Strategy for my little Ficus

[moreateleven]

Hello! Still very new to this and after picking up and just keeping alive a few bonsai over the last year, I'm feeling my oats a little and was hoping to get into working on them. From what I've read here and elsewhere, ficus are a good option for this as they're pretty fast and strong growers, so I'm gonna start with my little ficus guy. When I picked it up, it looked like this:



And in my head, I wanted to turn it into a shohin version of this:



So, to that end, I wired the all but one of the branches flat, and am letting the remaining one grow upright to thicken and hopefully become the second level/apex. Here is what it looks like now:









I've noticed some significant backbudding on all but one of the branches that I wired flat (which feels like a tremendous achievement lol). So I guess my first question is should I trim my branches back? If so, by how much? And when? I presume I want to let my leader just grow and grow to eventually thicken, right?

Oh and for record, I keep this guy outside in decent sun as long as the temps are above 65F.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated, thank you!

 

[Dabbler]

to get that kind of size you will need to plant it in something much large to let the roots grow - once in a large pot - let it grow unchecked for a long time, like let the leader and branches grow 1 to 2 feet - if it's super healthy and growing strong trim it back hard and it will back bud, rinse then repeat. As that happens maybe pick up a few more ficus and practice on them too!

 

[moreateleven]

to get that kind of size you will need to plant it in something much large to let the roots grow - once in a large pot - let it grow unchecked for a long time, like let the leader and branches grow 1 to 2 feet - if it's super healthy and growing strong trim it back hard and it will back bud, rinse then repeat. As that happens maybe pick up a few more ficus and practice on them too!

Oh yeah for sure, I know I'm not gonna get to that size in the pot and certainly not any time soon -- hoping to create a shohin version of the one pictured.

And while I'd love to have a million bonsais, my outdoor space is extremely limited (a small fire escape), so Im unfortunately limited in my capacity, and as such, am pretty conservative with my aims for the ones I do have.

 

[moreateleven]

Oh I also just started with a half dose of solid fertilizer. I recognize I probably should have been doing this over the past 8 months but it was doing so well I didn't want to fuck anything up lol.

 

[Michael P]

Good start! You have a clear vision for the tree and you are inspired by an excellent example.

Yes you need to trim the branches back but not now. Let them grow and when the tree is in very active growth next year, do it then. Exactly when? After it goes out for the summer when it is well fertilized and exploding with growth.

Bonus tips: The tree can stay out until the temperature goes down to 45-50F. Assuming that you have only owned the tree for 8 months, keeping it healthy over the winter is your next challenge. Unless you have excellent natural light indoors, adding a grow light will help tremendously.

Good luck, and show us pictures next year before you prune it if you want more advice.

 

[moreateleven]

Good start! You have a clear vision for the tree and you are inspired by an excellent example.

Yes you need to trim the branches back but not now. Let them grow and when the tree is in very active growth next year, do it then. Exactly when? After it goes out for the summer when it is well fertilized and exploding with growth.

Bonus tips: The tree can stay out until the temperature goes down to 45-50F. Assuming that you have only owned the tree for 8 months, keeping it healthy over the winter is your next challenge. Unless you have excellent natural light indoors, adding a grow light will help tremendously.

Good luck, and show us pictures next year before you prune it if you want more advice.

OK amazing, thanks for the advice!

So luckily we have a South facing window that does get excellent light and this bonsai will absolutely be placed right in front of it. If it still needs a little help ill invest in a grow light but I really don't think it will be an issue.

I will for sure post pictures here next year!