Cottage

Lexie

I'm getting a ficus, and in the summer, for the weekend, I go to my cottage. I leave late Friday or early Saturday, and return home on Sunday, usually at about seven or eight at night. The ficus will be my very first bonsai.

My question is, will my ficus be alright if I water it well right before I leave? In the summer it'll be staying outside, but I can bring it inside for the weekend if that'll help it retain water. It'll have a humidity tray.. will that help it make it through the weekend?

Oh, and as for soil, it'll have a homemade mixture of 50% lava rock and 50% mini mulch. Heh. I could be fretting over nothing at all, but I want to make sure it'll be okay.

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sauce

Hi Lexie. Your questions leave many questions unanswered. Where are you? Where is your tree? What type of light is it receiving? A humidity tray will not be a substitute for watering if you leave your tree for several days. Temperature, watering, and humidity among other things play a big role in the growth and care of a Ficus. Growing indoors presents another set of obstacles altogether. Lack of humidity, air flow and sun light all come to mind, but those can be overcome. Fill in some of the missing details and you will probably get more replies. Good Luck!

midwestbonsai

Hi there! Welcome to the forum! If you'll take a moment to fill in your User CP (upper left on the banner above) we can know exactly where you are, and perhaps give you more specific information.
-Paul

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Lexie

Aw, sorry about that. I'm kind of new to the whole forum thing. I'll try and give some more information.

I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, zone 2a. When I'm at the cottage, the temperature here will be between 20 and 30 degrees celsius. My tree (I don't have it yet) will be outside on the picnic table, close to the house to give it some shade but some time in the sun as well. I will only be leaving my tree for about two days at a time, unless I go to the cottage for a week or something, in which case I'll probably take the tree with me. (Is that possible with ficus, or are they tempermental and react badly when moved?)

Does that help any?

Aaron_K

Hi Lexie and welcome to the forum,

Provided that the soil the ficus will be in does not dry out, it should be fine for two days. My advice would be to water thoroughly before you leave, then place the tree completely in the shade. This will not harm it at all, but should help stop the sun evaporating the water out of the pot. The lava rock/mini mulch will drain well, but should retain enough moisture for the weekend in summer temperatures. Putting it inside with a humidity tray will also work well. It might be a better option, as believe it or not, bonsai trees are quite often stolen, so if you are spending a fair amount of cash on one - I'd put it inside.

Taking it with you for the week shouldn't be a problem either really. They are very forgiving bonsai plants, and can tolerate low light levels and a fair bit of neglect. If you are moving it from the garden of your home to the garden of your cottage, it won't bat an eyelid, just be careful that it doesn't get damaged in transit.

Some species of ficus are easier to care for and train as bonsai. I have a ficus retusa "Tiger bark", which I think are also called ficus "too little". It doesn't mind being pruned or wired and would recommend it to you.

You might also wish to obtain a copy of a highly acclaimed book by one of our very own forum members, Mr Jerry Meislik, as he is pretty much the authority on ficus bonsai. Here is a link to his website www.bonsaihunk.us

Hope that helps.

All the best,

Aaron

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