HELP WITH FICUS BONSAI STYLE

[Krishhhhh]

hii everyone , i have this ficus that i cut back hard and there is a beautiful base and i wanna make a shohin to medium size bonsai . I am planning on a banyan style bonsai but i have no idea on how to develop bones and branches . does anyone have any idea on how should i approach this tree ?

 

[TimIAm]

(Assuming you are now in the Northern Hemisphere) Let the shoots grow out. Have a think about how thick you want the branches and if there are too many shoots coming from the same location or you think it might overlap with a future branch and is unnecessary then just remove it. A (happy) ficus will just replace whatever you remove anyway (at this stage) so removing a few extra shoots won't cause any harm. If you're new to the hobby, don't remove to much, just remove what isn't necessary to the final design.

Search around the internet for images of ficus that have a base similar to yours and think about a likely design. As the shoots extend they will start to thicken up. Continue to remove any unwanted shoots that would otherwise become unwanted primary branches until you can see the primary structure you are working towards. Continue to let the primary branches grow and thicken. You may not need to wire anything until next spring, but if you feel necessary to get some movement close to the trunk then go for it, but I can't see you needing to do it in the next few months.

I wouldn't consider pruning any of the primary branches until early Spring next year. As you see with your tree, this type of ficus is a prolific back budder so you are not going to lose anything by holding off chopping until after the following winter. You will have thicker branches and the tree will be happier for it if you just let the branches grow out for the next 10 - 12 months. With banyan style you want to have two opposing branches (kinda) parallel to the ground and then a spreading canopy, so look for two decent shoots, one on either side to be your low branches.

Then start working on ramification getting your secondary and tertiary branching. Carve out any of the main trunk to improve the taper and flow from the base to the primary branching while sealing wounds to allow for healing. Once you have secondary branching in place, grow and cut back repeatedly for another few years to increase leaf density around the canopy. Wire and prune as necessary to get the desired shape.

In a few years you will have this beauty (artists rendition, results may vary ):




If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, do nothing for now and let it grow until post winter.

Suggest you add location to your profile to assist with more specific future advice.

 

[Tele]

Growth will be enormous this year I think. Let it grow a bit and remove unwanted branches.
Take the tips of just above where you imagine secondary branches and it should be fine. I would wait until next year so it can get some energy back.

Remember meanwhile that you will not have leaves and branches where all light gets blocked by leaves and it usually better to not cut back below all leaves on branches you want to keep. Your Ficus had a lot of energy and it lived with easy through this hard cutback but not all branches survive this.
You need to stay on top of this and get back to about 2 leaves where you want branches and balance the branches. If you keep going long enough the canopy will be automatically wide with branches looking for sunlight to the sides.