Mallsai "ginseng ficus" styling

[Agriff]

Hey so I've inherited this ficus from a housemate about 5 years ago and have just been growing it as a houseplant, but after getting into bonsai last year I've taken more interest in really maximizing its health and potential as a bonsai.

For this particular tree, would you embrace the tubes or try to work them out of the design? I'd like to do some cut backs but I haven't decided on a front for the tree yet.

One front goes for maximum width but without much direction, and another front has a pronounced movement through a main trunk but would involve a lot of "hiding".

Here's what I'm looking at:
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Possibly filling in the hike in the middle with a rock or something? Or cutting off the left tuber?

Considering selecting just the shoot to the top left of the knot to be my new leader and pruning/shari-ing everything thing else back

Some other views:

 

[Carol 83]

would you embrace the tubes or try to work them out of the design?

Do you like them? My brother gave me one. I chopped off most of the tubes and planted it deep. All gone!

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Doesnt look very healthy at the moment, the graft I think died and sprouted the original microcarpa, not a big deal, maybe repot it or something to let it gain strengh then if it was mine I would airlayer it to correct the inverse taper

Thats were I aprox do the airlayer

 

[Agriff]

I'm on the fence about them. I've read elsewhere on bonsainut that these are grown this way because people like to root graph and/or promote arial roots to get tremendous bases. That sounds like a cool idea but I have no idea where I'd start. If that's something that's above my skill level then I'm thinking I might go with a compromise: not chopping 100% but trimming down a bit. I'm wondering if it could survive me chopping off the bulb on the left in the first picture.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

This was a ginseng Ficus airlayered to correct the inverse taper, by David Cortizas

 

[Agriff]

Doesnt look very healthy at the moment, the graft I think died and sprouted the original microcarpa, not a big deal, maybe repot it or something to let it gain strengh then if it was mine I would airlayer it to correct the inverse taper

Thats were I aprox do the airlayer
View attachment 419753

So you like this as a front?

 

[canoeguide]

Wrap that whole "trunk" area in sphagnum moss and Saran wrap or something similar and keep it moist for 6 months or a year, to get aerial roots to grow down over all the tubes. That, or wait until the hottest and most humid part of the year and chop whatever you don't want away and treat the top like a cutting.

Those are the main options for these in my opinion.

 

[Taste]

Wrap that whole "trunk" area in sphagnum moss and Saran wrap or something similar and keep it moist for 6 months or a year, to get aerial roots to grow down over all the tubes. That, or wait until the hottest and most humid part of the year and chop whatever you don't want away and treat the top like a cutting.

Those are the main options for these in my opinion.

looks like ive found my next endeavor!

 

[Agriff]

Wrap that whole "trunk" area in sphagnum moss and Saran wrap or something similar and keep it moist for 6 months or a year, to get aerial roots to grow down over all the tubes. That, or wait until the hottest and most humid part of the year and chop whatever you don't want away and treat the top like a cutting.

Those are the main options for these in my opinion.

Seeing as I live in 4b and we effectively have a 4 month growing season, I'm not too optimistic about my ability to grow aerials. Won't stop me from trying, but as a backup, what would you chop away if you had to?

 

[19Mateo83]

I have two of these I saved from the garbage bin at a home center. My plan is to get them healthy enough to ground layer the tubes in half and see where it goes from there. For yours if you want the tubes gone I would make a enclosure up to the point I marked in the picture and fill it with soil. It will root and then you can chop tubes off below.

 

[Cypress187]

I should have chopped mine also, I only planted it deep for new roots.