Young ficus Benjamina styling options?

[Ishaan]

I picked up two Ficus Benjamina a while back, with the intention of using them in a different project but realized that they would make great bonsai. Any ideas for styling? I’m thinking a formal upright/broom with the smaller one but don’t really have a plan for the larger one. I put some wire on the trunks and a couple of the branches. This is my very first post so sorry if it doesn’t make much sense. I don’t really know if those styles are feasible with this species, but I have always liked the look of those massive broom style deciduous trees and was wondering if that was possible here. Thanks!
(Edit: the first two pictures are of the same plant)

 

[Kedron Brooke]

At this age, the main appeal would be fantasy trunks. Meaning wire them into ridiculous shapes. If you commit to a broom style, it would take much longer to fatten up the trunk to a thickness which makes the leaves look small. Wiring the these little guys into funny shapes will educate you about applying the wire, wiring scars, how long wood takes to set into the wired shape, the strength / flexibility of figs and such. This species of fig is less popular as a bonsai, as the small branches are more likely to die than other species. Still, no shortage of them, and they are often appear as larger (40cm+) bonsai. Remember that this species will take direct sunlight all day and be happy. Also, it's not a thirsty species so one can water less attentively.

 

[pandacular]

Decent first attempt at wiring. I would recommend trying again with a substantially larger gauge (probably 2.0-3.0 mm) and focusing on keeping consistent contact with the trunk as you wire. Same spacing, same angle, no gaps is what I often hear repeated in teaching circles (and yes, this phrase predates Mirai!) On the first one, I would also extend the wire much further up the trunk.

When you go to bend it, make larger bends, in a 3 dimensional plane. I’ve attached a few photos of similar aged trees that i have wired. I won’t claim to be the best at wiring, especially these little whips with not much mass to hold while wrapping, but hopefully it gives you and idea of what to aim for. Note that F. benjamina is a bit more brittle than these examples, so you’ll want to be a bit less extreme. If you do make a crack or snap, do your best to straighten that section out, and it has a good chance to heal.

This free video series is quite a good intro: https://www.craftsy.com/class/bonsai-wiring-essentials/
Good luck!

 

[Ishaan]

Thanks so much! I don’t have the trees in front of me right now but I will try re-wiring them or at least fixing the mistakes. I will send update pictures once I do so. Also, is it a bad idea to prune them now, if at all? I wasn’t sure if I should let the trunk thicken before I start trying to reduce leaf size and create more of a composition.

 

[Ishaan]

Update: After an hour of meticulous work, I re-wired the smaller F. Benjamina. I know it’s not perfect, but I must say I’m quite proud of it! My next goal is to thicken the trunk and reduce leaf size. Also, that video on “the slingshot method” for wiring was very helpful, thank you!