How to heal ficus trunk chop scar

mat

I need some help with a ficus. I am a novice and took my first class recently. I was pleased with the nice fat trunk of the tree I got but it has a very large scar from the trunk chop.

My questions: Will this scar heal? Is there anything I can do to promote it's healing. I have heard techniques mentioned in passing in other posts dealing with other species, but I'm not sure exactly how to proceed or if they apply to ficus.

I chose the "front" because I liked the way the trunk moved from this angle. (The tree is not repotted so that's why the pot is at an angle in picture.) However the chop is very visible from this angle. Do I need to reconsider the front to hide it?

Any advice on this issue would be most appreciated, any other comments or suggestions as well.

Thanks, M.A.

Attached Images

	ficfront.jpg (23.5 KB, 91 views)
	ficback.jpg (27.4 KB, 74 views)
	ficchop.jpg (19.7 KB, 88 views)

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wolverine

Cut around the callus with a sharp knife,constantly opening up the callus will promote growth around the woody part in about 4 to 5 years

Attached Images

ficchop.jpg (24.5 KB, 50 views)

mat

Thanks. Should the wood be hollowed out a bit first? This obviously wasn't cut with a concave cutter.

wolverine

I would just cut a line around the callus,not too deep,and it will grow up around the woody part

jbhayman

Sorry have to disagree....
I would remove the dead wood so the tree has a bit more taper, this will improve the overall tree in years to come...there will be an even flow of the trunk and not a large bulge at that point.
Picture 1 is definatly your front.
In addition I would remove it from this pot and put it in a slightly larger shallow pot to aid in its growth, this will help it grow and also help in healing the scar.
Placing clear plastic all around the tree will help improve humidity if you do not have a hothouse and will boost the tree even more.
For added root growth try placing a layer of damp sphagnum moss on the surface of the soil to keep this area moist for root development (right up to the trunk).

Jbhayman

mat

Is this done with the concave cutter or regular wood carving tools? Am I looking to carve out just the dead wood or smooth out the taper even if it means getting into the live wood?

I really appreciate the advice, I have a few books and have looked at web sites but am not clear on many details and don't want to go too far and damage the tree.

Thanks for the advice about the pot and root development as well!

weeijk

I would ask the Bonsaihunk, Jerry Meislik. He wrote a book about Ficus. http://www.bonsaihunk.us/

Furthermore I have to agree with jbhayman, deepen the wound as deep as you can, so the new callus can overgrow it much easier. I have Ficus Benjaminas with much larger wounds 9x9 inch (4x4 cm). I usually use knobcutters to get deeper in, but with a powertool carver, you can carve the wound deeper out as well, though you have to have steady hands.

Hope this helps, Wessel

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jbhayman

I would say use concave cutters as suggested and then do not cut too deep, remember you want to keep the taper and not a big feature hole!, make sure you expose the cambium to aid in the healing. Pic attatched. the dotted line gives you an indication of how deep to cut approx.

Jbhayman

Attached Images

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