Wall-Mart-sai ficus

[Alain]

I bought this so-called bonsai at Wall-mart today.
Normally I find their 'bonsai' really ugly but I think this one is actually pretty cool.
Furthermore, certainly due to a tagging mistake, it was only $3.50
Too bad for them but I have the worse difficulties feeling sorry for Wall-Mart

Anyway.
I re-potted it already and removed the inevitable glue-on gravels and I hope it will survive and grow strong and healthy in its new training pot.

Otherwise: normally they labelled them 'Ginseng ficus' but for this one they didn't even bother giving it a name.
Is anyone able to tell me what kind of tree it is? A Ficus obviously, duh, but what species?

 

[bonsairxmd]

Looks like a Ficus Retusa- Tigerbark


Here is a thread with mine:

http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?16319-Ficus-Retusa

 

[Alain]

Thanks!

Just checked your own pictures and on the web, looks like that for sure!

Otherwise I never had a Ficus before.
I live in Il so for the moment it will stay in my yard, in the shade, for awhile but soon enough it will have to come inside. I heard that they could stay outside until the low T reach 50F is that correct?
The soil I re-potted it is the mix recommend by Brent for small training pots: 8 parts perlites, 8 parts fine pine bark, 1 part sphagnum moss + osmocote (14-14-14) is that ok?
I didn't do anything else than re-pot it, what will be the next step and when?

 

[bonsairxmd]

Thanks!

Just checked your own pictures and on the web, looks like that for sure!

Otherwise I never had a Ficus before.
I live in Il so for the moment it will stay in my yard, in the shade, for awhile but soon enough it will have to come inside. I heard that they could stay outside until the low T reach 50F is that correct?
The soil I re-potted it is the mix recommend by Brent for small training pots: 8 parts perlites, 8 parts fine pine bark, 1 part sphagnum moss + osmocote (14-14-14) is that ok?
I didn't do anything else than re-pot it, what will be the next step and when?

Yes. Temp is correct. Many including myself use a 1:1 mix of pine bark and lava but your soil should be fine. You can wire it now. Just watch closely as they grow so fast the wire can cut into the bark quickly. Think about grow lights for inside this winter.

 

[Alain]

The problem with lava: I am totally unable to find some cheap stock!

For the moment all my trees are in the pre-bonsai stage so they are all in training pots going from a couple of inches to several gal sizes. The only lava I can find is sell by bonsai dealers like bonsaijack for expl and due to the quantities I'd need it will cost me an arm!

Otherwise I found a supplier in Utah but they sell it by the truckload, a little bite to big as quantity goes....Furthermore they don't deliver, you have to have your own truck to pick-up

 

[bonsairxmd]

I think your mix is fine as long as it still drains well. I was thinking you alread had it in a bonsai pot. I only use that mix for ficus once in bonsai pots. You should post some pictures further back for styling suggestions from folks.

 

[Alain]

Yes the mix drains really well.

I put it back in training pot because I'd like it to become bigger, grow roots in particular because I found a couple of very sweet rocks the other day and I'd like to put it on one.

 

[James H]

nice find, I got my first ficus from walmart as well. I paid 15 for it so you go a great deal. I keep mine outside. I have been told that you can keep them outside till the night time drops are around 60 degrees. Mine are in full texas morning/early afternoon sun and growing well. Cant wait to see what your tree looks like after the first year.

 

[Alain]

as I said: probably a tagging mistake.
They just received some small coffee trees and a couple of other small exotic stuffs they sell for $3.50 so I guess this one was tag in the rush

 

[bonsairxmd]

Nice find for $3.50. If you really like ficus check out Miami Tropical Bonsai or Wigerts online. Mine came from Wigerts via eBay for $50. Maybe get a willow leaf ficus to join it.

 

[Alain]

Actually my mother in law lives in Miami so I already schedule a sort of 'ficus hunt' next time we visit her

And I would love the ficus willow species, I find its foliage really nice!

But normally Ficus aren't really my favorites. In this case I really couldn't resist the price and also (as you said in your post with the pictures of your own ficus) I wanted an exotic to have something to work on during the up-coming Winter!

 

[Alain]

Aerial roots

I would like to try to develop aerial roots on my ficus.

It seems to be happy in its new pot so I was wondering if it's ok to try develop them now or if it would be better to wait?

 

[bonsairxmd]

You can now but requires high humidity until they harden and establish into the soil. There are a few past threads here on techniques to try.


Here is one past thread to look at: http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthr...-aerial-roots-in-Ficus&highlight=aerial+roots

 

[Alain]

Thanks Chad!

The link summarizes more or less everything I read on the topics.

I think I'll go for very small incisions on the bark brush with a little bite of willow water and then try to built a plastic tent around the trunk and keep it moist.

 

[Alain]

Some news

Hi there,
Some news from my ficus.

