Trunk Chopping

Jow

I am going to be attempting my first trunk chop on a ficus of some sorts this spring. I was wondering when the best time to do this would be. Here is the plan: Go down to Lowes or Home depot and buy a big ficus with a decent trunk and then just chop it down to the first or second branch. I have a bunch of info on the process and I just want to start experimenting, so any additional info would be of help.

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Tony

I do most work on Ficus in early summer when they are outside and growing fast. I find that they respond better and recover quicker at that time of year.

Tony

will*law

It depends on your area and the seasons. You want to do a trunk chop to a ficus when the tree is growing vigorously. For me, that ends up being twice a year - during the summer, and about now after everything has re-aclimated to being indoors under metal halide lights. The only thing that I find indoors is that putting a clear plastic bag over the chop helps keep humidity high. In my experience that seems to help quite a bit. A humidifier may do the job also.

Be careful with the variety. Benjaminas are somewhat unlikely to back bud, although I have had success even with 'Too Little' which others had said is impossible. It is really, really important to do it during vigorous growth.

Good luck!

Will

BonsaiMon

Jow .. do you have an indoor set up for tropicals..?
As stated by Will and Tony vigorous growth time is the best time to do anything drastic with ficus.. soil temps 70 F min.
Why Lowes?
Why a benj?
don't get me wrong benjs are nice but there are many other ficus varieties .. i feel are more fun to work with and survive trunk chops .. my favorite is the willow leaf fig.
.. years ago someone gave me a benj bought from a garden center about 4'+ and i left it tall .. knowing that they will girth up in trunk size over the years... anyway it is still tall 5' tripple trunk and imho looking good enuf to stick in a pot .. lol.. kinda big and I'm not gettin any younger. The reason I din't cut it back was the fact it was a benj and it needs tropical environment to survive this type of work (diaster for the tree .. like a hurricane) and I was in Tn at the time zone 5-6 mostly 5 while i was there.. growing in a free standing greenhouse with the min lows going into the 30's to many times :0( ,, the ficus' survived this but i found many other tropicals will not.
jus a lil grist for the mill...

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peace,
tom stoute

http://bonsaiinsights.spaces.live.com/

Jow

thanks for the advice. I am not necessarily married to the idea of a benji, pretty much any non-expensive ficus will do. I'm just anxious to try some experimenting, and I don't won't to kill any of my other trees. I do have an indoor setup for my trees. Due to the fact that I am a city dweller all my trees have to be tropicals that can be grown indoors most of the time. I currently live in Philadelphia with a small north facing balcony but I am moving to Boston in July and who knows what that will be like. I find it easier to control the environment by simply keeping my trees indoors.