What do I do now? (GI ficus)

[MSGhero]

I bought a pre-bonsai green island ficus from Wigerts, and I moved it into mostly inorganics. After I get comfortable with care, what's next? https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/repot-just-received-ficus.61029/

• I don't like how much trunk is below the surface
• The larger aerials descending down are neat, especially the one that splits into several. But that one starts perpendicular to the trunk which is a little odd
• The trunk continues upwards at an angle, but it's not visible with the new growth in the way
• The branches pointing up and opposite the trunk confuse me. They kinda balance the leftward-ness of the tree but also seem out of place
• Indoors, so I'm not expecting thick short-term growth to contribute to the styling

I did some light root trimming last weekend, and it recovered after a couple days. Probably saving any significant changes for next spring.

 

[Shibui]

I don't like how much trunk is below the surface

Most figs are very tolerant of root reduction. Pretty sure green Island is very tolerant. I would just chop the large tap root straight off. The remaining roots will be more than enough to keep it going and more new roots will grow from the cut end. Probably not the best time of year to do major root prune on ficus but indoors it should be OK. Otherwise wait until early summer next year which will give you time to develop the courage needed for a first major root chop. Late spring/ early summer is a great time to do any major work on sub-tropicals like ficus.

The branches pointing up and opposite the trunk confuse me. They kinda balance the leftward-ness of the tree but also seem out of place

Don't confuse balance in bonsai with symmetry. We can have a great tree with most of the branches on one side - see windswept and cascade style bonsai for inspiration.

The trunk continues upwards at an angle, but it's not visible with the new growth in the way

Another way to 'balance' a lop sided tree is to change the planting angle. If you tilt this fig to the right (pic 7559) those lower branches may make more sense and the apex will then be more above the base and look more like your vision of 'tree'

The larger aerials descending down are neat, especially the one that splits into several. But that one starts perpendicular to the trunk which is a little odd

If something does not look good on bonsai it is almost certain it should be removed. In the words of one old bonsai master - " you have problem? Cut him off. No more problem!"
There would be no problem removing that aerial root.

For the rest of this year I would recommend you concentrate on learning how to care for the tree well - watering, fertilizer, light, etc.

 

[MSGhero]

I think ~10 months is enough time to build confidence to do a big chop. Even just physically, that will let me rotate the base in a wider variety of pots. I had good results around that time this year with smaller ficus, so I’ll do the same for this one too.

 

[luvinthemountains]

I have a couple of comments. First, the root that originates from higher up at the odd angle, I would cut that off right away. Sure, it is feeding the tree, but only above that point and it will cause problems soon if it has not already. Second, you may want to change the planting angle at a future repot as @SWfloirda has suggested. The base of the trunk is coming straight up out of the soil, and would look much better emerging at an angle, not to mention better positioning of the branches. Your first branch will come out near or below horizontal, and you can sort out the rest accordingly, depending on the style you settle on.

Good luck with it!

 

[MSGhero]

Do you mean (1) the aerial starting from halfway up the tree, or (2) the thicker one?

Either one I’m comfortable removing now.

 

[MSGhero]

Ah I need to use the reply button more @luvinthemountains

 

[luvinthemountains]

(1) the aerial starting from halfway up the tree

That one

 

[MSGhero]

Fresh roots were growing out the ends, so hopefully it has enough energy to not die!

 

[luvinthemountains]

Fresh roots were growing out the ends, so hopefully it has enough energy to not die!

I have had pretty good luck with these. Be careful not to water it too much, and be prepared for it to take weeks to months!

 

[MSGhero]

Just about mentally ready and a few months away, but what's an ideal way to cut through 1" of trunk and prevent infections?

• Use a branch cutter several times around and through?
• Get a little saw?
• Use cut paste? Seems a little sketchy to use it under the soil line
• ?

It's been growing without issue this whole time, even this winter. I haven't cut it back at all just to get an understanding of how it grows, but I imagine that'll be part of any work done too.

 

[19Mateo83]

Good old regular pruning shears make quick work of ficus roots. You can sanitize the shears with alcohol before the cut if you are worried about disease. No cut paste, it will put out new roots at the chop point. Here’s a thread that may give you help.

Off with its tubes! 🏴‍☠️

As much improved as it is, to me it’s „Still a Ficus“ 😂😂

www.bonsainut.com

 

[MSGhero]

Good old regular pruning shears make quick work of ficus roots. You can sanitize the shears with alcohol before the cut if you are worried about disease. No cut paste, it will put out new roots at the chop point. Here’s a thread that may give you help.

Off with its tubes! 🏴‍☠️

As much improved as it is, to me it’s „Still a Ficus“ 😂😂

www.bonsainut.com

Here I am thinking I'd never need pruning shears indoors.

Did you try re-planting the bottom half of the tuber? Not sure we'd get anything good looking from doing that, just curious.

 

[19Mateo83]

Here I am thinking I'd never need pruning shears indoors.

Did you try re-planting the bottom half of the tuber? Not sure we'd get anything good looking from doing that, just curious.

I did but it didn’t do anything. I don’t think ficus retusa (ginseng ficus) is one of the species that will sprout from roots.

 

[MSGhero]

I think I chopped too early, maybe too much? We had a solid week of higher temps in mid-April, so I did it then. Of course, the outdoor temp dropped for like a month afterwards, so my indoors wasn't as warm as I was expecting it to continue to be. Lot of leaf drop.

But it's pushing growth again, so I imagine the roots are recovering. I'll revisit things another time, since I left most of that horizontal root intact which is still making the pot situation a little awkward.





After ~1.5 months






Cuttings!