Clump Willow Leaf Ficus from Meehan's. Bonus root cuttings!

thams

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Picked up this little $25 willow leaf from Meehan's this morning. The nebari is reasonably good and should make a cool little clump style tree.

The real reason I purchased the tree was because it was busting out of the pot... When I peeled back the pot a little, I saw a great opportunity for root cuttings. My favorite! I'll post pictures of what I find as I repot the tree.
 

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amcoffeegirl

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Oohh that's a good find. I like it
 

thams

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Thanks guys! I butchered the hell outta the clump - I just kept cutting because I didn't like how all the trunks were growing in the same direction. I count on it bouncing back even though I plated the bottom. I buried the nebari so it's much wider than it seems in the picture.

I got a few good root cuttings from it. It was so pot bound that a lot of the roots were literally tangled to the point that they couldn't be spared. My favorite cutting is the last picture. Hopefully it sprouts in a few months! Sorry for the crappy pics.
 

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Cadillactaste

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That last photo is a sweet piece! Not sure how or what is accomplished from root cuttings...so this will be the base of said tree eventually I am guessing...great find and pick up!
 

thams

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Not sure how or what is accomplished from root cuttings...so this will be the base of said tree eventually I am guessing

Exactly - root cuttings often produce funky and unique trees since they shape and form in interesting turns and tangles. Before I knew much about bonsai I was always drawn to root cuttings without knowing what they were. Now I know! As a side note I should add that not all plants can propagate through root cuttings. Willow leaf ficus are easy though.

Thanks for the kind words.
 

thams

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Predictably this guy has exploded with growth and has put down a good amount of roots in just a month. The grow tent has really helped with development. I'll need to sort out multiple emerging branches soon, but I'm going to just let it grow and recover otherwise. I'm not even sure of a front yet - hopefully the tree will choose for me by giving me some good options.

Also, the root cuttings are really starting to swell, so it won't be long before shoots start emerging. I'm only planning on keeping 1 or 2 of them and will probably just give away the rest.
 

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KennedyMarx

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Wow! That's a lot of shoots. :D

I think I would sort out which ones I want to keep before it gets out of control.
 

thams

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Wow! That's a lot of shoots. :D

I think I would sort out which ones I want to keep before it gets out of control.

That's my plan, but I need to figure out what the front is going to be. Then I'd like all the shoots to harden off before I start removing some. I know if I don't wait then I'll end up breaking the ones that are too tender that I really want to keep.
 

Poink88

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That's my plan, but I need to figure out what the front is going to be. Then I'd like all the shoots to harden off before I start removing some. I know if I don't wait then I'll end up breaking the ones that are too tender that I really want to keep.

This ARS scissors goes any tight space I need it and cuts nice sized branches w/o any problems.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141177133069?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

If you do not have a good pair of scissors, an old cuticle nipper works well on tight spots...works like a concave cutter too! ;)
 

thams

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This ARS scissors goes any tight space I need it and cuts nice sized branches w/o any problems.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141177133069?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

If you do not have a good pair of scissors, an old cuticle nipper works well on tight spots...works like a concave cutter too! ;)

I AM in need of a decent set of sheers. Actually, I really need a compete tool set really. When I was new to the hobby I purchased a crappy set of Chinese tools of Amazon. They love to seize up on me when I need them the most.

I've been using an X-Acto knife to gently nip any buds of very small limbs I don't need. Honestly it works way better than a lot of other tools I've used.
 

Poink88

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I have lots of tools but still use whatever is close when removing suckers. My fingers, a chopstick, knife, scissors, etc. LOL...whatever works! :eek:

Crappy tools are the most expensive tools because you end up replacing them.
 

thams

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So all my little cuttings are starting to burst with life and I'm thinking about their future stylings. Still a long, long way off from resembling a bonsai, but just wanted to share my thoughts.

I'm holding out hope that I get additional sprouts from the cut edges of the cutting, but if not then I'll work with what I get. The third picture is from Jerry Meislik's website and is of a little ficus cutting that belongs to Gardens Unlimited. When I was there I begged them to sell me the little tree, but they were understandably attached to it. So instead, I'm going to attempt to style my cutting in the same way.
 

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ronin

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Looks wonderful! Nice work. Do you use anything after planting the cutting? Fortunately I am pretty close to meehans, so I am thinking of experimenting some.:)
 

thams

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Looks wonderful! Nice work. Do you use anything after planting the cutting? Fortunately I am pretty close to meehans, so I am thinking of experimenting some.:)

Meehan's is totally worth a visit. Be sure you take your time and go through all of their trees. There are plenty of gems to be had for next to nothing. I was able to score a everything listed in this thread for $25. Pretty good price, I think.

Just make sure you keep cuttings moist and in a humid environment if possible. The key is not letting them dry out, but you don't want them just sitting in water either. Since most root cuttings don't have leaves through which to transpire, they can rot if you're not careful. Root cuttings are awesome since they come in all shapes and sizes. And who doesn't love multiple trees for the price of one!
 

Neli

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I think root cutting give a different feel also. I need to try some.
 

KennedyMarx

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The trunk has really interesting contorted movement. If it were mine I would make sure not to cover it up with any foliage. Maybe select the branches you want to keep and eliminate the rest. Not sure if that would make the branching develop faster but I assume so.
 

thams

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The trunk has really interesting contorted movement. If it were mine I would make sure not to cover it up with any foliage. Maybe select the branches you want to keep and eliminate the rest. Not sure if that would make the branching develop faster but I assume so.

Yeah I'm with you. I want to trunk to be the focal point of the tree. I'll have to thin out the branches once they develop a little more. I'll probably leave a handful and let them thicken and then cut back hard. It'll take a few years, but all I got is time.

Also, I'm probably going to give away my other cuttings once they stabilize a little more. I need to free up some space since there's only so much room in my grow tent. I don't really think it's worth selling them since I wouldn't really get that much outta them anyway. Plus I need to build up more good karma. :D
 
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