Ficus don't need no grow box.

[Anthony]

Here are examples of Ficus, that grew to their sizes in these bonsai
pots.

Soil is 9 parts 5 mm inorganic to 1 part aged compost.

@Ingvill ,

Our problem is keeping the ficus trunk from over expanding, and I
would like to think this happens world wide.

Additionally I would show Sifu [ @Adair M ] bonsai in shallow pots
that never needed to be tied in.

And @my nellie , Alexandra, how light of weight a bonsai can be in a pot.
For the ageing body.

Please note we also discovered that for us the best ficus are Ficus benjamina,
and our local Willow leaf fig [ Ficus p. ]
The secret being ------ remove any branch that is not part of the design or
the tree may remove it for you.
These ficus can only handle so many branches being leaf dense, but
branch poor.
Good Day
Anthony

Ficus b. defoliated



Ficus b. defoliated



Ficus p. defoliated
even when grown in a stone is placed on the right, because the - pot -
is not heavy enough, to stabilise from the breeze.

 

[markyscott]

bonsai in shallow pots that never needed to be tied in.

Sometimes fortune smiles on the careless. Trees should be wired into their pots - every tree, every time. To not do so is a rookie error.

 

[Adair M]

Sometimes fortune smiles on the careless. Trees should be wired into their pots - every tree, every time. To not do so is a rookie error.

Yep. It’s kinda like driving a car without insurance. You don’t wish you had it... until you do!

 

[jeanluc83]

Yep. It’s kinda like driving a car without insurance. You don’t wish you had it... until you do!

More like driving a car without a seatbelt.

 

[wireme]

More like driving a car without a seatbelt.

I used to work this job where I was crew supervisor and safety officer for a contracting crew working for huge clients like oilfields and stuff. Clients own safety people watching like hawks, smallest transgressions were very big deals, loss of contract or future work for something seemingly minor. I had to watch the crew carefully, JHA’s for everything, don’t take a crap without a permit..
On my time of I’d drive without a seatbelt and run the chainsaw without ppe just because I could, liberating!
Risky? Sure, still feels good sometimes to me!!

I don’t wire in stuff that I don’t care a lot about, developing things, some with good potential. I like to take risks, probably never should have been safety officer but I knew what I had to do and was good at it despite personal inclinations.
I did once have a tree bounce down some stairs and damage to the roots was worse due to wiring in than it would have been if it just fell out of the pot.. I’ve been using iron wire lately because I have it that will rust away in about 4 years. Trees get pretty stable on their own once they are good and rootbound so I figure it’s ok if it rusts away by then.
Giv’er and don’t wire’em in Anthony, I’m all for it!
I would always have to advise anyone who asked to wire them in though dammit.

 

[Anthony]

Remember, no bare rooting and our soil mix weighs well
more than the tree.
Plus compost glues.

Properties, understood, and not done by rote.

And where the trees are, is a wind channel.

Plus we do rest the trees for week in bright light [ no breeze either]
and now that we know it used to be 2 weeks, we will doing 2 weeks
from now on.
So happy growing all.

Oh yes, and Sifu if you repotted a cascade, cutting around the shape
as we do. It would be physically impossible to fall out of pot.

AND as a reminder, our soil mix promotes fine feeder roots.
So after 30 years, we can do the pie shape very safely.
Good Day
Anthony