Willow leaf ficus help

[Botree]

Unsure where tongo from here styling wise? Make cuts wire? I feelnlike it looks silly with a ring of foliage around the sides? Sgould i pull the top branch down? Cut somthing?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

The branches are looking a little two dimensional and ladder like with some distracting bar branches, but nothing a little time can’t fix.
I would take off at least one of the bottom bar branches, and let it grow a while with plenty of sun and fert. You should get some back buds to chose new branches and a new leader from. And you can try to develop some ramification closer to the trunk.
I use mainly clip and grow, and develop ramification by periodically cutting off the growing tips back to a couple set of leaves. I don’t know if I described that well, but can go into more detail. It takes a while to develop, but hey we’re not into bonsai for the action scenes. We just like it because of the great articles, right?

 

[Botree]

Yea mostly makes sense, im thinking somthingnlike this? Cutting that big one into the trunk to undo that reverse taper? Or is that too far, and for the others, your saying just cut back all the way too a couole leaves left?

 

[just.wing.it]

Looks like the bar branch is the glaring issue to me. I would lose one of them.

 

[Botree]

Or even cut both bottom and get a tall trunk and start a new high canopy? What do you think?

 

[Botree]

Wh

Looks like the bar branch is the glaring issue to me. I would lose one of them.

Which one lol

 

[just.wing.it]

Wh

Which one lol

I think the one you marked there is best to go.
Because it's thicker, and having those 2 branches coming from the same area is creating inverse taper.
I like to wait until it's nice and hot outside to work on my tropicals, that way they can get growing strong before being chopped up or repotted.

 

[Botree]

Its this too muchnor too little? Can I cut this far into the trunk? It woild be like a 2.5 inch wound….

 

[Botree]

I think the one you marked there is best to go.
Because it's thicker, and having those 2 branches coming from the same area is creating inverse taper.
I like to wait until it's nice and hot outside to work on my tropicals, that way they can get growing strong before being chopped up or repotted.

Awsome so i should wait a month? Its like 50-60 out now in NYC.

 

[Botree]

And

I think the one you marked there is best to go.
Because it's thicker, and having those 2 branches coming from the same area is creating inverse taper.
I like to wait until it's nice and hot outside to work on my tropicals, that way they can get growing strong before being chopped up or repotted.

ane could i cut that deep to try and tske some iver that taper off?

 

[just.wing.it]

Yeah, I am waiting until early June to work on mine this year. When it's shooting out new growth all over, it's healthy and ready for work.

I like to use Knob Cutters for that sort of thing. I've made some pretty deep cuts on mine, and they usually start to roll callous tissue over pretty well.

Taking both branches off looks interesting too. That might be a long term goal.
You could remove one this year and one next year.

 

[Botree]

Yeah, I am waiting until early June to work on mine this year. When it's shooting out new growth all over, it's healthy and ready for work.

I like to use Knob Cutters for that sort of thing. I've made some pretty deep cuts on mine, and they usually start to roll callous tissue over pretty well.

Taking both branches off looks interesting too. That might be a long term goal.
You could remove one this year and one next year.

Awsome thanks so much, im gonna het some puddy and take off ALL of that branch and maybe a little of the trunk to the left of it

 

[Bonsai Turtle]

I would chop right above where the wire is crossing the main trunk diagonally and make one of the sprouting buds the new leader. A shorter tree without the straight section above that would look better.

 

[Botree]

I would chop right above where the wire is crossing the main trunk diagonally and make one of the sprouting buds the new leader. A shorter tree without the straight section above that would look better.

And also the bar branches?

 

[Botree]

And also the bar branches?

Like this

 

[Botree]

What would you cut? Draw for me!

 

[Bonsai Turtle]

What would you cut? Draw for me!

I would consider something like this.
Granted, I am only seeing a 2D image and under the assumption this is your preferred front. There's a possibility that you might have a wider base (and possibly better front) if you look at it a bit from the left corner of the pot. I also added a suggested branch placement, replacing the deleted bar branch on the right. WLFs back bud readily, so you'll soon have many potential options.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

What do you want it to look like? Ficus grow wide and spreading in nature, but Nerifolia can be coaxed into something like an oak as well.

Your tree has a good base, but the branches are all “bar branches” which you want to avoid if they are visible. Since the ficus is evergreen, over time one or two may not be noticeable.

Lots of suggestions to cut most of the tree away, and that’s the normal instinct for beginners. I’d propose an alternative: lett it grow wild until fall, and then see what you to work with. It will bud directly from the trunk, especially at old cut sites. Think about what style you want, grow yourself some options to work with and think again about styling in 6 months or so. You might be surprised how much it will change.