Boise_Guy
Sapling
I got this 20 year old Ficus off Craigslist about 3 months ago and have acclimated it to my house in this SE corner where it gets good light from windows. It was repotted 3 weeks ago in pine bark (organic), cinder (inorganic rock), sand mix (40/50/10% respectively). Its doing okay now after losing a lot of leaves after travelling (hanging out of my trunk on the freeway!!!). The old owners hadn't repotted it in 10 years and just let it go with minimal care.
My question is, ** What should I be doing in the winter to get this ready for a chop in spring and are there some prunes I should do now to get a start on shaping the trunks at the base? **
I know I need to wait until spring when the tree is growing and at its healthiest, and then I'm hoping to hack it way back down to 1-2 feet and hope for backbudding (thinking eventual broom style ficus bonsai...?). I know I want to do everything I can to get the tree healthy for that time in spring.
However, I'm wondering if I should prune some of these lower branches on the trunks now since they will almost certainly need to go at some point anyways? How much work might I do now on the lower parts of the trunks that will be kept? I'm thinking I might get a head start on shaping the lower trunks and prevent making any issues worse for myself down the road after the chop and I'm trying to Bonsai the tree.
This link is partial inspiration, although I'm sure most of you all know what I'm going for here.
http://bonsaihunk.com/ficusforum/FicusTechniques/FigTechnique15.html
My question is, ** What should I be doing in the winter to get this ready for a chop in spring and are there some prunes I should do now to get a start on shaping the trunks at the base? **
I know I need to wait until spring when the tree is growing and at its healthiest, and then I'm hoping to hack it way back down to 1-2 feet and hope for backbudding (thinking eventual broom style ficus bonsai...?). I know I want to do everything I can to get the tree healthy for that time in spring.
However, I'm wondering if I should prune some of these lower branches on the trunks now since they will almost certainly need to go at some point anyways? How much work might I do now on the lower parts of the trunks that will be kept? I'm thinking I might get a head start on shaping the lower trunks and prevent making any issues worse for myself down the road after the chop and I'm trying to Bonsai the tree.
This link is partial inspiration, although I'm sure most of you all know what I'm going for here.
http://bonsaihunk.com/ficusforum/FicusTechniques/FigTechnique15.html