Ficus help

[Steve C]

I made the novice mistake back in the spring of trying to do too much too soon with him (repotted/pruned/wired all at the same time) and it was just too much so his upper branches died off. I actually thought he was a goner all summer long, but I always heard ficus were pretty resilient so I kept up with tending to him with water, sun and humidity and too my surprise about 3 weeks ago he started pushing out lots of new growth. I trimmed off the upper dead branches that died a few weeks ago.

The upper trunk is dead (no green under the bark). What if anything should I do to help this little guy out? The local bonsai teacher at the nursery when I told him about this one said defoiling it might be a good idea. Should I do that now or just let it be for a year or two the way it is until he has rested and thickens up with more growth?

Thanks

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I made the novice mistake back in the spring of trying to do too much too soon with him (repotted/pruned/wired all at the same time) and it was just too much so his upper branches died off. I actually thought he was a goner all summer long, but I always heard ficus were pretty resilient so I kept up with tending to him with water, sun and humidity and too my surprise about 3 weeks ago he started pushing out lots of new growth. I trimmed off the upper dead branches that died a few weeks ago.

The upper trunk is dead (no green under the bark). What if anything should I do to help this little guy out? The local bonsai teacher at the nursery when I told him about this one said defoiling it might be a good idea. Should I do that now or just let it be for a year or two the way it is?

Thanks
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If the upper part is dead, simply cut it away. I wouldn't defoliate it, I'd wait until the tree is stronger to do that.

 

[AlBooBoo]

If you ask me id say one day you might not regret chopping that top of anyways

i think you can get a much nicer tree than those S shaped pre bonsai`s out of that ficus..
but thats only if you ask me

 

[Steve C]

Okay thanks Ryan.

 

[Steve C]

If you ask me id say one day you might not regret chopping that top of anyways

i think you can get a much nicer tree than those S shaped pre bonsai`s out of that ficus..
but thats only if you ask me

Are you saying to maybe chop it a bit more than just the dead then(such as removing a bit of the S curve)? Just trying to make sure I understand what you are saying.

 

[Poink88]

Remove that "humidity tray" under. Let the soil dry some before you water again. Soil looks terribly wet. Too much water will kill your tree faster than anything else. Use that stick to your advantage.

Let it recover this year and do not touch the new growth. Next year you can trim it.

 

[Poink88]

Are you saying to maybe chop it a bit more than just the dead then(such as removing a bit of the S curve)? Just trying to make sure I understand what you are saying.

You can do that later. For now, let it recover...do not touch it.

 

[AlBooBoo]

Well i wont say what you could or couldent do with it at this moment.. am a beginner too so i`d leave that to Ryan, he is wize in the terms of ficus

But you have seen the power of the ficus now so it will get new shoots again if you would chop it.. but if its a smart thing to do right after what just happened i dont know..
There is also a question on the trunk size and how big you want it be off course but..

Do you have any future plans for it ?

 

[Steve C]

Remove that "humidity tray" under. Let the soil dry some before you water again. Soil looks terribly wet. Too much water will kill your tree faster than anything else. Use that stick to your advantage.

Yep I won't even try to say I'm not over watering it, that would be a lie because I know I am. I'm still trying to get use to each one having different water requirements and seems my Fukein teas dry out so much faster than my ficus that I have a bad habit of thinking "well maybe this guy needs just a tad too" and I water the ficus when i should only be watering the tea's. trying to break that habit

Do you have any future plans for it ?

When I wired it the first time (and almost killed it) I was trying to just do a windswept look (I know newbie mistake lol). Right now no plans other than just letting it come back and I'll see where I should go from there I guess. For sure will ask for some direction here when that day comes so I don't attempt ficus homicide yet again

 

[AlBooBoo]

You can just feel the soil abit with your finger or look below the pot in the hole too check if it is moist yet.. try to feel the weight difference on them from right after you water and when it is dry.. soon you just lift on the pot and and hmmm this one needs water

 

[Steve C]

Think I should remove the moss from the ficus as well to help him keep a bit more dry? I added that back in the spring when he was still healthy after I repotted him, but wondering now if that's just adding to the wet/over watering issues as well.

 

[GrimLore]

Think I should remove the moss from the ficus as well to help him keep a bit more dry? I added that back in the spring when he was still healthy after I repotted him, but wondering now if that's just adding to the wet/over watering issues as well.

We do not use moss on any of our Ficus and most of them are in inorganic mix. They don't need water when outside all Summer after I run enough water over them that they drain ever morning. I use 3 times the recommended 20-20-20 mix of fertilizer every ten days and slowly been ramping up to 5 times the amount. I am of the opinion moss can do more harm then good on any plant except for when being displayed or photographed. I prefer to see the substrate on a daily basis and keep things a lot less complicated. I do have a couple of trays of moss for that purpose as well as a few varieties of Lichen. So in my opinion that is when you use moss. For the record we are in the Northeast and have many tropical plants over 18 years now so it works... On the bright side they are hard to kill so I suspect if you get it on a regular "happy" schedule you will have a decent piece of stock to play with again

 

[Steve C]

I use 3 times the recommended 20-20-20 mix of fertilizer every ten days and slowly been ramping up to 5 times the amount.

