It’s been almost one year since I started caring for an exposed root Green Island ficus. I pruned the tree toward the end of summer last year and have been waiting until this year to repot it (see “Cutback and wiring” for photos of last year’s work). Ficus respond best to repotting when the weather […]
Ficus
Cutback and wiring a Green Island ficus
I’ve been caring for a ficus for the past few months, and have enjoyed seeing the lush green foliage in the garden. Green Island ficus As we’re nearing the end of summer, this is my last chance to prune the tree and expect a good response before winter. The work is simple: reduce all branches […]
Ficus bonsai – more cutback
If any one tree in my collection deserves the moniker “project tree,” it’s likely my ficus. When I wanted healthy roots I let the branches run. Now that I want to stimulate new branches I cut back hard. Ficus before cutback Ficus after That’s it for the time being – another round of growth and […]
Making a large cut on a ficus bonsai
I’ve been having fun watching my new ficus develop. After seeing how quickly it’s grown, I can better understand the appeal of ficus bonsai. Here are some shots of the tree since the initial cutback in April (see “New Ficus Bonsai” for details). After heavy cutback and repotting – 4/1/12 After 6 weeks in greenhouse […]
New ficus bonsai
A few weeks ago, I found myself walking away from the Golden State Bonsai Federation’s Mammoth Fundraiser with three new stands and a large ficus. The ficus sported a funny, bulbous trunk and a nice, full silhouette. So I did the natural thing people in bonsai so often do – I removed the bulk of […]