Guess what, another Ficus....

[Redwood Ryan]

Took a trip up to Meehans Miniatures in Maryland today and picked up a couple more Ficus (I know I have a problem, okay?).

This is one of the two trees I bought. I bought it for its very interesting base. I haven't taken measurements yet, but it's a pretty decent size.





Now, at the nursery here's what I saw. I tilted the tree to the left and made that first branch on the right the new leader. However, after making a quick virt, I'm not so sure it works out. It looks too powerful on the right side.



So....any comments?

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Here's a pic with one of the aerial roots on the right removed.

 

[edprocoat]

Another Ficus, who'da thunk it ?

ed

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Another Ficus, who'da thunk it ?

ed

I'm sure no one saw it coming


After toying around with it some, I'm wondering if I was tilting it a little too much maybe. So I put a little less tilt on it and got this:

 

[Poink88]

Judging from what I've seen you do...you obviously love ficus and chopping them to sumo type bonsai. As I told you before...maybe try other plants and/or style?

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Judging from what I've seen you do...you obviously love ficus and chopping them to sumo type bonsai. As I told you before...maybe try other plants and/or style?

They're not all chopped. I do have several larger ones. I mean, are there any other styles??

 

[Si Nguyen]

Ryan, I like that you are willing to chop to the lowest branch and start over on your ficus. That takes gut. But one suggestion: lean the stump a lot to one side, so that the growing leader is pointing almost sideway (for example, if you look straight down at it, the leader would be pointing at 10 o'clock- or to 2 o'clock). Right now, your leader branch is just pointing straight up from the apex, which means you will have to chop it again later if you want to keep it a sumo. By leaning it , you could get an even wider base. As the leader grows and thickens, you keep selecting a smaller leader and wire it sideway (pointing it in another direction). By leaning it and keeping your leader in a horizontal position, your side branches can also be developed more quickly because you can have more branches for any given height. Does this make sense to anybody? Should I sketch it out for you?
Basically, the principle is that if you want to keep it short, you have to keep growing the trunk sideways so that it will take the longest route to the top.
Good luck!

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Ryan, I like that you are willing to chop to the lowest branch and start over on your ficus. That takes gut. But one suggestion: lean the stump a lot to one side, so that the growing leader is pointing almost sideway (for example, if you look straight down at it, the leader would be pointing at 10 o'clock- or to 2 o'clock). Right now, your leader branch is just pointing straight up from the apex, which means you will have to chop it again later if you want to keep it a sumo. By leaning it , you could get an even wider base. As the leader grows and thickens, you keep selecting a smaller leader and wire it sideway (pointing it in another direction). By leaning it and keeping your leader in a horizontal position, your side branches can also be developed more quickly because you can have more branches for any given height. Does this make sense to anybody? Should I sketch it out for you?
Basically, the principle is that if you want to keep it short, you have to keep growing the trunk sideways so that it will take the longest route to the top.
Good luck!

Thank you Si!

I really bought the tree for the sole purpose of taking it way back, so no problems there. I am having a little trouble following you though. Maybe I just don't understand the point of leaving the leader horizontal though...

 

[JudyB]

Should I sketch it out for you?

I would be interested in seeing a sketch, and some more explanation of this concept. I'm not sure I get what you're saying.

And really? Ryan? Another one??? We all want to know how many ficus you have now....
Just kidding, of course, everyone has obsessions.....
(but we do want a count!)

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I've actually only got about 25 Ficus. I've been giving away/selling a lot of them to make room for better stock.

 

[JudyB]

Good for you. Infecting others is always a good idea!

I'd like to see a photo of what you consider your tree with the best progress so far...

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Good for you. Infecting others is always a good idea!

I'd like to see a photo of what you consider your tree with the best progress so far...

That it is


I need to snap a current picture, but I'd say the tree in this thread:

http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?5445-Huge-Ficus-microcarpa

Is one I've progressed quite a bit. Still a fugly duckling, but I learned how to do many techniques on that tree. With that big ol' microcarpa of mine, I really plan on stepping it up and making something more with what I've got

 

[JudyB]

Well that is some progression thread! You've done a lot to this tree, I can see why you have learned so much from it. Looks like you're settling into the shape for it.
Nice work.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Well that is some progression thread! You've done a lot to this tree, I can see why you have learned so much from it. Looks like you're settling into the shape for it.
Nice work.

Thanks Judy. None of my trees are really show quality (or anywhere near), and that's really made me want to quit the hobby, but I've stuck with it thus far.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

However, buying better stock, like the little beauty below, really helps keep me going.

