Tiger Bark Ficus - Twiggy Tom

[Aaron the Great]

Greetings fellow Earthicans,
This is going to be my first progression thread.
This super fine specimen arrived on a prominent spot on my ham radio desk via the distant lands of tropical Southern Maine. I put out a call for some Tiger Bark Ficus seeds which turned into cuttings and RJG2 was one of the people to send me some cuttings. Actually I was sent a bush of cuttings. I slipped potted them into a larger pot to hold them over until growing season and this one escaped the bunch. I them planted it in the only actual non-plastic bonsai pot that I have and the tree quickly decided to defoliate itself!
Looking over the tree in all of its naked glory, I figured that Twiggy Tom seemed to be a good name for it and so it is. At this point there isn't much to look at other than a twig, a rose rock and a gnome. That sounds like the opening line of a really weird jole. Anyway let me introduce you to Twiggy Tom

As of this morning Twiggy Tom is feeling a bit embarrassed but feeling well. (He's naked for crying out loud! Wouldn't you be embarrassed if a middle aged overweight bald guy started posting naked pictures of you on the internet? ) New leaves are sprouting up all over so that Twiggy Tom can return to having a sense of modesty.

This is my first tiger bark ficus and at this point I just want to work on growth (and modesty) before I figure out any styling or anything.

 

[Aaron the Great]

Well Twiggy Tom spoke to me in my subconscious thoughts. He said that he identifies as this:


If you look really closely you can see the resemblance. I'm thinking that this is the end of January, so with a minor graft or two he should be looking like this by May (I'm keeping myself open so I'm not deciding WHICH May cause it might accidently take more than one.)

Sometimes it has got to be nice to have a 12 month growing season.

 

[Gabler]

If you want Twiggy Tom to look like that, I recommend you move him to a bigger pot. I'm sure you've seen others using Anderson flats; I'd use one of those, although it doesn't need to be the Anderson brand—anything with a mesh bottom will work. Each spring, place Tom outside on the ground in a sunny spot. Let his roots run into the soil, so he can grow more quickly. His winter leaves may get sunburned, but he will quickly replace them with new summer leaves. Leave the sunburned leaves in place to protect the trunk and branches from sunburn.

By the end of each growing season, Tom should resemble a bush. Pick up the pot, cutting away escaped roots in the process, and chop off enough of Tom's bushy branches that you can fit him inside your house again. In my climate, I would do this in the end of August, so there is still a bit of warm outdoor weather left before I need to bring tropical trees indoors for the winter. That will give Tom enough time to grow some new branches before coming indoors. There is no reason to style at this point. Your primary goal is still to thicken the trunk. Tom will not qualify for a job as a bonsai until his trunk is thicker. For now, he will be doing seasonal work as an outdoor shrub in the summer and a houseplant in the winter.

Once you get a thicker trunk, then you can chop off all of Tom's current branches, and he will grow all new branches. You will want to wire these into the desired position, since you will be using them in your final design. At this point, you will also want to slow growth down a bit. Put Tom back into a bonsai pot, and keep him of the ground so his roots won't escape. Frequent pruning will create dense branching in just a few months.

Lastly, in order to promote aerial roots, keep the humidity high, and allow lots of foliage to shade the trunk and protect new roots from drying out in the sun. Placing Tom amongst other plants will provide shade from the sides, which will further protect aerial roots as they develop. Some people use straws to help aerial roots to elongate, but I'm not a fan of that method, since it creates straight roots, and I prefer a bit of movement.

 

[Aaron the Great]

Here is Tom's winter stomping grounds, right above my ham radio station (forgive the clutter)


His leaves are coming out nicely. Typically I start taking my trees outside in March, when the day time temp are around 60F (15C) and bring them in at night. Then around Thanksgiving I will bring them in for the winter. In the summer it usually feels like we have a 90% chance of steam instead of rain. There is usually enough humidity for my ginseng to put out some aerial roots.
I used one of those Anderson flats before, I think I stacked up three of them for extra support. I used it for a Loblolly Pine and it got destroyed in a storm. Now I use these cement mixing tub


They are just $8 and a lot tougher and stronger than Anderson flats. I have had one for over 5 years and it isn't showing much aging. I live in a small overcrowded house so I don't have a lot of room for large bonsai trees. However I have been looking at these drip / humidity trays: Drip pan


I'm thinking about getting a 10 inch one and drill some holes in it and use it as a pot and get a 12 or 14" one to serve as a humidity/ drip tray. Not the best looking solution for a large pot but considering most of my outside trees are planted in $1 oil drain pans from the Dollar Tree.

 

[Michael P]

Be respectful and supportive of Tom as he/she makes the transition to this new identity.

 

[Aaron the Great]

Twiggy Tom contacted me and made me forward a message in response to the nude picture of him that has been posted to the internet. These are Twiggy Tom's words and not mine. Once his sap is flowing, he can be pretty riled up.

Ballad of Twiggy Tom

You people are so rude
You saw me without any leaves
I was completely in the nude
You stole my modesty
Ran off into the dark
Like a bunch of thieves
I was naked, only in my bark

Someday I will be big and strong
Don’t believe? I’ll prove you wrong
My journey will be long
Soon I will embark
I will be here to show you all
I will be the best you can recall

Twiggy Tom is my name
I’m serious, this isn’t a game
I’m going to be bigger than the biggest
Richer than the richest
I will again cover myself
And will look down upon you
As if you were a little elf

Once again I will be beautiful
You can’t argue, its indisputable
You will give anything just to hug me
But I will look at you and know, you can’t fix ugly

You caught me at my worse
I was so mad, just had to curse
Oh your eyes did they peep
Made me feel really freaking cheap
I was as naked as Adam and Eve
Cover myself with leaves of a fig
Can’t believe, you even saw my little twig!

-Twiggy Tom