Ficus Fusion Project

[Redwood Ryan]

You won"t be removing it?...So you saying your going to have a composition that is half-metal and half-living tree.....Yeah, that isn't cheating...Not trolling, I just don't like the idea of that much artificiality in a composition...People spend DECADES developing a trunk from nothing and you just run in and do it in a matter of a year or two.....I guess I just value the natural side of the art over speedy progress.....I really don't care what's been accomplished by this method, because once it is known that the method was used, most of the awe will have escaped from the piece due to it's blatant contrived manufacture.....

You know what, I could care less what someone on the internet thinks. Leave me alone and let me do what I want to do. Now stop you're whining and go thread graft something. OH WAIT, that's cheating too. Just spend years developing it some other way....

 

[marcosolo]

You know what, I could care less what someone on the internet thinks. Leave me alone and let me do what I want to do. Now stop you're whining and go thread graft something. OH WAIT, that's cheating too. Just spend years developing it some other way....

Thread grafting is in no way the same as creating an ENTIRE TREE from LITTLE WHIPS THAT TOOK NOTHING TO MAKE!!.....A composition is judged by the sum of it's parts....This will never accomplish what you think it will, and is essentially just a glorified forest planting......Only reason Trident's turn out stunning like this is there proficiency to form callous when healing or touching their own tissues, ficus, I can bet, will not look half-way as natural as what Doug pieced together....Not to mention THAT HUGE HOLE inside that SHELL OF A TREE.......I hope this experience is as hollow for you as that monstrosity your making is....

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Thread grafting is in no way the same as creating an ENTIRE TREE from LITTLE WHIPS THAT TOOK NOTHING TO MAKE!!.....A composition is judged by the sum of it's parts....This will never accomplish what you think it will, and is essentially just a glorified forest planting......Only reason Trident's turn out stunning like this is there proficiency to form callous when healing or touching their own tissues, ficus, I can bet, will not look half-way as natural as what Doug pieced together....Not to mention THAT HUGE HOLE inside that SHELL OF A TREE.......I hope this experience is as hollow for you as that monstrosity your making is....

Seriously? Have you never seen a fused Ficus? You can bet all you want, but you're wrong. Fusing is something Ficus do naturally. Now go away and leave this thread alone. You joined this forum in March and I already dislike you. New record, congrats.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Something that's got me concerned: If I strip the leaves off the lower part of the trunks, thus leaving leaves only at the top of the tree, I am afraid that the leaves will block each other out and I will start losing trees....(if that makes sense).

 

[Poink88]

Ryan,

Re: leaves, you are aware that the whips "exit" the bunch randomly (to become branches) as you go up the cone right? You can also "wire them away from each other at the top. If you can work with the leaves on, you should leave them on. Some have to go but no need to remove them all.

I've never done this but I already have it figured out in my mind. Not arrogance but that is just how I am. I guess my practice with construction helped...need to visualize things before they are built.

BTW, you need to read post #54 & fix your cones.

Good luck!

 

[ericN]

Hi Ryan,

I would strip the ones facing the cage and leave the leaves on the open side. More leaves faster growth. I would not even worry about the top blocking each other, as long as your cuttings are healthy, your ficus will find a way.

Hope that helps
Eric

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Ryan,

Re: leaves, you are aware that the whips "exit" the bunch randomly (to become branches) as you go up the cone right? You can also "wire them away from each other at the top. If you can work with the leaves on, you should leave them on. Some have to go but no need to remove them all.

I've never done this but I already have it figured out in my mind. Not arrogance but that is just how I am. I guess my practice with construction helped...need to visualize things before they are built.

BTW, you need to read post #54 & fix your cones.

Good luck!

Thanks Dario, I'll fix the cones in due time

However, about the leaves, just about every site that I've seen where someone has done this with Ficus, they've removed the bottom leaves, I guess to make them easier to work with..?

 

[coh]

Ah, now I understand what was going on in that other thread! Somehow missed this one along the way...

Please keep us posted. I've never tried this technique and would like to see how it turns out with ficus.

Chris

 

[Poink88]

... to make them easier to work with..?

Yep. With ficus and depending on timing, they may sprout at the nodes anyway...more so if totally defoliated but I wouldn't risk it since each is now a part of a group.. It highly depends on your after care but I think you got that covered.

