Ficus Retusa Bonsai Pruning (new to bonsai)

Boise_Guy · Sep 1, 2015

I recently bought my first legit bonsai tree (all my others are pre-bonsai), and I wanted to make sure I'm pruning it correctly.

I've let it get healthy after shipping and recently clipped off any bigger leaves for which I could clearly see a new bud coming out of the same node. I left on any leaves for which I couldn't see an immediate secondary bud forming at the same node.

I thought this would be safer than removing all/most of the leaves. Goal is just to decrease leaf size, ramify, etc. Is my methodology correct, or am I better off completely defoliating and clipping off all leaves at the same time, even if I don't see an immediate secondary bud from the same node as the leaf being clipped?

Also, I'm clipping the leaves along the stem near where the leaf forms and leaving some extra stem hanging off, is this correct or should I be clipping much closer to the node?

Any other advice is welcome.

Cypress187 · Sep 1, 2015

You have some inversed taper.

mat · Sep 1, 2015

In my opinion, this tree isn't ready for you to start reducing the leaf size - need to get the structure in order first. I'd get in there and clean it out where you have multiple branches coming out of the same point. That's why you have some bulges that will only get worse. Leave two branches at each point and you'll be starting to work on ramification. Don't be afraid to leave no leaves. It'll backbud.

Good luck!

LanceMac10 · Sep 1, 2015

Cut the growing ends off, not the leaves.

Alain · Sep 1, 2015

Cypress187 said:
You have some inversed taper.

And not just one...

Anyway.

I may not be the best - or the nicest - adviser here because I really dislike the S shape on the retusa so I'm pretty sure my advises will be very hard in the 'use a chainsaw' kind of way.
If it was mine I'll chop a lot and air-layer the rest because the overall structure of the tree is, well, I don't really know how to say this without hurting your feelings...

The good thing is that I'll certainly end-up with at least 3 trees.

What I can tell you from my own retusa experience: they are little thugs. They handle the pruning/beginners mistakes pretty well.
Here is a thread about all the abuses I inflected to my retusa:
http://bonsainut.com/index.php?threads/one-year-torturing-a-walmart-retusa.20089/
And the little bugger is once again full of leaves, I'll chop it more in the near future.
So to sum up: I'm pretty sure that whatever you want to prune will bud back.

LanceMac10 · Sep 1, 2015

OP is in Idaho and is just starting out. Don't defoliate now. Surely your bringing this tree indoors in about a month. I wouldn't do anything to it now, ya' cut half the leaves off!! Your weakaning the tree right before your bringing it into less than optimal growing conditions.

Alain · Sep 1, 2015

LanceMac10 said:
OP is in Idaho and is just starting out. Don't defoliate now. Surely your bringing this tree indoors in about a month. I wouldn't do anything to it now, ya' cut half the leaves off!! Your weakaning the tree right before your bringing it into less than optimal growing conditions.

That's correct, although I did a lot of work on my retusa last winter while it was inside and it took it without any problem. It's just that it didn't grow back as fast as when it's outside in full sun and heat.

Alain · Sep 1, 2015

Btw: the little white pearls at the cut tips is latex, spray the cuts with water when you are pruning, it will avoid the bleeding. Also take care, latex could be irritating for the skin and eyes.

Boise_Guy · Sep 1, 2015

I have no doubt I should be thicker skinned, but if I'm being honest...I liked my tree before more than I did after reading the feedback

LoL

I do however very much appreciate it. I took a smattering of the feedback and re-analyzing the tree, and for better or worse, I then made the following branch removals and adjustments. Picture is taken with what I envision as the front facing. Thanks again guys!

Redwood Ryan · Sep 1, 2015

I'm not so sure I agree with that as the front. The curves make it appear as if it's leaning far from the viewer, but then juts back toward the viewer. That's what's difficult with these S shaped trees, they're hard to work with. BUT, they are great to learn with.

Alain · Sep 1, 2015

Boise_Guy said:
I have no doubt I should be thicker skinned, but if I'm being honest...I liked my tree before more than I did after reading the feedback LoL

I do however very much appreciate it. I took a smattering of the feedback and re-analyzing the tree, and for better or worse, I then made the following branch removals and adjustments. Picture is taken with what I envision as the front facing. Thanks again guys!

I really hope we didn't disappointed you to much.
Also don't forget: your tree is alive so it will evolve and you too. You'll work on it, it will grow and things you like or dislike today you will always have time to change or keep them later. May be at the end you'll end up with a totally different tree but that just perfect because that will still be your tree and you going all bonsai on it.

Boise_Guy · Sep 1, 2015

Alain said:
I really hope we didn't disappointed you to much.

Nah, I"m not too discouraged. I'm just very left brained (I'm an engineer) and never have been very artistic. I don't really "see" the aesthetics of a tree's shape/style yet like you guys do. To compensate for that weakness, I'm trying to learn more about it, but it doesn't come as naturally to me as it does others and I keep feeling I don't yet have enough experience or learning to properly appraise a tree's artistic appeal.

