. it's only attached around the outside (since it cant stick to the soil...) so you just need to break the seal.

Good luck!

__________________
Groan
Site Admin for
The Great Canadian Bonsai

TomCho

I have seen this item in my Lee Valley catalogue(www.leevalley.com). It is a grafting tool that uses a tapered drill bit (it matches the taper of a standard pencil sharpener and I wouldn't use my power drill). This allows a branch to be moved and grafted.

I was wondering if anyone has tried this, as it would allow me to move one of the larger branches down the main trunk.

The fertilizer was half the dosage reccomended on the box (for indoor plants) and even after two days there is visible improvement.

These are all long term plans. I have built guitars from a few pieces of 150 year old spruce so a few years dedicated to a tree ain't so long in my estimation.

As to it being a mediocre bonsai at best, I understand the judgement. I just hate seeing lumber wasted and seen as only a building material. George Nakashima (pre-eminent furniture maker) once said that every tree has a soul that survives after it has been felled. I hope that this tree can become proud one day, in spite of my inexpert hands.

The metaphysical rambling ends here.

Tom Cho

p.s. format style? informal upright style is what I meant.

erubeck

Tom:

There are different theories about fertilizing at this stage. Take a look at the article on the subject by Brent Walston at Evergreen Garden Works. It's quite convincing.

URL is:
www.evergreengardenworks.com