As I see what I want my tree to learn I prepared it for its Winter term
I want it to grow roots, good subterranean roots but also aerial ones.

So today I cut some little branches and leaf's starter on 3 bigger branches in the 1st lower half of the tree.
I passed willow water on the wounds (I'm pretty sure that can't hurt) and I built a tent around the trunk in order to do a kind of greenhouse around the wounds.

Here are the picture.
First the tree (you could see 2 of the branches I pruned like that, the 3rd one is one the back of the tree)
Then the tent around the trunk (with a ball of sphagnum moss in between to keep the moisture at the top of the tent, you could see it on the 2nd picture).

I vaporized it will willow water also and now I will monitor the moisture, light and T and I hope there will be nice roots growing there, as well as on the little cuttings I got from the operation!

 

[edprocoat]

Hi there,
Some news from my ficus.

As I see what I want my tree to learn I prepared it for its Winter term
I want it to grow roots, good subterranean roots but also aerial ones.

So today I cut some little branches and leaf's starter on 3 bigger branches in the 1st lower half of the tree.
I passed willow water on the wounds (I'm pretty sure that can't hurt) and I built a tent around the trunk in order to do a kind of greenhouse around the wounds.

Here are the picture.
First the tree (you could see 2 of the branches I pruned like that, the 3rd one is one the back of the tree)
Then the tent around the trunk (with a ball of sphagnum moss in between to keep the moisture at the top of the tent, you could see it on the 2nd picture).

I vaporized it will willow water also and now I will monitor the moisture, light and T and I hope there will be nice roots growing there, as well as on the little cuttings I got from the operation!

I suppose the branches you cut are where you are trying to induce your roots ? I have never known aerial roots to pop from wounds but it makes sense, almost like if you are doing an air layer the roots develop and then you keep them moist until they establish in the soil. I hope it works out for you, if not next Ficus establish a good healthy root system in the pot first then develop some thicker branching and ramification, then coax the aerial roots.

ed

ed

 

[Alain]

I suppose the branches you cut are where you are trying to induce your roots ? I have never known aerial roots to pop from wounds but it makes sense, almost like if you are doing an air layer the roots develop and then you keep them moist until they establish in the soil. I hope it works out for you, if not next Ficus establish a good healthy root system in the pot first then develop some thicker branching and ramification, then coax the aerial roots.

ed

ed

I didn't took pictures of the cutting phase, but on the 1st picture with the tree you could see that at the bottom of the tree there are 2 (3 in total) rather thick branches with some leafs and starters of other little branches.
I cut all these starters. So the main branches remain but all the places where there were something growing are now little wounds.
I read kind of a bite before doing it and this was basically the method described.
Now it has to stay moist.

The good thing is that if its work perfect, if it doesn't work then these 3 branches have to go because with aerial roots they could become an interesting feature of the tree but without they are just 3 stupid branches, badly positioned that have to be sacrifice branches so, win-win situation!

 

[MidMichBonsai]

I have literally rooted ficus cuttings from a retusa by simply cutting the twig off, cutting the leaves in half (so that they don't require too much of the non-existent root system) and then sticking them in bonsai soil and had them root. Retusa seems to be quite vigorous in this regard.

As far as outdoors, I am in zone 5b and I have mine outdoors for as long as possible because they thrive there. Last week we had consistent overnight lows in the low 40s so I brought it inside. I have seen them do fine with a single dip to 45 at night but if it happens more consistently I would get them in.

I can confirm the growth habits too. When they are watered and have full sun they grow like weeds and thus swell quickly. Keep a close eye on your wires as they can bite in within a few short days and it can take years to cover those scars.

Best!

 

[Alain]

I have literally rooted ficus cuttings from a retusa by simply cutting the twig off, cutting the leaves in half (so that they don't require too much of the non-existent root system) and then sticking them in bonsai soil and had them root. Retusa seems to be quite vigorous in this regard.

As far as outdoors, I am in zone 5b and I have mine outdoors for as long as possible because they thrive there. Last week we had consistent overnight lows in the low 40s so I brought it inside. I have seen them do fine with a single dip to 45 at night but if it happens more consistently I would get them in.

I can confirm the growth habits too. When they are watered and have full sun they grow like weeds and thus swell quickly. Keep a close eye on your wires as they can bite in within a few short days and it can take years to cover those scars.

Best!

Yes in fact I read that Retusa grow roots like crazy and love to have aerial ones, that's basically the point!

I let mine outside too (I'm in Il, 5b also) and just bring it inside at night.
However today and for the remains of this week it might stay inside as it is recovering from its operation. Next week is supposed to be nice so it might go outside again however I think that will be pretty much it for this year...

For the moment I just put 1 wire on it and it's pretty loose but I'll be cautious when I'll put more are I saw that they can scare easily.