First bonsai tree (Ficus retusa)

[rrgg126]

Hello everybody,
This is my first bonsai tree. My local dealer said that it is about 12-15 yrs old and its in a mix of inorganic soil. He said to water it everyday since its summer time and in NY it can range from 80-95F with humidity. Since its inorganic soil I read that its hard to overwater. I just look if the top is dry and I top water it with a cup and make sure I saturate everything. So I'm obviously keeping it indoors next to my window (no AC and it get humid in my livingroom) and the dealer said to put it out on my fire escape at night or whenever I'm not home. Do you think constantly moving it from my table to the fire escape will stress it out?

I want to fertilize with osomocote but I'm not sure if its a good fertilizer for bonsai or how often I should apply it.

Also, my main goal as a beginner is to just make sure that it thrives and not to kill it. However, I would also like to focus on thickening and tapering the trunk. I read that the low branches can thicken a trunk. Any tips? Also any other suggestions about shaping are welcome

 

[jk_lewis]

It's probably closer to 5 years old, but it also looks to be a better-than-average store-bought bonsai.

If you are going to keep it indoors, the more light you can give it the better. A south-facing windowsill would be best. If it doesn't get a lot of light, it will grow pale and leggy and look sickly.

It sounds like you are a city dweller and in a tallish apartment building. So, while outdoors is always best in spring, summer and fall, you are right that the tree will do better if it has a permanent home. You can't simply keep it on the fire escape, or in a windowbox?

As for water, figs tend to prefer the soil to not be continuously wet. If you keep a chopstick jammed deep into the soil and remove it daily to feel the dirty end, you can get a good handle on watering needs. If the stick end feels damp do not water. If it is dry, water until it flows from the drainage hole.

 

[rrgg126]

It sounds like you are a city dweller and in a tallish apartment building. So, while outdoors is always best in spring, summer and fall, you are right that the tree will do better if it has a permanent home. You can't simply keep it on the fire escape, or in a windowbox?

thanks for your reply. what if i just keep it on my window sill with the window open?

 

[jk_lewis]

That should be OK if you can be certain no one knocks it off to the street 20 floors down.

 

[rrgg126]

do you know how sensitive ficus trees are to summer breezes? i read that they hate drafts and i have some warm wind that comes thru my window from time to time.

 

[jk_lewis]

Ficus grow and thrive where they are constantly blown by the trade winds. Anything that can be described as a "breeze" will be fine. I'd worry about a gale blowing the tree off the sill.

 

[rrgg126]

Ficus grow and thrive where they are constantly blown by the trade winds. Anything that can be described as a "breeze" will be fine. I'd worry about a gale blowing the tree off the sill.

thanks! whats ur opinion on osmocote? im new to fertilizing so i want to use something pretty easy so i bought some osmocote. sorry for asking so many questions...ur the only one replying

 

[Redwood Ryan]

thanks! whats ur opinion on osmocote? im new to fertilizing so i want to use something pretty easy so i bought some osmocote. sorry for asking so many questions...ur the only one replying

I use Osmocote on all of my trees (all Ficus) and they seem to like it. There's instructions on how to use it on the bottle, just sprinkle the right amount on the surface of the soil (though you can't really over do it).

 

[Eric Group]

Osmocote should be fine for the fertilizer. It can cause growth spurts if over used, and I would recommend using a little less than the recommended dosage for such a small pot.

Ficus is one f the few trees you actually can keep in doors, they are tropicals so they don't need the winter hibernation period. As long as you keep it watered and give enough lite, it will probably be fine.

If you want to thicken the trunk, it would really need to go into a bigger pot or the ground and let it grow freely for a couple years... It will thicken in that bonsai tray, but it will take a lot longer... The lower branch might help you out if you just let it grow in touched for a while, but when you finally do cut it back, you will get a big scar. This is called a sacrifice branch...

That is a pretty little tree! I wouldn't worry about the trunk too much, just enjoy it and keep it happy.

 

[jk_lewis]

I don't use it. I'm too anal retentive. I like to know when my trees get the fertilizer and how much they get. Can't know that with Osmocoat

 

[GrimLore]

do you know how sensitive ficus trees are to summer breezes? i read that they hate drafts and i have some warm wind that comes thru my window from time to time.

Ficus are more prone to being stressed from moving them. We keep ours indoors with 16 hours a day of light on a timer until the nights are constantly over 55 degrees. At that point they stay outdoors day and night until the weather changes in Fall. They all need a decent amount of water and they love moisture so we put a 1 inch deep tray filled with any type of small stone and water and place the plants on top of that. I live between the Pocono Mountains and the Jersey Shore at a High elevation with winds being no less then 8 mph daily and the Ficus simply don't care...

If you do move it and it drops all the foliage it all grows back after it settles into its' new home.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I have my ficus in inorganic mixes and use Osmocote slow release on top of the soil. In addition I use Dyna-Gro fertilizer with trace elements once a week at full strength. Since I water every day there is no salt build up and the plants are healthy. I was wary to fertilize so n much until I read this article by Walter Pall:

http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2010/06/feeding-substrate-and-watering-english.html?m=1

I should note that all of my trees are outside. If they were inside I would probably cut back on fertilizing a bit.

 

[rrgg126]

thanks for your help everybody! so im using the chopstick method to figure out when i should water or not. I know ficus tress appreciate some drying out of the soil but how can i tell when its too dry? its been 1 day without watering and the soil (top half inorganic, bottom half organic) and the organic soil (bottom half) is still moist. what should be my marker cause we cant use the top 1 inch rule cause the top is inorganic and will dry out faster but the bottom is organic. or am i making it more complicated than it actually is?

 

[jk_lewis]

Why is the soil divided into halves? It should be mixed thruout! That's gonna make things very difficult.

If there are roots in the organic half, use that as the yardstick for the chopstick. If it feels moist do not water. PERIOD.

 

[rrgg126]

Why is the soil divided into halves? It should be mixed thruout! That's gonna make things very difficult.

If there are roots in the organic half, use that as the yardstick for the chopstick. If it feels moist do not water. PERIOD.

im not sure why...thats just how i got it. maybe it was mixed and then after time and water the organic finer soil fell to the bottom? while digging thru the soil it looked like a gradual transition but im not sure.

 

[tmmason10]

Why is the soil divided into halves? It should be mixed thruout! That's gonna make things very difficult.

If there are roots in the organic half, use that as the yardstick for the chopstick. If it feels moist do not water. PERIOD.

I'm guessing someone pulled it out of a nursery pot and plopped it in a bonsai pot to sell fast. Ficus are very resilient and I think it will do fine.

 

[rrgg126]

Hello everybody! Its been several years since I last posted on this forum. I have learned a lot and unfortunately killed many trees in the process. I just wanted to post an update on my ficus. Here is my 6 year progression. I really wanted to promote aerial roots but nothing happened. Please let me know what you think!

 

[Forrestford]

I really wanted to promote aerial roots but nothing happened./QUOTE]
Join the club!

 

[BubblePopScott]

Looks good thanks for the update.

 

[plant_dr]

Hey that's awesome you still have your first tree! Thanks for the update! It has grown a bit. I'd think about cutting off that first branch though, it looks like it's causing a reverse taper on the trunk just below where it comes out. You could then take that branch and propogate it to have a whole new tree to work on if you want.

Anyway, congrats on keeping this going and looking good !