Backbudding on ficus

leatherback

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Hi All,

I have this large ficus which I am going to reduce to a main trunk. I am fairly certain that high humidity helps but I am not 100% sure.
So.. Would you recommend putting the tree in a large plastic bag for the first weeks to get budding going?
 

19Mateo83

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Hi All,

I have this large ficus which I am going to reduce to a main trunk. I am fairly certain that high humidity helps but I am not 100% sure.
So.. Would you recommend putting the tree in a large plastic bag for the first weeks to get budding going?
What type of ficus are we talking about?
 

Hartinez

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Hi All,

I have this large ficus which I am going to reduce to a main trunk. I am fairly certain that high humidity helps but I am not 100% sure.
So.. Would you recommend putting the tree in a large plastic bag for the first weeks to get budding going?
What are your daily and nightly temps? In my experience, humidity is not entirely necessary, heat is. My ficus slowly moves along until I get nightly temps of 60 and higher. Then it just explodes. Where I live we have little to no humidity. And I’m talking no humidity.
 

Maiden69

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Feed it and keep the soil on the wetter side. I have been using the Humic to Kelp 5:2 that cmeg talks about weekly, and almost every tree that I use it on back buds like crazy. My ficus and my liquidambar react best. David Cortizas is one of the guys that works with ficus exclusively, when he does what you are about to do he prune the ficus and defoliate entirely, and then he place it in a green house environment that he wets entirely. He gets back buds everywhere.
 

Ugo

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(Edit: sorry about caps... I dont know how to correct it!)

Hi leatherback!

I dont have growing tips but I would like to share how I handle mine during the building process.
I do have a ficus that I am working on to build secondary ramification so not in the same stage of development as yours but the principle is the same.

To answer your question for me higher humidity will encourage aerial roots production.
From my experience, Plastic bag or anything to keep high humidity level is a usefull and proven tool to create aerial roots but not really to promote back budding.
Back budding occur because the tree is filled with energy, higher humidity after cutting can help alot with bleeding.
High temps are necessary with tropicals as mentionned already

The easiest way I found so far to encourage back budding with my tree is to let it run, simple as that!
I tried 2 methods on my tree actually, on the same day until today where I took pictures for you.
I wanted to solidify my knowledge on ficus so I had to do this experiment and see the results by myself.
I pinched tips on certain branches (only a few!!) and let the majority run just to see the differences.
Both method seems to work and encourage back budding but letting the branche grow and elongate without removing the tip brings results faster, healthier shoots emerge and once the desired back buds occur and the new branches starts to develop now you can safely cut back.

Here some examples:

The tree:
20220601_111941.jpg

Here's an example of a shoot I let run.
You can see a nice little branches with short internodes forming lower down.
I dont want to reduce the main branche yet as Im waiting for a second branche to emerge before cutting.
If I reduce it right now to this new first branche I will simply end-up with the exact same situation.
20220601_111952.jpg

Example here of a branche that the tip been pinched.
It is now creating new branches all along but look at their state of development compared to the previous one.
20220601_112036.jpg

Another example that has been pinched.
Lot of new branches going out but the development is slow compared to leaving the branche as it is and come back when backbudding occured and is solid.
20220601_112123.jpg

Another good example of a branche that I let run.
Secondary/tertiary branching are more developed.
I will come back soon and reduce the main branche to theses first 2 branches, one will be the new leader that will experience the same threatment, the lower one will be used as a tertiary.
20220601_114354.jpg

exact same for this branche but this time I will be able to keep even more tertiary branches
20220601_114534.jpg

I also found that removing older leaves on main branches can also promote back budding as seen here.
Tertiary branche (the small bottom one) has showed-up after I removed the leave there with the petiole leaving a scar on the bark but again the tip were not removed.

20220601_115017.jpg

To resume:

Leave the branches grow untouched until you are satisfied with occuring back budding.
I would not remove any leaves at that stage, more leaves more opportunity of back budding.
Once there dont reduce to a newly created single branche as you will end up in the same situation.
Reduce to a minimum of 2 new branches and apply the same technique.
Let them grow as they want, let the backbud occur by itself and then come back to reduce to 4 newly created branches ect

Ive seen ficus that never develop because the owner always come back to a newly created single branche and remove the tip...
Growing is slowed down to a minimum,
the tree create a single new bud and elongation will start and he apply the same technique...
At this rate they will end-up with a tree that will not be refined after 20 years.

Pinching from my expericence will be only used when in refinment of the tertiary branching as it still promote back budding but it slow thing down alot.

Hope this help!
Ugo
 
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penumbra

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(Edit: sorry about caps... I dont know how to correct it!)

Hi leatherback!

I dont have growing tips but I would like to share how I handle mine during the building process.
I do have a ficus that I am working on to build secondary ramification so not in the same stage of development as yours but the principle is the same.