Be sure to keep extra whips to replace any that fails to take/survive. Which also brings to mind the need to make sure you can replace any whip(s) easily if needed (don't make them too dependent on each other securing to the cone wise)

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Ah, now I understand what was going on in that other thread! Somehow missed this one along the way...

Please keep us posted. I've never tried this technique and would like to see how it turns out with ficus.

Chris

And now you know

Yep. With ficus and depending on timing, they may sprout at the nodes anyway...more so if totally defoliated but I wouldn't risk it since each is now a part of a group.. It highly depends on your after care but I think you got that covered.

Be sure to keep extra whips to replace any that fails to take/survive. Which also brings to mind the need to make sure you can replace any whip(s) easily if needed (don't make them too dependent on each other securing to the cone wise)

This is the site I've really been going off of:
http://www.marinhomestead.com/bonsai/ficus-fusing-bonsai/#comment-5299


I've built a rather small cone that won't require too many trees, and I plan on running up to the local nursery here shortly to see if I can pick up enough Willow Leafs and get a discount. We'll see.

 

[Poink88]

Not sure if willow leaf will be good for this method. They tend to be more succulent like than the other varieties and tend to grow fat trunk fast. BUT, that is the beauty of experimenting, you might prove me wrong.

Re: the link, there is room for improvement for sure. He did mention total defoliation, in which case shouldn't have anything to cover but the 10% survival rate worries me (as I initially mentioned).

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Not sure if willow leaf will be good for this method. They tend to be more succulent like than the other varieties and tend to grow fat trunk fast. BUT, that is the beauty of experimenting, you might prove me wrong.

Re: the link, there is room for improvement for sure. He did mention total defoliation, in which case shouldn't have anything to cover but the 10% survival rate worries me (as I initially mentioned).

I disagree in regards to them being more succulent like. They too fuse, they just take a bit longer. The nursery was out of them anyways.

 

[A Random User]

I personally would like to see the results that you come up with, in trying
your experiment... I actually think you will end up with a very nice tree in
a very short amount of time.

You know that if you do this on a wire frame, that the ficus will actually totally
engulf the frame and will eventually fill in the blank void of space in between.
In a matter of years, or fewer... there will be no longer any void or wire frame
for that matter.

 

[Poink88]

I disagree in regards to them being more succulent like. They too fuse, they just take a bit longer. The nursery was out of them anyways.

I did not say they won't fuse ...but the trunks & main roots (on mine at least) are really succulent like.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I did not say they won't fuse ...but the trunks & main roots (on mine at least) are really succulent like.

Interesting, mine aren't

 

[tmmason10]

I did not say they won't fuse ...but the trunks & main roots (on mine at least) are really succulent like.

I also disagree, I dremeled a chop scar this year and cannot compare it to a succulent that I can think of. Maybe it's because of the latex sap that exudes from cuts or chops is giving you this thought.

 

[Poink88]

LOL...maybe I have weird ones. Mine are fibrous soft wood (not hard wood) that rots fast. It really reminds me of the structure of older cactus wood (not the young ones). I used to collect old cactus to get their "skeletons" for my old hobby.

Anyway, I did not intend to divert the topic to this.

Back to regular programming!

 

[Redwood Ryan]

LOL...maybe I have weird ones. Mine are fibrous soft wood (not hard wood) that rots fast. It really reminds me of the structure of older cactus wood (not the young ones). I used to collect old cactus to get their "skeletons" for my old hobby.

Anyway, I did not intend to divert the topic to this.

Back to regular programming!

The place did have some benjamina clumps. I was very tempted but didn't want to spend any money on benjamina. Even typing the name angers me

 

[misfit11]

You know that if you do this on a wire frame, that the ficus will actually totally
engulf the frame and will eventually fill in the blank void of space in between.
In a matter of years, or fewer... there will be no longer any void or wire frame
for that matter.

This was my thought too, Ryan. Especially, as someone pointed out that the humidity inside the frame will encourage arial roots.

You won't end up with a hollow traffic cone as He-who-shall-not-be-named (Harry Potter reference for the nerd challenged) suggested.

Cory

 

[Redwood Ryan]

This was my thought too, Ryan. Especially, as someone pointed out that the humidity inside the frame will encourage arial roots.

You won't end up with a hollow traffic cone as He-who-shall-not-be-named (Harry Potter reference for the nerd challenged) suggested.

Cory

Ugh I just don't know how I'll live with myself knowing that I'm a cheater