Looks like I have been another thing wrong then, because I have been using 10-15-10 once every month. Should I change that as well then?

I'll go remove the moss right now from it as well.

 

[GrimLore]

Looks like I have been another thing wrong then, because I have been using 10-15-10 once every month. Should I change that as well then?

I'll go remove the moss right now from it as well.

I am not saying "do as I do". I just explained what we do and because I can tend daily it works for us. Soil/Substrate mixes are well argued over in any Bonsai circle. My line of thought is not what people consider proper for reasons wide varied. If the tree is coming back take of the moss. Then proceed with the same soil and fertilizer as it is currently working for you. The plants we moved to total inorganic were done over a long period of time. The goal for us was to get everything standardized which gives us more time to enjoy them. Your plant has been through a bit of a "rough time" and it is best to let it winter perhaps twice before shocking it a bit more.

 

[Steve C]

Thanks again, and moss is now off of it. I tell ya what I'll be very happy to start attending the local bonsai club meetings at the end of this month so I can start learning more so I don't feel like I'm just doing everything wrong. Although I guess like everything else in life, when you are fresh and new at something you have much to learn and it'll take time.

Appreciate the help

Steve

 

[Poink88]

Note that the plant substrate is an environment...you have to keep things in balance. Factors like; substrate type, moisture, watering frequency, fertilizer, pot size, plant size, foliage amount, root health, temperature, wind, sun exposure, etc. etc... can influence each other.

Changing one may tip that balance. Just FYI.

 

[Steve C]

Note that the plant substrate is an environment...you have to keep things in balance. Factors like; substrate type, moisture, watering frequency, fertilizer, pot size, plant size, foliage amount, root health, temperature, wind, sun exposure, etc. etc... can influence each other.

Changing one may tip that balance. Just FYI.

I'll keep a close eye on it and see if things start to change at all now that the moss is off, and if so then I'll try to compensate for it. One other thing (sorry for all the dumb questions all at once today) but I just removed the moss and then sat him in the sun, not full sun but somewhat evening sun here right now) in hopes of drying it out a tad because after I pulled the moss off you were right, the soil looked soaked. Is pulling the moss off "and" sitting it in the sun now okay to do or should I just dry it out in small steps? It usually gets morning and evening sun and no direct sun because the small stand up greenhouse I have is on the East side of a overhead canopy.

 

[GrimLore]

I'll keep a close eye on it and see if things start to change at all now that the moss is off, and if so then I'll try to compensate for it. One other thing (sorry for all the dumb questions all at once today) but I just removed the moss and then sat him in the sun, not full sun but somewhat evening sun here right now) in hopes of drying it out a tad because after I pulled the moss off you were right, the soil looked soaked. Is pulling the moss off "and" sitting it in the sun now okay to do or should I just dry it out in small steps?

If you evenings are warm it will probably dry well over a day or two all by itself. Once that happens put it on a daily morning watering. If you have a lot of organic in it don't soak it like we do as you will probably rot the roots out. Honest by the size I would start with 1 1/2 cups of water max and check it at days end. If it is wet use less, if it is semi dry or dry try another 1 1/2 the next morning, etc...
Have you ever Wintered this plant? And when do you plan to?

 

[Steve C]

Have you ever Wintered this plant? And when do you plan to?

Nope I have not, mainly because I just got it back in late March. Other than bringing it inside and putting it under T5's lights which I have, what else should I do for it for the winter?

 

[lordy]

Note that the plant substrate is an environment...you have to keep things in balance. Factors like; substrate type, moisture, watering frequency, fertilizer, pot size, plant size, foliage amount, root health, temperature, wind, sun exposure, etc. etc... can influence each other.

Changing one may tip that balance. Just FYI.

Classic Poink. Why dont you tell him HOW they influence each other? How is a newb supposed to know this? Anyone with elementary horticultural background would know that these factors are interrelated. But hey, Thanks for your input!! Very sort of not very helpful.

As far as overwintering in the cold white north, bring it inside when temps get to 50ish and give it as much light as possible. South facing windows or good bright fluorescents or halogens for 12 to 16 hrs per day would be OK. Cut that chopstick off at about 1" above the soil because it doesnt need to be so distracting. When you feel like you should water it, pull the chopstick out and check the part near the bottom of the pot. If it is fairly dry, water it. If it is moist, hold off. Hit it with some weak fert every month or so.