 

[JudyB]

Sweet.

You gotta be in bonsai for the love of it...

 

[Si Nguyen]

I would be interested in seeing a sketch, and some more explanation of this concept. I'm not sure I get what you're saying.

Hi Judy and Ryan, here's the sketch for what I was trying to say earlier. It should be self-explanatory now. But here's a few words to clarify the sketch a little further for those who are not familiar with the concept of using sacrifice trunk. It is not a new concept from me. I am sure it had been described elsewhere. Maybe in Naka's textbooks. If anybody finds a reference for it, I would appreciate it a lot if they would chime in here. The concept is slightly different than the usual sacrifice BRANCH idea. The sacrifice TRUNK is faster at developing girth. But of course, one can use both on the same tree. In junipers, one does not have to remove the sacrifice trunk, one should jin it, which is the concept of "growing jins" that some of you may have read about, but that's another topic.

There are several advantages of leaning it at the beginning (usually side way AND to the back a little):
1. you can hide the initial trunk chop.
2. you can get a wider , more interesting base, maybe with exposed roots. In ficus, don't worry about the irregular, exposed roots because they will fuse and make the base more interesting in the future.
3. the sacrifice trunk(s) grows away from the tree and does not shade out the lower branches.
4. By leaning it backward a little in the beginning, your new trunk line can start to move forward with succeeding chops, and eventually the final apex would be in the perfect location over your base. I sketched out a generic plan here, but you should know that you don't always have to pick a new leader pointing in the opposite direction as the sacrifice trunk, because sometimes a new leader would be more interesting when going in the similar direction as the sacrifice trunk. The key thing here is don't make a cookie cutter pine tree out of your ficus.

One side note: pay attention to how you wire the young side branches. In ficus, you should wire the branches upward a little (upward at the exit point from the trunk), then as the branches thicken, you chop the branches back to get the proper taper. They grow faster when pointed upward too. Basically don't wire them straight out or downward at the trunk exit point.

Hope this helps.
Good luck!

 

[JudyB]

Thank you Si, for the sketch. Now all is clear, and makes perfect sense. Similar to Peter Adams techniques in the Maple book I have, but looks like you let the sacrifice trunk remain longer.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Hi Judy and Ryan, here's the sketch for what I was trying to say earlier. It should be self-explanatory now. But here's a few words to clarify the sketch a little further for those who are not familiar with the concept of using sacrifice trunk. It is not a new concept from me. I am sure it had been described elsewhere. Maybe in Naka's textbooks. If anybody finds a reference for it, I would appreciate it a lot if they would chime in here. The concept is slightly different than the usual sacrifice BRANCH idea. The sacrifice TRUNK is faster at developing girth. But of course, one can use both on the same tree. In junipers, one does not have to remove the sacrifice trunk, one should jin it, which is the concept of "growing jins" that some of you may have read about, but that's another topic.

There are several advantages of leaning it at the beginning (usually side way AND to the back a little):
1. you can hide the initial trunk chop.
2. you can get a wider , more interesting base, maybe with exposed roots. In ficus, don't worry about the irregular, exposed roots because they will fuse and make the base more interesting in the future.
3. the sacrifice trunk(s) grows away from the tree and does not shade out the lower branches.
4. By leaning it backward a little in the beginning, your new trunk line can start to move forward with succeeding chops, and eventually the final apex would be in the perfect location over your base. I sketched out a generic plan here, but you should know that you don't always have to pick a new leader pointing in the opposite direction as the sacrifice trunk, because sometimes a new leader would be more interesting when going in the similar direction as the sacrifice trunk. The key thing here is don't make a cookie cutter pine tree out of your ficus.

One side note: pay attention to how you wire the young side branches. In ficus, you should wire the branches upward a little (upward at the exit point from the trunk), then as the branches thicken, you chop the branches back to get the proper taper. They grow faster when pointed upward too. Basically don't wire them straight out or downward at the trunk exit point.

Hope this helps.
Good luck!

Oh now I get it, very nice, thanks! That makes a lot of sense. I do like that Ficus kind of look, and if I could get something resembling that I'd be pretty dang happy.

What I may do is just chop it, wait for it to backbud, then see where the buds that result pop up. I could then go from there.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Do you think leaving the tree as it is now (current angle) would be enough to have it grow like you've drawn? In your third drawing the leader is pointed to the left, but as the tree sits now it is pointing to the right. I wonder if that'd make a difference?