To answer your question for me higher humidity will encourage aerial roots production.
From my experience, Plastic bag or anything to keep high humidity level is a usefull and proven tool to create aerial roots but not really to promote back budding.
Back budding occur because the tree is filled with energy, higher humidity after cutting can help alot with bleeding.
High temps are necessary with tropicals as mentionned already

The easiest way I found so far to encourage back budding with my tree is to let it run, simple as that!
I tried 2 methods on my tree actually, on the same day until today where I took pictures for you.
I wanted to solidify my knowledge on ficus so I had to do this experiment and see the results by myself.
I pinched tips on certain branches (only a few!!) and let the majority run just to see the differences.
Both method seems to work and encourage back budding but letting the branche grow and elongate without removing the tip brings results faster, healthier shoots emerge and once the desired back buds occur and the new branches starts to develop now you can safely cut back.

Here some examples:

The tree:
View attachment 439731

Here's an example of a shoot I let run.
You can see a nice little branches with short internodes forming lower down.
I dont want to reduce the main branche yet as Im waiting for a second branche to emerge before cutting.
If I reduce it right now to this new first branche I will simply end-up with the exact same situation.
View attachment 439732

Example here of a branche that the tip been pinched.
It is now creating new branches all along but look at their state of development compared to the previous one.
View attachment 439733

Another example that has been pinched.
Lot of new branches going out but the development is slow compared to leaving the branche as it is and come back when backbudding occured and is solid.
View attachment 439734

Another good example of a branche that I let run.
Secondary/tertiary branching are more developed.
I will come back soon and reduce the main branche to theses first 2 branches, one will be the new leader that will experience the same threatment, the lower one will be used as a tertiary.
View attachment 439737

exact same for this branche but this time I will be able to keep even more tertiary branches
View attachment 439738

I also found that removing older leaves on main branches can also promote back budding as seen here.
Tertiary branche (the small bottom one) has showed-up after I removed the leave there with the petiole leaving a scar on the bark but again the tip were not removed.

View attachment 439739

To resume:

Leave the branches grow untouched until you are satisfied with occuring back budding.
I would not remove any leaves at that stage, more leaves more opportunity of back budding.
Once there dont reduce to a newly created single branche as you will end up in the same situation.
Reduce to a minimum of 2 new branches and apply the same technique.
Let them grow as they want, let the backbud occur by itself and then come back to reduce to 4 newly created branches ect

Ive seen ficus that never develop because the owner always come back to a newly created single branche and remove the tip...
Growing is slowed down to a minimum,
the tree create a single new bud and elongation will start and he apply the same technique...
At this rate they will end-up with a tree that will not be refined after 20 years.

Pinching from my expericence will be only used when in refinment of the tertiary branching as it still promote back budding but it slow thing down alot.

Hope this help!
Ugo
That is a good looking ficus. Did you start it yourself?
 

Cajunrider

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Hi All,

I have this large ficus which I am going to reduce to a main trunk. I am fairly certain that high humidity helps but I am not 100% sure.
So.. Would you recommend putting the tree in a large plastic bag for the first weeks to get budding going?
You are in the growing season where you are. I don't think you need high humidity for back budding after drastic reduction at all. This type of ficus is all over the place where I grew up. I think high humidity just encourages aerial roots. If I tent my ficus and mist it often, I will have aerial roots every where but no necessarily any more budding. As a matter of fact I think I will have reduced budding. I remember hanging sack cloth on ficus branches and wet the cloth every day to encourage aerial roots in the branches under the cloth. That never helped any additional budding.
 

Ugo

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That is a good looking ficus. Did you start it yourself?
Thanks!
I dont want to hijack the thread, but yes I started this tree as a cutting Ill say 20ish years ago.. My mother received a ficus as a gift and I cutted and planted a shoot directly in soil without knowing pretty much everything about bonsai.
It created roots in no time but It didnt grow well due to my lack of knowledge but Im training it seriously since 2 years now and the tree responded very well.
Wish I knew want I know now...but they say its never too late!
I think in 5 years from now this tree will be presentable, developed ficus is something I dont see often here in Zone 5B so I hope it will bring more interrest from people who buy them as a potato shaped mallsai that never go outside!
 
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sorce

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. I think high humidity just encourages aerial roots.

I'd guess it would make any buds roots with high humidity.

It doesn't know the goal, it just knows more roots means more top from what it already has.

So I think higher humidity would actually be a detriment.

I'd thread graft it cuz I shoulda done it on mine 4 or more years before I did.

Or hit it hard later when it's hot.

Sorce
 

jason biggs

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what an awesome base :D ...
I think just let it grow this next season as the leaves seem a bit sparse...
maybe remove all those low shoots as they wont be used in future and just let the branches thicken...
retusa is an incorrect name - this is microcarpa.
nice tree.
 

leatherback

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I think just let it grow this next season as the leaves seem a bit sparse...
Thx. It is in full health now. The picture is from april/march when I moved it outside. Throwing 1 leaf per week from all growing tips. It is ready :)
This was in fall: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ficus-retusa-benjamina-green-mound-any-case-ficus.52535/
1654172831223.png

maybe remove all those low shoots as they wont be used in future and just let the branches thicken...
All branches will go from this one, to restart with only original foliage :)
 
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Maiden69

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For what is worth, make a lot of cuttings and approach graft them where you want branches. You could even run the roots of the scions down the trunk covering them with soil of sphagnum moss slowly uncovering them. They will lignify and fuse with the trunk in a few years.
 
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