Any Thoughts on this Ficus retusa?

midwestbonsai

Any input on this ficus retusa would be helpful.
13"H, 9"W, 1"Trunk.
I have had him for about 3 years, started from stock that was way way too top heavy, and a poor selection on branches. but, you do with what you got.
Thanks All

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otomix

FIGS! MY SPECIALTY! well, it looks like awesome shape and branch plaecment already, although, to get decent fig ramification to make them look like a BIG OLD FIG! you really need to cut all the longer branches shorter! then because in the growing season they can literally grow 12" each branch, trim them back and watch them back bud easier than any other tree in the world! honestly, these kinds of trees are a beginner delite! i cant believe how easy they are to work with!!

that said to each their own! but if you want really nice dense foliage give him a little cut back, wound sealer it up before it bleeds too much (the only bad things about figs is they bleed profusely, and the sap smells like dog poo!!! ) in a matter of weeks it should be sprouting out everywhere! and figs have to be one of the easiest plants to get the leaves to come down in size!

hope my info is half useful, but i feel like im just rambling on as im tired! lol

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-Owner of 'Mahoutsukai' Port Jackson Fig


-RIP the master, MR J. Naka

midwestbonsai

thanks
otomix
if i chop the branches shorter there wont be any leaves left, is that a problem?

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007

When was the last time this tree was repotted and into what kind of soil? You would would get better results I would think if you repotted it into a deeper training pot as opposed to a shallow bonsai pot.

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otomix

007 is right! chuck it in a big 12" pot and some decent bonsai mix and it will thrive! but the things with ficus is they need to be warm! they cant thrive in very cold weather, so when it starts getting cold around your part bring it in! oh actually, its autumn in australia at the moment its probably about to be really hot where you are!

umm, ive defoliated a couple of my ficus actually it was already bare in the middle of summer when i bought it. in about week or 2 it was full of leaves again! that said, another way would be to defoliate the top of the tree and get it to sprout out down low, i mean the sky is the limit! im not going to even give my opinions anymore in case i get the "big boys" telling me that i dont know anything or what im talking about anymore....

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-Owner of 'Mahoutsukai' Port Jackson Fig


-RIP the master, MR J. Naka

007

Defoliation I would say is generally a good idea . . . but only on very healthy tree's. I would be very hesitant to do any defoliating on this tree becuase I doubt it has much in store in terms of reserved energy.

My advice: Repot it into a big, deep pot, into some fresh bonsai soil and put it out in some good sun once the weather warms up. It will be sprouting everywhere in no time.

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dbz12fan

You would be suprised how much energy this tree has stored up. I am sure it could handle a complete defoliation with no problem. My suggestion would be to cut it back now. This variety of ficus does fine with no leaves, so you should have major back budding very soon.

As for the suggestion on a larger pot, I would say unless you have room for it inside during the winters, do not put it in a large pot. I am sure it gets fairly cold where you live, so you will probably have it in all winter. A large pot can take up quite a bit of space for a house.

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

Will_Heath

Pine tree styled figs can be decent, however there has been a trend towards a more natural look with figs. This means a more rounded canopy.

For ramification, I personally leave two or three leafs on a stem when cutting back, let these grow and repeat.


I use cut paste on large wounds but have found it to be unnecessary on small wounds as the latex performs this function well, I use the clay-based sealer on anything bigger than 1/2 inch.

Jerry Meislik is a regular poster here and is renown for his knowledge on figs. I would suggest picking up a copy of his book if you can "Ficus The Exotic Bonsai" it is the bible on figs.

Good luck,


Wil Heath