Alain · Sep 1, 2015

Boise_Guy said:
Nah, I"m not too discouraged. I'm just very left brained (I'm an engineer) and never have been very artistic. I don't really "see" the aesthetics of a tree's shape/style yet like you guys do. To compensate for that weakness of mine, I'm trying to learn more about it, but it doesn't come as naturally to me as it does others and I keep feeling I don't yet have enough experience or learning to properly appraise a tree's artistic appeal.

Well, I'm a scientist, that might be the difference...

The aesthetics is in fact in the eye of the one who look at. The main point is that you have to like your tree, no matter what everybody else think of it.
As for the S shape, as I said in my 1st post I don't like them. Obviously lot of people do otherwise I don't think so many S shaped trees would be on the market...

Otherwise personally I just feel it. For example my retusa had a cluster of branches like yours (several branches starting from the same nod). It was really bothering me. I liked my tree, I was very happy to see it recovering from all the abuses and growing its nice little new leaves but this cluster was like a little dust grain in my eye.
Not anymore, I just beheaded the little bastard

sorce · Sep 2, 2015

Boise_Guy said:
.I liked my tree before more than I did after reading the feedback LoL

Don't forget, even world class trees look like shit 80% of the time!
It gets better!

You did a pretty good job addressing what will become ugly knobs.
Still a bit to do next year. But safe for now!

Also. You see how the base with those 2 roots kind of looks like a sitting horse?
I wonder if you could find a rock to plant this in that steps down, where you can sit the horses ass in the top, and then drape those exposed "front legs" down the face of the cliff into another section of soil.

This would
1 kill the S.
2 look badass like these would grow in nature.
3 if facing the horse, put your apex lening over you.

Sorce

Alain · Sep 2, 2015

Also I though about something: whatever kind of engineering you do (btw, which kind of engineer are you?) at one point you must be good at mathematics and there is an aesthetics in mathematics. I never saw it but I know it exists, like the beauty of a simplification, the harmony of an equation or a system of those etc...

So may be that instead of trying to learn all the bonsai rules and apply them to your tree you should just try to feel with your tree(s) the feelings you have when solving a problem in an elegant way and I'm pretty sure that if you do that you will realize after that you actually did follow the rules of bonsai

Anyway bonsai is an Art so it has to be all about you, not trying to be someone else

Boise_Guy · Sep 2, 2015

Alain said:
btw, which kind of engineer are you

I'm an electrical engineer. I work on semi-conductor memory chips directing failure analysis. Basically I'm an investigator. I was certainly good at math back in the ole days, and can appreciate the elegance of the mathematical process, balancing, and simplifying. I'll consider approaching the art of bonsai in any way I can that might help make it click for me. I really do enjoy it so far (only 4 months or so, but I've certainly dove in)...it is a bit outside of my comfort zone. I do so much in front of a monitor or tv...I really feel like bonsai can scratch an itch I don't get anywhere else in my life.

I appreciate you guys helping me along!

sorce · Sep 2, 2015

Boise_Guy said:
directing failure analysis. Basically I'm an investigator. I was certainly good at math

If you analyze the failures of shitty trees, you can make yours better.

I have a background in Investigations as well, it comes in handy for figuring a lot of bonsai stuff.

Math is huge for me and bonsai.
It's all math!

Sorce

mat · Sep 2, 2015

I think you did a pretty good pruning job. It's challenging material, but you've taken a step towards it looking better in the future. It could use a good hard pruning, but I understand the desire to take it slow. Especially since it'll be getting cold there soon. Maybe next Spring cut those straight upright branches back hard (or completely off) and the new growth will be compact and bushier.

Also, I'm an electrical engineer too. We do design for commercial construction (buildings).

leatherback · Sep 2, 2015

Alain said:
Well, I'm a scientist,

Interesting factoid. What do you do? I used to work as a scientist, but moved sideways to be in uni support nowadays.

As for this ficus... You can chop where you want, when you want. I have just this weekend defoliated my ficus, which will be moved indoors in some 4 weeks too. Do this all the time, never skips a beat.
You did well with the trimming. I would remove all leaves & buds at this point, give it lots of sun and hope for buds lower on the trunk. Ideally this tree is reduce by 2/3. Or you could consider using the first branch to build your tree. Hard choices!

Alain · Sep 2, 2015

leatherback said:
Interesting factoid. What do you do? I used to work as a scientist, but moved sideways to be in uni support nowadays.

I'm the lab manager of a geochemistry laboratory, that's the reason I did a trip to Bremen last winter in order to follow the maintenance and troubleshooting training on the mass spectrometer I work with at Thermo Scientific, former Finnigan MAT.
Bremen is the Mecca for us mass spectrometrist, we all have to go there once in our life, at least the purest should

And you what was your field?

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