Questions about my Ficus (microcarpa?)

[astronoob]

Hi,

https://ibb.co/SDD2vh9V

My Ficus (Microcarpa?) went through a lot so I'm not sure if it's going to survive.
But if it does I plan to shorten the trunk quite a lot. I was wondering if air layering on the trunk would work?

This tree when cut instantly releases insane amount of sap.

As for aerial roots, if you want aerial roots in Ficus trees you need high humidity. I wonder how could I boost humidity indoors?
Would doing something like putting a wet plastic bag on the tree help? I don't want to use any devices.


Also if anyone has some vision how I could develop it for the future, I know it's ugly but it's my first tree that I bought 6 years ago so I don't want to bin it.


Thanks

 

[Shibui]

Ficus layer easily. You could layer the main trunk to reduce the height or layer the top part to get 2 trees and reduce height of the main trunk. The main upper trunk already has lots of aerial roots beginning. No need for layering there. That section could be cut off and planted as a cutting. The root starts mean it will be well rooted in just a few weeks.

Wet cuts with plain water which seems to stop the latex sap almost instantly. A spray bottle with water works well.

Lots of ways to raise humidity.
Cover the entire tree with a plastic bag.
Tie sphagnum moss around the trunk.
Mist the trunk and leaves regularly.
Place the pot on a tray of water with something to lift the pot just above water level so the roots are not saturated but water evaporates and rises around the tree.

The image appears to be soon after a heavy prune so not much to work with. Plenty of fertiliser, warm conditions and you should get lots of new shoots. Regular trimming as those new shoots grow should give good ramification in only a few years. Figs do love fertiliser so get better growth and development by fertilising often.

 

[defra]

the thick root on the left will grow thicker over time if you let it grow.
maybe it will fuse with the trunk or maybe remove it then the trunk has some taper and has already a nice movement going on.
grow the branches and it will have a nice shape already!
the sap is normal on ficus you can spray it with water to stop it but it works as a natural seal for the wound.
if you would remove the big root on the left you could plant it as a root cutting and devellop another tree out of that.

 

[astronoob]

Ficus layer easily. You could layer the main trunk to reduce the height or layer the top part to get 2 trees and reduce height of the main trunk. The main upper trunk already has lots of aerial roots beginning. No need for layering there. That section could be cut off and planted as a cutting. The root starts mean it will be well rooted in just a few weeks.

Wet cuts with plain water which seems to stop the latex sap almost instantly. A spray bottle with water works well.

Lots of ways to raise humidity.
Cover the entire tree with a plastic bag.
Tie sphagnum moss around the trunk.
Mist the trunk and leaves regularly.
Place the pot on a tray of water with something to lift the pot just above water level so the roots are not saturated but water evaporates and rises around the tree.

The image appears to be soon after a heavy prune so not much to work with. Plenty of fertiliser, warm conditions and you should get lots of new shoots. Regular trimming as those new shoots grow should give good ramification in only a few years. Figs do love fertiliser so get better growth and development by fertilising often.

Afaik It’s a bad idea to fertilise when the tree is in a shock state?

There is a lot of contradicting advice out there.

I have watched some videos about improving humidity and they said that using trays with water and pebbles is not doing anything.

Then they said misting often or overall is a bad idea, because in tropics those plants lose the water on leaves quickly, while indoors it might stay on them for too long.

 

[astronoob]

Btw.

Would using lights be a good idea to help the tree recover or would it stress it out even more?

As for lights, are those budget lights like the ones from SANSI worth anything?

 

[Shibui]

Welcome to bonsai where there are always plenty of contradictory opinions. Some people are just regurgitating things they have heard, others seem to generalise from a single experience, good or bad.

I find that water trays work well but that may also depend how much air movement there is that may disperse the extra humidity.
Many beginners only mist the leaves and don't water the soil. That can be bad but, providing the roots are being well looked after, misting the leaves and trunk does not seem to cause problems except in cooler conditions when the tree is not growing.
Misting leaves in dry conditions can lead to white mineral build up on trunk and leaves if your water has dissolved minerals. More regular heavy watering to wash the leaves usually reduces mineral build up.

Not fertilising recent transplants is a very wide spread belief. Not fertilising for a few weeks does not seem to hurt but is definitely not absolute. My soil mix has controlled release fert included so all my trees get fertiliser from day 1 after repot. Does not seem to cause any problems in nearly 40 years but I still start out with light fert for the first few weeks, just in case.

I've never had grow lights so can't be sure if that will help or not. I suspect extra light and heat would be good.

 

[hemmy]

As for aerial roots, if you want aerial roots in Ficus trees you need high humidity. I wonder how could I boost humidity indoors?

Depending on where you want aerial roots, I have encouraged their growth with moist sphagnum moss around the trunk or branch. You can wrap the moss in plastic also. If you want banyan style aerial roots use the moss on a branch and as they get longer thread them through a plastic straw towards the soil.

If you have forced air heating, keep them away from the blowing vents.

 

[hemmy]

As for lights, are those budget lights like the ones from SANSI worth anything?

I put some SANSI full spectrum LED bulbs (that fit regular sockets) on a Crassula Jade last winter and liked them. I used a cheap standing lamp with multiple, flexible heads, so that they can be angled away from blinding people indoors.

 

[astronoob]

Welcome to bonsai where there are always plenty of contradictory opinions. Some people are just regurgitating things they have heard, others seem to generalise from a single experience, good or bad.

Well it happens in all hobbies from my experience. Didn’t say you are wrong though with that advice.

 

[astronoob]

Depending on where you want aerial roots, I have encouraged their growth with moist sphagnum moss around the trunk or branch. You can wrap the moss in plastic also. If you want banyan style aerial roots use the moss on a branch and as they get longer thread them through a plastic straw towards the soil.

If you have forced air heating, keep them away from the blowing vents.

The radiator is underneath windowsill.
I keep my bonsai away for now but that is It’s final destination, so I will have to figure something out.

 

[hemmy]

The radiator is underneath windowsill.
I keep my bonsai away for now but that is It’s final destination, so I will have to figure something out.

If it’s a closed metal radiator hot water/steam, then it won’t be as drying to the air as forced air heating. Beyond a simple pan with water, they used to make fancier attachments to radiators to hold and evaporate moisture to the air.