Ficus Nerifolia suggestions needed

tb823bonsai

We started this Ficus Nerifolia from a cutting about 10 years ago.

I'm not sure about the pot size and shape as well as the color.

Any suggestions for a re-style?

Attached Images

	Ficus 3.jpg (30.3 KB, 117 views)
	Ficus 2.jpg (24.6 KB, 58 views)
	Ficus 4.jpg (20.6 KB, 91 views)

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anttal63

what you have done from a cutting is fantastic. i kind of like the funky pot but there is wonderful pots out there that will work and allow the tree to stretch. rectangular and oval to a taper will work fine. maybe the virt kings could a couple of repots for you.

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Antonio . . .
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tb823bonsai

Thank you! We really like this one because it's a little different than the other Nerifolia's that we have. The pot has been changed a number of times but something is still off but I just can't see it.

Ideas/comments are much appreciated.

ElGringo

Ok, I'll chime in. Looking at your 3rd photo, the roots almost look like 2 legs; they are both equal in size and almost symetrical, which distracts attention away from the rest of the tree. So, I would rotate the front 10 degrees or so, that way one root will be facing forward (though not straight into the eye of the viewer) and the other will be facing behind, towards some imaginary distance. This will add depth to the composition.

Fig develop chunky, buttressed nebari over time, so to balance the visual effect you will need a shallower, perhaps oval or round pot, and preferably one with a more natural colour. Try unglazed pots too and see what looks best. Figs are tropical and evergreen, so you will want a cream, light brown or greenish coloured pot.

Some ideas to bat around....

Rich

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Richard

lagunamadre

That is a cute little pot but if you really think it's time for a change, I was thinking maybe an oval pot. I'd go with the 2/3rd's rule, a pot as long as 2/3rd's the height of the tree. With a small tree, it's hard to match the trunk diameter to the pot depth, but maybe you could come close and then mound the soil up around the trunk to get the depth. Twice over the past year I've repotted into a bigger pot that actually made the tree look bigger, "it's usually a small pot that makes the tree look bigger". A longer pot could give the roots more room, and a shallow pot could keep the visual mass to a minimum. A vert would maybe be a help, on paper, but then you would have to go out a find the pot. Have fun.

RedPine

Nerrifolias are one of my favorite ficus, I really like shohins to.
Then 3 things that bug me are the pot, base roots and hidden branchig. The pot is last priority, we can't really say anything about styling since the foliage is hiding everything, a picture in defoliation mode will be needed for that. The roots are EASY to fix with these trees but a few choices need to be made, an option would be to raise the soil line and reduce the roots from below, another would be to attach the tree over rock. In some summer climates many can remove all the roots and grow the tree as a cutting to replace the entire root system. Layering the tree off right at the top of the roots is also another option.

It all really depends on how far you want to go, just raising the soil line in a better pot and trimming the crown back some would be OK here to. Going by picture # 1 this and a pot change is what I personaly would do.

Attached Images

.yellow.jpg (43.3 KB, 35 views)