Ficus Benji - bonsai prospect

[Adrian]

I bought this fig (benjamina i think) a while back. I've defoliated and cleaned up the roots and now I am wondering how to style this tree. the tree is about 2.5 in at the base and to me appears to taper up nicely so I am happy with its size. I dont want to chop it in anyway and I already have a couple of figs growing in pots for the future so I would like to see this tree as my first pre-bonsai fig....

the leaves are growing back nicely (this is an early photo) but if any wiring is to be done than i would much rather do it before the leaves all come on.

Any help appreciated.
thanks

Adrian

 

[edprocoat]

The tree is formed real nice, those wiring marks on the trunk willbe less obvious when the foliage comes in, I like it though.

ed

 

[Adrian]

The tree is formed real nice, those wiring marks on the trunk willbe less obvious when the foliage comes in, I like it though.

ed

Thanks for the comments Ed.
Do you think that there is any particular direction to take this tree - i.e wiring. trimming etc. some of the branches I think are too long and pointing in the wrong directions and are in the wrong place.

Cheers

Adrian

 

[Bill S]

With a ficus grow what you want it to be, they respond well to pruning.

If you have a vision for it, thats what you want to do.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

With a ficus grow what you want it to be, they respond well to pruning.

If you have a vision for it, thats what you want to do.

what he said.....


now to get your ideas turning a little bit.... you should prolly lower that left hand main branch a little...

 

[Bill S]

Can you put up some pix from different angles? I might say loose the bottom right branch, but lets make sure where the front is. Do the roots spread from the tree at the soil surface?

 

[Adrian]

Can you put up some pix from different angles? I might say loose the bottom right branch, but lets make sure where the front is. Do the roots spread from the tree at the soil surface?

the previous owner allowed the tree to get root bound and unfortuantely the root structure isnt very even so its hard to base a front on roots as I had to do a re pot and root prune as they were all over the place.
So I will consider the current view as front.
as for a vision, not really sure there. I haven't done any fig trees so i am not sure as to what to look out for. there does seem to be too many branches and crossing over ones etc. I like the trunk taper so I think a design centred around this would maybe work?

if anyone could throw up a virtual that would so much appreciated

cheers

Adrian

 

[Hoosteady]

What did you end up doing with this?

 

[jk_lewis]

Two of the branches are simply too large for the tree. I'd cut that lower left branch and that large right-hand middle branch flush with the trunk.