Dormsai Ficus

aidan13

Yamadori
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I have had my little Ficus with me at school for a little over a month now, and it is doing great, no leaf drop yet, and it's looking happy, for the most part. There was some mold growing on top of the soil, so I scraped off the top layer and replaced with sand, which seems to have done the trick.

I realize that it's a pretty ugly little stick in a tray, but I was wondering if any of you veterans see any potential at all in this little guy. I plan on keeping it around for a long time, so make your suggestions as long term as you'd like. Basically, my question is, is there any chance at all of this guy becoming a bonsai one day?

Also, it's looking a little leggy, with quite a few branches only sporting leaves at the very tips. Is there a way to fix this? I was considering chopping it back come summer, but I have heard that Benjaminas do not respond well to this, usually dying back quite considerably.

And if it helps, I'm going to school in Wilmington, NC, and over the summers I live in Charlotte, NC.

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Smoke

Ignore-Amus
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Awesome, all the potential is there. The stone really makes it.

Nice job, Al
 

Redwood Ryan

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Hi,



The mold growing is due to the soil staying too wet, which is probably due to a lack of light, which is also the cause of the legginess. Long story short, give it more light and cut back on the watering. It's still a small tree, but it could be something interesting in a few years. It will eventually, however, overtake that rock (in a couple of years).
 

aidan13

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The light is the trouble. The dorm I live in has a window that lets in very little light, and temperatures have fallen a little bit too low for it to stay outside. (I also don't want someone knocking it over or stealing it. Hooray, college!) I have it under a plastic wrap tent and a desk lamp, which seems to be okay, but probably is not ideal. And I only water it about once a week, and sparingly even then.
 

KennedyMarx

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What kind of bulb do you have in the desk lamp? I've had success using a CFL "Daylight" bulb for my ficus while it's indoors. I would try to get some foliage growth lower on the trunk, which shouldn't be too hard once the plant is outdoors or gets more light, then cut back to that lower growth on the trunk since benjaminas are bad about dieback. From that point you could make sure it gets a lot of light so it grows with shorter internode spacing. Just my two cents.
 

aidan13

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I am considering styling the tree for the first time come spring next year, and I did a few quick virts to try and "find" a tree in it. I'd love to hear what you guys think of them. All comments and critiques are welcome and appreciated! :D
 

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Redwood Ryan

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Before you even think about styling, is this tree the size you want it to be? If the answer is no, leave it be. Pruning and styling will only slow its growth.
 
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